Saturday Afternoon at the AR Conference

We begin the afternoon with Dr. Leon Spencer speaking to us about the process of writing The Arc of the Universe is Long with Rev. Leslie Takashi-Morris and Rev. Chip Rousch.  Sharing the experience of capturing the history of race within our Association by incorporating multiple voices and stories. Finding that identity makes a difference in the telling of that history. I cannot do justice to all that Dr. Spencer shared with us … so many observations about our identity as Unitarian Universalists, as people of faith and our journey with race … a very mixed bag. Along with being a great resource for talking about racial justice, the book can also be used to interrogate our own perceptions as well as a tool to become more aware of social location and it’s effect on how we interpret experience, meaning, story, etc.

Dr. Andrea Simpson is speaking to us in the Understanding Race and Place workshop.  She tells us that identity is not just about how we see ourselves but also about what is imposed on us. Race as a social construction. Engages in defining space and place.  Space is raced, gendered, classed, etc. Place as location as well as class or other identity status.  De-segregation as having presence of the ‘other’ and integration as really knowing and being a part of each others’ lives. She tells great stories to illustrate how both race and the space that one occupies socially greatly impacts how one is accepted or not within place and all the complexity around all three.

Paula Cole Jones is speaking about the dominant culture paradigm as automatic and the need to be intentional to think in a multicultural paradigm. ‘What is more personal than identity?’ Intentional change requires looking at the entire system of a congregation.  Explaining ‘the seven levels of readiness’ to understand how we are involved as institutions. We are taken through an exercise that places our congregations on the readiness continuum in 4 areas: multi-racial/multi-cultural, multi-generational, Welcoming Congregation and marriage equality. Post-it notes gives us a picture of the District at least from this group of folks and where the work is. It also brings lots of questions for me about definition and what is ‘transformational’ … ponderings for later. She then asks folks as individuals and representatives of congregations to commit to do some work related to multi-racial/multi-cultural competencies over the next year. Thanks, Paula, I have some names now of folks who are committed to this year … while I will follow up with those folks … know that I am here and want to support these efforts.

Rev. Jeanne Pupke and DE Annette Marquis close us out with readings sending us forth to deepen this work. Opportunities for caucusing were made available after the closing so that the experience could be reflected upon more deeply.

Thanks First UU Richmond for a great weekend and wonderful hospitality as well as a rich and meaningful experience. Another shout out to all of the speakers … I have rich gleanings from your offerings not to mention more questions and ideas. It was great to see so many folks from across the District and I look forward to all the work we can do together. We have a rich history of engaging in the work of anti-racism … may we use that history to move us to realize our dream of being multi-racial/multi-cultural, multi-generational, welcoming communities of faith and justice.

Saturday Morn at TJD Anti-Racism Conf

We have begun our day at the Anti-Racism Conference. We have enjoyed a lovely breakfast and worship has invited us to ground our work in faith. We are beginning to gather for the keynote address by Professor john a. powell, J.D.

Dr. powell is talking to us about structural racism … reminds us of a move from individual, intentional racist actions to racist structures and systems. He also points out that as we become a more multi-racial and multi-cultural society, we no longer know how to have a shared public identity and this creates anxiety especially in relation to ‘the other’. He is talking to us about systems thinking and linkages so if we talk about schools then we must talk about housing, etc. Structures create situations that then create cycles of opportunity or the lack of opportunity.  When we try to intervene in those systems and structures, we must evaluate what happens rather than thinking we are done.

Dr. powell then begins talking to us about the mind and new understandings about it. ‘We are meaning making machines but we only have 2% of emotional cognition available to us.’  This means that we often try to understand and solve racism (and other -isms) logically (conscious thought) when the issues and constructions are deeper (unconscious). We also have unconscious queues which gives positive or negative responses to stimuli … so then our racial constructions or prejudices exist in our unconscious.  We are primed all the time to see certain things and in certain ways … that is how intelligence works.  Our unconscious constructions are culturally conditioned … we have been exposed to really cool exercises to confirm this notion.

Encourages us to look at targeted universal approaches that takes into account race, class, culture, etc. Regional approaches may help us more easily create public spaces of belonging. Education can be seen as an attempt to create the sense of belonging as a public citizen who can relate to others without erasing difference … today’s educational approach tends to focus on productivity or success as constructed by a dominant culture. How do we create a space where we can all belong and contribute?

I attended the UU Tools in Diversity and Anti-Racism workshop. I will share that experience more fully in a future blog. These are gleanings from Robert Gross, Dr. Mark Hicks, Dr. Leon Spencer and Paula Cole Jones …’ this work takes time and relationships of trust must be built’ …’ education as learning communities that transform our identities’ … this begins by understanding what we have learned, discovering what we need to un-learn and engaging in the process of re-learning…accountability = how to be in congregations … relationality is what it is all about and this invites conflict.  We must all be engaged in the conversations.

Justice is All About Relationship

Last week I had the privilege of joining District Staff colleagues who have social justice as part of their portfolio in Boston to discuss our work and how we can support one another in our work. The conversations were rich with different challenges and gifts in each region but there were several approaches or understandings of social justice where there was general agreement amongst us and I want to share some of those thoughts.

First and foremost, justice work is all about right relationship and it begins in our own congregation. This means as District staff, our first priority is in sharing tools with congregations for the building of strong, healthy relationships within congregations. When right relationship is a practice within the congregation then our work outside the congregation becomes about right relationship too. We begin to understand the need to hear the stories from our local communities about what is happening just outside our doors and how we can partner to make just and needed change.

We see this work as a ministry. What does that mean? Well, our social justice work needs to be grounded in our identity as Unitarian Universalists and people of a covenantal faith tradition. It is not work done somewhere off to the side by the Social Justice Committee. It is a whole community experience connected to our entire identity because we start with building relationships within our own congregations. It means that the notion that some are ‘spiritual’ and some are ‘activists’ begins to break down because relationship building is the spiritual practice and justice is the mission.

That being said, the social justice work we do in the community needs to be supported by the leadership of the congregation and to be true to the individual congregation’s identity and mission. So a congregation needs to know who they are,  why they exist and what they can offer. Congregations who know themselves and have done the work of right relationship both inside and outside their building will be known in the community for doing the work of justice.

So … then Justice is All About Relationship.

A Beginning …

I have now been serving as the new Social Justice Coordinator for the Thomas Jefferson District for just over 6 months.  During that time I have participated in meetings in a variety of regions in the District, read resources from inside and outside of the UUA and begun the process of getting to know congregations. I have met or talked with many of you across the District … it is my hope to talk with many more of you over the next weeks and months.  I want to know what is happening in your congregations and communities and how I can support your efforts.  I also want to be a catalyst for making connections and expanding our vision for social justice work in this region.  I believe that social justice work is both grounded in our Unitarian Universalist faith and is a method for deepening that faith as well as an opportunity to partner with others … both within and outside our UU circles … in the creation of a better world for all.

I hope to make this blog a space for grounding our social justice in UU theology, sharing resources and best practices, providing a witness for the stories of congregations doing great work and a tool for educating ourselves about events and issues.  In my initial conversations, I have heard the desire for tools to develop good social justice structure and policies, to cultivate multiculturalism and to make more connections with other UU congregations and across faith traditions.  I want to build a space for creating that toolkit.

In keeping with the notion of building the toolkit, I would like to share the following resources from the UUA:

Inspired Faith, Effective Action: A Social Justice Workbook for UU Congregations

Congregation-Based Community Organizing: A Social Justice Approach to Revitalizing Congregational Life

Social Justice Empowerment Program Handbook

If you have not already done so, I would also encourage you to connect with and get involved with Standing on the Side of Love which is a UUA sponsored public advocacy campaign to harness the power of love to stop oppression.

Building this toolkit will require a few things … as evidenced by this year’s GA, we need to make use of new technologies; we need to engage many people in the conversations and in the words of moderator Gini Courter “telling each other raw and audacious truth” with love and a commitment to stay in relationship. This blog is an attempt to begin to harness those things.

I hope this is the beginning of a season of great work together in an effort to put our faith into action so that we build a better world for all of us.