A small and mighty band of people showed up at the Washington State Capitol on July 12 to protest the federal cuts to science, libraries and education. Thank you to all who came to show support and solidarity! Some of those gathered asked for the text of the speech that I gave on the base of the capitol steps. The text is below. Stay strong and grounded; take care of yourself and each other. Rev. Mary Minister@ouuc.org
Rev. Mary Gear Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Washington State Capitol July 12, 2025
Thank you for gathering on this warm, summer day in support of science, education and libraries! It matters that you are here, showing your support for knowledge and showing us all that we are not alone.
I am the Rev. Mary Gear, and I am honored to serve as the minister for the Olympia UU Congregation; I use she/her pronouns.
You might think it’s odd that a faith community leader is speaking in support of science. After all, religion and science have had a complicated and sometimes conflicted relationship; think Galileo and the Salem witch trials. Religion has been used for a long time to justify all kinds of sins against people and communities. When that happens, it’s not really about religion, it’s about power. And that’s what we are facing today: a government using religion and whatever else that it can, to consolidate power; power in the form of holding public office, access to the police and military, and most importantly, money and wealth.
What we are seeing now is what we have always seen when corrupt and misguided religious leaders join corrupt and misguided politicians-justification for oppression, violence, tyranny.
We are seeing so many symptoms of broken trust in our government and in each other. Any progress we have made in science and social justice is being eroded. We are being told that it’s every person for themselves as individualism is replacing any care for the common good. Some are cheering for the continued dismantling of public services and
the social safety net. Decades of progress are being dismantled, causing grief, anger, frustration, exhaustion, and hurt. Years of trust building are being destroyed. Our future is being undermined.
My colleagues and I have the same conversation with many people these days. It begins with WTF? What is happening? How can this be? How can humans be so uncaring about others—elderly, immigrants, children, people of color, fill in most any group of people who are marginalized. Then they move to being heartbroken and angry. Finally asking, what can I possibly do?
Absolutely—how can this be?
Yes, how can we be so hurtful to each other?
I hear you about feeling angry, exhausted, and heartbroken.
What can we possibly do?
What the current government understands is that knowledge is power. Of course they are defunding science, libraries, and education. Knowledge is power and they want to control both. They want to control the messages we receive, what we are taught, and what we think. They want us to feel afraid and powerless.
It’s hard to keep going when there is so much chaos and uncertainty. Keeping things chaotic and uncertain is a strategy to wear us down and divert our attention.
What we can do is declare in every way possible that we have power; the power to gather, the power to speak out, the power to care for and protect each other, the power to build and rebuild trust.
We are not the first people to face incredibly hard and dangerous times. What we can do is what humans have always done in hard times: we gather around tables and campfires, in churches and in our neighborhoods; we build relationships, and we learn trust, we tell stories of who we are and what we believe, and we do what we can. We refuse to believe misinformation and refuse to accept that 2+2 = 5. We refuse to believe that we are powerless. We recognize solidarity and signs of hope.
Does gathering at the capitol on a Saturday morning do any good? I don’t know; we never know all the ripples caused by our actions. I know that I am here and so are you. I’m here because I think it’s important to show up, to speak my truth, and to connect with others. I need to see that I am not alone, and neither are you.
What we can do is take care of ourselves and each other and act locally because there are plenty of people here who need our care and attention.
My faith tradition says that science and reason are gifts that we can use to make this world more loving, just, and healthy. My religion says that every person is worthy of dignity and a meaningful existence. My faith tradition says that we are connected to each other and to all life. My religion centers love and says that Transformation is possible. That’s my foundation for being in these times.
We need each other now more than ever. I wish you a strong, solid, and compassionate foundation wherever you find it.
