step by step

thanks to H. Fred Garcia and Kasey Melski for allowing us to use this photo.

(click for a larger image)

It is hard to believe it’s been almost three weeks since our Ft. Worth General Assembly ended.  Since then, I’ve been the Best Man at my best friend’s wedding, packed my kids for a month at camp, dealt with several emergency pastoral concerns and attended a weekend gathering in the Uintah mountains with members of my congregation. Today feels like my first real day of rest since I flew to Ft. Worth. That said, I hope other members of the committee will fill in anything I might forget to mention.

The committee began by attending and presenting our work to the Stakeholder’s Gathering on Thursday.  We heard clearly that we need to continue to improve our communication with stakeholders, as they were unaware of much of the work we’d done this year, especially the review of the Ministerial Credentialing paperwork and our meeting with Meadville Lombard Theological School.  Our emphasis on building relationships with stakeholders has begun, but been less successful than we’d hoped. It was clear that stakeholders at the gathering did not feel "in the loop" about the work of the committee.

We also talked briefly with the stakeholders about our hope that we can ground anti-racism, anti-oppression and multiculturalism in our congregations, working at the grassroots and helping this work become a part of our identity as Unitarian Universalists. We discussed engaging our communities in creating a theology of wholeness that is specifically rooted in our Unitarian Universalist heritage and values and that will inspire our congregations to transform themselves into communities that truly welcome and work for equity, justice, and compassion in ALL human relations and institutions.  We hope our theological schools will become leaders in this work.

We also let the stakeholders know of some upcoming changes in our committee. Our Chair, Rev. Sofia Craethnenn, will be joining the staff of the UUA as the Program Coordinator for Racial and Ethnic Concerns and therefore will no longer be able to serve on the committee. The Committee on Committees has selected yours truly, Rev. Sean Parker Dennison, to serve as the next chair of the committee. An additional committee member will also be chosen in the near future.

On Friday at GA, we met as a committee, and then met with members of the Accessibilities Committee to learn of their work and how we can better support and partner with them to provide advocacy for people with disabilities in our association. This was the first such meeting with the Accessibilities committee and began the very process of building relationships and communication that we so hope to see happen with all of our stakeholders.

On Saturday at GA, we presented a report of our work to the Plenary and then attended the gathering of Congregational Presidents at the invitation of UUA President Bill Sinkford and Moderator Gini Courter.  We were glad to be able to observe and reflect upon the dreams, desires, needs, and frustrations of the Congregational Presidents in approaching or continuing anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multiculturalism work in their congregations. We were also pleased to invite twenty-five congregational presidents to attend a special focus group with us on Sunday morning.

On Sunday, over 30 congregational presidents joined us for breakfast and a further discussion of how we might increase congregational involvement in doing the work of anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multiculturalism.  We had a wonderful discussion that addressed fears and resistance to the work, resources available to congregations, and a vision of what our association might look like if we truly embodied wholeness and justice, from our smallest congregations to the whole of our association.

On Sunday evening we also had committee members present at the Committee on Committees workshop. This allowed us to inform people about the work we do and invite them to consider supporting and even joining the committee. Throughout GA we also had a booth in the exhibition hall which we each spent some time in, meeting people and handing out materials about the committee and our contact information, including this blog. A special hello to any who have recently taken the time to find us here! 

While there was a lot to do at GA, it still feels to me like a small beginning. Our committee’s charge is vast and we are accountable to many.  Building relationships, improving communication, envisioning ways to engage others in this important work in new ways…there is a lot ahead.  Still, we are committed to each step of this journey, knowing wholeness is worth every effort.

An open letter to UU youth of color and UU people of color who attended Fort Worth General Assembly and the broader UU community

July 6, 2005

At General Assembly in Fort Worth , there were several incidents that reminded us that we have much work to do in our journey to becoming an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and multicultural association. We, the UUA Board of Trustees, want to express deep sadness and regret that these incidents took place.

Some of these incidents involved apparently disrespectful and racist treatment of our youth by Fort Worth officials. We will respond appropriately to these incidents. When we visit a city, we expect that all members of our Unitarian Universalist community should be treated with respect and hospitality. For this and future General Assemblies, our presence might provide a "teachable moment" for us to work with our host cities on issues involving race and youth.

But we have work do within our own community as well. We have been disturbed by reports of other unfortunate incidents during General Assembly within our own Unitarian Universalist family, in which some UU youth of color were made to feel that they were not welcome. There was an incident outside the hall during the closing ceremonies at the Fort Worth General Assembly. Based on the reports of witnesses, the incident involved several UU youth of color, a UU adult who questioned their right to be there, provoking an angry response from the youth, a UU minister who intervened in support of the adult, and another white youth who defended the youth of color and verbally attacked the minister, who responded in like fashion with similar inflammatory language. This was not the only incident. We have also heard that on several occasions in Fort Worth , white UUs assumed that UU youth of color were hotel service people and asked them to carry luggage or park cars. We are troubled that some UUs may have treated other UUs as if they did not belong among us. We can and must do better.

Sadly, this was not the first General Assembly to have incidents like these. After one of those past incidents, the UUA Board of Trustees committed to provide safe space to process issues and concerns around oppression and racism and chaplains who could help facilitate reflection, discussion, and learning. However, we as a Board regret that we have not done enough to provide that safe space. We cannot control the actions of individuals, but we can create venues where we can all learn and grow as a community. We apologize for failing to provide those venues and commit to remedy this at future General Assemblies.

As your UUA Board, we pledge to treat all these incidents as a wake-up call for our entire community. We understand that personal stories about individuals’ experiences at Fort Worth General Assembly have been recorded and we commit to hear these stories and learn from them. Also, we will work with the General Assembly Planning Committee and other groups to ensure that General Assembly in St. Louis and all future General Assemblies are more welcoming to all members of our Unitarian Universalist family.

In Faith,

Paul Rickter

Secretary