Our November 2017 Praxis Group meeting focused on Public Witness and Prophetic Voice. Basically, how are we as a community demonstrating our commitment to act to dismantle racial injustice as an integral part of our UU values?

Our conversation at first focused on our practice of participating in public demonstration for our support for racial justice as individuals (yes, frequently this means many individuals!) and less so as a church community. The group was very interested and had a lively and passionate discussion on the proposed 8th Principle and recommended that the Board and UUCWC support its adoption at our June Congregational Meeting! Please read Nathalie’s article where she gets into more detail on this recommendation from the Board’s perspective regarding the process we are using to institutionalize the racial justice lens here at UUCWC.

The Praxis Group recommended the wording proposed by BLUU and DRUMM (https://www.8thprincipleuu.org/):
“We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”

Education Efforts Continue – Join Us!
To continue in our efforts to develop the lens of racial justice as a norm in our community, we put forth the following opportunities for learning and reflection leading to action during the winter months.

Film Series
We continue our Films on Friday, presenting Race: The Power of Illusion on Jan. 26, Feb. 23 and March 16. Come early for pizza at 6:30 and movie begins at 7:00.

Bus Stop: One Act Play
Engage with the dialogue in this one act play, two women conversing at a bus stop—during the middle hour: 10am on February 11

Workshops
Enrollment is open in both workshops:
What White People Can Do About Racism: Fundamentals 2; Saturday, Feb. 17, 9:30am-3:00pm
Raising Anti-Racist White Children; Saturday, March 24

White Supremacy Teach In
February 4 and March 4 at 12:30 as part of denominational wide efforts to address racial injustice within our faith.

Proposed 8th Principle – Looking Ahead
Open discussion on FAQ related to adopting this Principle – March 18 at 12:30pm
Look for Listening Circles during April and May.

Questions: Please reach out to us at racialjustice@uucwc.org.

Dan Tuft, Co-chair
Racial Justice Initiative