After the Civil War Black women like Ida B. Wells adopted “respectability” centered in clothing, coiffures and careers. They gladly shed the attire and pursuits foisted on their mothers when held in slavery. But, being a lady didn’t truly change their status, as Ida learned when she was forcibly ejected from the “Ladies Car” and […]
The 8th Principle begins with the words: We covenant to affirm and promote journeying toward spiritual wholeness… Why evoke a journey? Doing what the 8th principle commits us to doing, working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community, is something that will take time and many steps to accomplish. As with any journey, there may be bumps in […]
The first step to dismantling systemic racism is to guarantee that every American child is taught the authentic history of this country and not some white-centered version that selectively eliminates facts to avoid having the honest discussion that is sorely needed to bring about equity to American society. Engaging students in a factual discourse of […]
For the past year and a half I have been catching up on UU history and using that information as a guide or platform to learn about contemporary America. I grew up in a Universalist Church and remember the merger of the Universalists with the Unitarians. I don’t remember the initial Six Principles that were […]
White as the norm, the default, permeates our society. Movie reviews never note “an all-white cast with a white-centered narrative.” The store’s selection of makeup has no special section for white skin. I’ve yet to hear a song introduction acknowledging a “Euro-American” composer. Joyful white people in wintry scenes are standard on holiday cards and […]
In “The Fire Next Time” James Baldwin warned his nephew: “You were born where you were born and faced the future that you faced because you were black and for no other reason.” Today’s headlines reverberate with that observation. Because you are Black and for no other reason…you will be incarcerated in greater numbers…you will […]
I first heard about the proposed 8th Principle almost two years ago. My first impression was that it seemed long and complicated compared to the other seven principles! But as I continued the journey to understand more about my own white privilege and complicity in upholding systemic racism and other oppressions, I came to see that […]
As UUCT engages in the process of adopting an 8th Principle it is important to understand what the mission really is. Rather than thinking about dismantling racism and other oppressions, as stated in the 8th Principle, we can think about it in positive terms like the ACLU does and think of it as building systemic […]
It’s not easy being a Unitarian Universalist. We don’t pledge to believe a set of beliefs. We affirm and promote ‘a free and responsible search for truth and meaning’. And we do it for all of our lives. Years ago, I grew up in the Universalist Church of North Attleboro, MA. The Universalists had freed […]
Are you feeling as if adopting the proposed 8th Principle is like adding an 11th Commandment? Some UUs have that reaction. Our seven principles express our covenant with other congregations in the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). A vital aspect of our living tradition is that our covenants are not set in stone. We can decide, […]
