According to law professor Kimberle Crenshaw, intersectionality is the idea that, if you are standing in the path of multiple forms of exclusion, you’re likely to get hit by more than one. For example, Black women cross an intersection and are hit by both racism and sexism. The race ambulance and the gender ambulance arrive […]
The proposed 8th Principle calls on us to “dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.” Does this imply that we are racists? That’s not how I see it. Ibram Kendi, in his book How to be an Antiracist, argues that it is not useful to label people as “racist” or “not racist.” […]
The most compelling reason for the 8th Principle is that members of color have asked the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to adopt it, as our commitment to the long-term work of dismantling racism and other oppressions. The UUA charged the Article II Commission with the review of our faith’s purpose, principles, and sources, including consideration […]
The 8th principle was originally the brainchild of Paula Cole Jones, a lifelong member of All Souls UU Church, Washington, DC. As she worked with congregations on racial and social justice, she noticed that a “good UU” could follow the seven principles without thinking directly about racial justice. In 2013, Jones, an African American former […]
At the annual congregational meeting in May, UUCT will vote on a resolution to adopt the wording of the 8th Principle. “We, the members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tallahassee, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle […]
African American leadership and allies in the UUA wrote the 8th Principle; Black Lives of UU (BLUU) and Diverse Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries (DRUUM) endorsed the 8th Principle, as written. Out of respect for its originators, we feel that our energies are best focused on understanding the wisdom and intention of this principle, rather than […]
From the Unitarian-Universalist Association: Beloved Community happens when people of diverse racial, ethnic, educational, class, gender, sexual orientation backgrounds/identities come together in an interdependent relationship of love, mutual respect, and care that seeks to realize justice within the community and in the broader world. For the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in a Beloved […]
An antiracist, anti-oppressive congregation is a learning community. Our progress will follow a cycle of reflection — action — evaluation. The questions we ask and the answers we give will be our measures for accountability. Our work will be partial and ongoing as racism and oppressions are deeply embedded in our history, our community, and […]
Any and all oppressions that result in people being treated as less valuable than others are included. Oppressions that hold up a false standard of white-male-abled persons as “normal” or “better than” are included. A partial list can include sexism, heterosexism, cissexism and ableism. Classism is included, too, because income, education, and housing are all […]
The two issues intersect. Effects of global climate change are disproportionately affecting communities of color. Historically, authorities treated minority neighborhoods as less valuable; as a result, they are more vulnerable to flooding, storm damage, and increasing temperatures. The residents may also be less resilient due to economic disparity and health conditions. Actions against climate change […]
