The Rev. Lisa Garcia-Sampson, executive director of the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of North Carolina, shares her journey and the power of collective action to drive change in our communities
Photo by John Michael Simpson
The Rev. Lisa Garcia-Sampson grew up in Warren, Rhode Island, and began working for AmeriCorps City Year in Providence in her early 20s, “which was an incredibly formative time for me,” she says. She later moved into her “first career” working for an education nonprofit.
Lisa decided to go to seminary in her late 20s, earning a master’s of divinity from Boston University School of Theology. She moved to Durham six years ago and, in February 2020, became the executive director of the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of North Carolina. Since then, Lisa has helped expand the once-small organization, mobilizing 28 Unitarian Universalist congregations across the state and connecting them with trusted partners advocating for democracy, public safety and other urgent issues. “We’re really proud of our vast growth over the past five years,” she says. Here, she shares how she came to lead the organization and her vision for North Carolina’s future.
What drew you to study theology?*
I grew up Catholic. During my undergraduate [years] at Hartwick College [in New York], I studied philosophy and religion. It was in my mid 20s, when I was half a decade into working at an education nonprofit, that I realized that something was missing; I needed more spiritually grounded work as well as the opportunity to address injustices more systematically. Working directly with underserved youth in Providence was fulfilling and meaningful, but I got a sense that I wanted to go deeper, and I realized that was a call that felt more true to who I was.
When you moved to Durham, what was that transition like?
I immediately fell in love. From an organizing perspective, I had never experienced the collaboration, joy and intergenerational dynamics of organizing the way that I [do] here. I think there is something very special happening in this state because of the deep trust that exists among our organizations. It all begins with relationships and the instinct to collaborate, be creative and work toward shared goals and a shared vision for North Carolina, which is put ahead of the individual goals of any one organization.
From another standpoint – if I could gush about Durham a little bit more – I immediately fell in love with the live music. A huge part of my life and the way that I get to experience joy and nourishment on a regular basis is through jazz, blues, bluegrass and the North Carolina Symphony. It feels like, on any given day of the week, there’s absolutely incredible music happening in Durham.
The Durham Farmers Market [also exudes] the spirit of beloved community, abundance and joy. The Saturday market is a really sacred ritual for me, [one] that I think demonstrates some of the best of who we are in Durham.
[I also love] great cocktails and great beer. I think the cocktail scene in Durham is incredible [thanks to places like] Kingfisher, Corpse Reviver Bar & Lounge and Alley Twenty Six. It feels like pure abundance here in Durham among the music, food, drinks and community, which is special.
The reason why music, the farmers market, good food and the beauty of nature in Durham are so important to me is because right now we need to focus on radical care, not just for one another, but for ourselves. We need to fill our lives with as much beauty, joy, nourishment and rest as possible, so that we have what we need to navigate what’s happening in our world.
Tell us about your day-to-day at work.
Very few days are alike. A lot of my time is spent in Zoom meetings with organizations across the state, working together on shared actions. I travel a lot [among our] 28 churches and tons of community partners.
Every Friday at 11 a.m. since May 2020 I have led an online event called Friday Action Hour. This is where people of faith and people of conscience – UUs and friends with shared values – come together to take stock of what has happened that week and take action. We have community partners from across the state coming to brief us on important issues … things like work on democracy, fighting for education funding, you name it. So, every Friday for the past 250-plus weeks, that is what my day has looked like: preparing for and hosting a gathering of people online to reflect on what’s happening in our world from a spiritually grounded place, and then taking action. I think people, for a long time now, have been feeling a lot of fear, powerlessness and despair. Our job is to invite people into a movement for justice where you can deeply experience love, power, mutuality and the beloved community.
Are there any achievements since you joined UU Justice NC that make you especially proud?
One of the biggest wins we’ve ever been a part of is successfully expanding Medicaid to more than 600,000 people in North Carolina. It’s something that we worked on for years, and Unitarian Universalists showed up in the ways that we were asked to, which I’m very proud of. That was definitely a huge achievement. Expanding Medicaid to [that many people] – there’s no bigger tangible win than that.
Also, inviting people in our congregations into the work of creating radical networks of safety and care across the state. That includes really pushing folks out of their comfort zone to recognize the real threats of fascism and white Christian nationalism in our state, and equipping people to be part of teams doing safety work and de-escalation work.
Are there any goals you have for yourself personally and professionally in the coming years?
One of the biggest goals for me in the next few years is to be very disciplined in cultivating a work-life balance that will allow me to stay in this work for a long time. That is important to me on a personal level, because burnout is real, especially in the political moment that we’re in. I need to be really disciplined and committed to my own health and well-being so that I can continue to do this work.
Professionally, we’re at the beginning of launching a massive interfaith coalition in North Carolina. My focus for the next few years is helping to weave together a network of values-aligned people of faith across the state, and making sure that we feel deeply connected and accountable to one another, from our cities to our rural counties, from the mountains to the ocean. We need to deeply experience our mutuality and collectively build radical networks of safety and care that will get us through this moment and that reflect the type of North Carolina that we wish to see.
Can you share a piece of advice or philosophy that is central to you?
One thing that’s core to my ministry is the [idea] that joy is an act of resistance. I think joy has always been the deepest instinct of my spirit, but it wasn’t until moving to Durham that I realized how essential joy is to our work.
In the face of all of the fear, despair and scarcity, we need to center love, joy and the spirit of abundance in the way we organize. That’s because the story of our movement is not what we are fighting against, it is what we are fighting for. That is what I am often telling Unitarian Universalists across the state.
Stacey Abrams [says] it’s a dismal place to inhabit when you are constantly fighting against, because the darker your enemy gets, the darker your spirit gets trying to fight it. But there is light in the act of creation. There is light in the act of being for something. Our movement in North Carolina needs to be about the act of creation. … We have to be spiritually grounded in the idea that we are creating a world of abundance, love and joy. That is really core to me.
Are there women who have inspired you throughout your career?
To look back at the radical, courageous, beautiful work of [the Rev. Dr.] Pauli Murray in her time – [Pauli]’s emblematic of a lot of the values that still guide our movement. I think we are very much so connected to and strengthened by [Pauli’s work]. I’m carrying on the legacies of those who have come before us as a queer minister.
Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about your work?
The thing that I’m most privileged to do is to leave Durham and understand that we belong to a movement that stretches from the mountains to the coast. Our responsibility is to continue to be an example of radical, beautiful work. The HEART program in Durham is a phenomenal example of what is possible. We have to continue to be a progressive beacon that proves [initiatives] like HEART can work, and that we can reimagine community safety.
[We have a] responsibility to be in a deep relationship with people across our state – those in different political landscapes, in more rural and less progressive areas – and, more broadly, our responsibility is to weave a network of mutuality among all people in the state. What I’m most proud of is when we are good neighbors and live into what we believe: this theology of mutuality, that we are all accountable to one another … and that we all have to contribute to the safety and care of people across North Carolina. – as told to Renee Ambroso
*responses have been edited for length and clarity
