Our seventh week of observing chalica invites us to reflect on our commitment of journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.

As you observe, you might use this chalice lighting as you light candles this week, from Melanie Davis:

If ever there were a time for a candle in the darkness,
this would be it.
Using a spark of hope,
kindle the flame of love,
ignite the light of peace,
and feed the flame of justice.

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A great way for young people––including even our littlest young ones!––to get involved with working to build a diverse, multicultural Beloved Community is to join West Shore UU’s “Playdates with a Purpose” monthly series to engage younger folks in justice work and education for meaningful community engagement! This opportunity is a fantastic example of how UU values can intersect with young lives. Plus, it is a chance to connect with more UUs in the NE Ohio cluster of congregations!

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Ava DuVernay’s film Origin is a leveling and deeply compelling account for how deep and how embedded forms of racism and marginalization are set in human societies. Since it develops themes from Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste: The Origins of our Discontents, the film invites viewers into profound conversations about how oppressions are seated in ourselves and in our institutions. Recently, the racial justice leadership team has invited a conversation on this very film, and they have been continuing discussion on how it illuminates how oppressive American society still is. Watching this film, engaging in these conversations and considering how this can inform our own efforts to resist the mechanics of caste-creation would be an ideal way to enact our commitment to the eighth principle.

Allan T. Georgia, MDiv, MTS, PhD