What does it mean to be an anti-racist congregation in a country that is struggling with its racist past, present, and future? The Racial Justice Leadership Team is continuing to explore ways that we as a church community can build the beloved community that counters white supremacy, is welcoming and inclusive for all, and knows that when Black Lives Matter, all lives matter.
All UUCC members will have a chance to demonstrate our willingness to learn more about how to dismantle structural and institutional racism and how to create a welcoming congregation for all people at the “Beyond Categorical Thinking” workshop on Saturday, December 12th. Look for the Search Committee’s announcement and registration link elsewhere in this newsletter.
Over fifty members of the congregation have, or are now participating in Beloved Conversations, the multi-week program of reflection and discussion about the role of race/ethnicity in our individual and congregational lives, and how, through that deeper understanding we can act on undoing systemic racism. There will be additional opportunities to participate, either virtually this spring, or in-person once we can gather again. The goal is to have a critical mass of the congregation who have a common understanding and language for leading the congregation towards becoming the Beloved Community we desire.
In addition to Beloved Conversations, there are a number of opportunities for learning more and engaging in this work, both within UUism and in the larger community. Widening the Circle is the ground-breaking report and call to action released by the Unitarian Universalist Commission on Institutional Change in June 2020. While much of it focuses on the UUA, there are many recommendations aimed at congregations, all placed within the context of our history, theology and values. A brief summary can be found here (https://www.uua.org/uuagovernance/committees/cic/widening), or you can download the full report for free (https://www.uua.org/book/export/html/43821), or purchase it for $16 (https://www.uuabookstore.org/Widening-the-Circle-of-Concern-P18686.aspx). We will be offering ways to engage congregants in exploring its recommendations.
The Racial Justice Leadership Team is looking to expand our membership. If this is work you would like to join in doing, please contact Nancy King Smith, chair. The current members of the Team are Erika Brown, Rev. Joe Cherry, Pat Dillard, Christie Manning, Valerie McFadden, Roschelle Ogjubi and Dell Salza.