LRY (Liberal Religious Youth) LSD (Lower Southern District)

Fuqua, Ed - Augusta, GA, 72, 73, 74.
"...even the other 'long haired hippie types' I went to school with were pretty apathetic, politically. Pretty much ANYBODY that was interested in what I was interested in, I met through LRY and the UU church." Read full.

Inman, Ed - Jackson, MS, mid to late 70s.
"...I do believe there is an undercurrent of tokenism in the system, where a handful of youth are given voices only where they are overwhelmingly outnumbered by adults. I also don't believe that, as a spiritual and educational developmental opportunity, allowing a few youth to sit on adult boards is a replacement for allowing youth to debate issues among themselves within formally organized youth boards. It's not the UUA I remember and loved..." Read full.

West, Nina - Atlanta, GA, 70 - 75.
"I have an older sister who was in LRY as I was growing up. She is seven years older, therefore her time in LRY is more squarely in the mid 60s. To me, it seemed like she was part of a cool group of people...she brought home interesting music, via records, that seemed to be part of her life as an LRYer, and she went to a coffee house, called Twelfth Gate, that I had some sense of as being a cool place to be. As I grew up in the RE program at UUCA, I knew that as I approached my teenage years I could be in LRY. I knew that there was no RE for me at UUCA, or for any teens, so if I wanted to continue participating in the church, then it would be through LRY. " Read full.

LRY (Liberal Religious Youth) MVF (Missouri Valley Federation)

Graves (Lewis), Denise - Kansas City, MO, 74 - 78.
"The discussion/conflict between LRY and the UUA was a reflection of the UUA at the time that was also declining in numbers and desperately trying to find new ways to attract members. At the time it also seemed like a parody of family relations when parents wish that their teenagers could be more like the neighbors kids. Truthfully the number of real members in LRY was rapidly shrinking. We knew that a lot of the information we were sending out would be received by nobody." Read full.

Stephen, Susan - Lincoln, Nebraska, 72 - 75.
" I learned really interesting and useful "things" and "skills", plus huge lessons on psychology, interpersonal relations, human and power dynamics... both my husband and I still think the LRY experience was pivotal in shaping who we are today -- in a very positive way." Read full.

LRY (Liberal Religious Youth) SUNCO (Sunshine State Cooperative)

Lotz, David - Miami, FL, 69-74.
"The seventies for me was initiated by LRY. All the political upheaval from the Vietnam War to Watergate and beyond mirrored our struggles to fight the good fight for social and civil justice. There was a lot of Peace and Love within LRY but it was life not fantasy that made us who we really are. If you are reading this, peace be with you my LRY friend." Read full.

LRY (Liberal Religious Youth) Toak-TM (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Tennessee, Missouri )

Courtney, David - Houston, TX, 71, 72.
"I have spent a lot of time thinking about my time in LRY. Did I contribute anything to it? I don't know. Was a youth directed organisation like this a good idea? I don't know. It was a social experiment and I feel proud that I was a part of it. However, I can certainly understand why it was closed down. We were young and certainly did not know any boundaries." Read full.