The Pagan Unity Campaign was founded by Storm Bear Williams in early 2001. The objective was to unite Pagans across the country in letting our state and federal leaders know that there was a large Pagan voting population in America.
The mission of the PUC: “ to unify the many diverse branches of Paganism in America. A lofty goal that has been tried many times before and not succeeded. However, we are not attempting to unify Pagans under a religious umbrella, but we want Pagans to come together under the banner of Freedom.”
At the groups inception they created and signed in a Pagan Bill of Rights which states:
1. Pagans shall have the same freedom to worship that is granted to followers of other religions.
2. Pagans shall have the same respect of all elected officials who represent them that is afforded to followers of other religions.
3. A Pagan parent’s religion shall not be used as evidence for the purpose of deciding child custody issues.
4. Pagans shall be free to work without regard their religion, and should be free from proselytizing and harassment at the workplace.
5. Pagans shall have the same freedom to conduct their lives that is given to followers of other religions, within the boundaries of the law, without interference by, or discrimination from representatives of their local, state, or federal government.
6. School district personnel and classroom visitors shall not proselytize or harass Pagan children while on public school property or at public school functions.
7. Pagans shall have the same freedom to exercise all of their rights as do all other American citizens.
8. Pagans are entitled to the free exercise of their beliefs and rituals and must be protected from the interference of others during the practice thereof.
9. Pagans shall have the right to redress when their religious rights are abused.
10. Pagans shall be able to wear sacred symbols of their faith in environments where followers of other faiths are free to express themselves similarly.
‘So Vote It Be’ is the PUC’s campaign that kicked off in 2002. The goal of this campaign was to provide voter education and registration to all peoples of Pagan faiths. This campaign is run leading up to local and national elections. For more click here.
The most well known of the PUC’s campaigns is the “I AM” project. This stands for sending a post card or a letter to our elected officials letting them know who of their constituency is Pagan. It stands to reason that the more our politicians understand that Pagans are educated and they are voting, that eventually the group as a whole will be known a serious voting group and start to get taken more seriously. This campaign was the first for the PUC and it began on February 9th 2001. The project has run every year during the Summer Solstice. For more click here.
The third on going project for the PUC is the Birthday Card Campaign. This campaign is designed to have birthday cards sent to their elected officials informing them of the voting Pagans in their area. For more click here.
Currently, the PUC is gearing up for it’s annual “I AM” campaign and if you are a Pagan that wants to stand up and be counted by your local and national elected officials now is the time to get ready for that movement. Follow the link above for more information on the campaign.