August 14, 2017 BUF Black Lives Matter Team Meeting Minutes

August 14, 2017 BUF Black Lives Matter Team Meeting Minutes

Attendees: Erika, Lauralee, Cat, Hilde, Rod, David, Lisa, Judy K., Angie, Allegra, Heidi, Mary, Suzanne, Liz, Judy Pine, Carl

Chalice Lighting

Introductions & Ground Rules

Programming Committee Report:

•  Eracism Minute scheduling
• Adult UUA Racism Curriculum will be offered in the fall at a different day/time from our regular 2x/month meetings
• Children's Racism Curriculum to be theme of RE in 2018-19

Communications Committee Report: 
Hilde working on letter to editors of multiple newspapers re police practices and prosecution of abuses of Sharleena Lyles and others

Coalition Committee Report:
Initiative needs signatures gathered to get I-940 on the ballot: http://www.deescalatewa.org/
"This measure would require law enforcement to receive violence de-escalation, mental-health, and first-aid training, and provide first-aid; and change standards for use of deadly force, adding a “good faith” standard and independent investigation."

Program:  28 Racist Attitudes: http://www.culturalbridgestojustice.org/resources/written/detour

#25 The Accountant
We keep a tally sheet. If we perform some “feat of anti-racism,” we expect reciprocity from an individual or group of color, usually with some prestige or power that can serve our interests.
Reality Check and Consequence
  “I scratch your back, you scratch mine" is NOT justice seeking nor ally behavior. It serves only to reduce justice work to some kind of power brokering currency.

July 24, 2017 BUF Black Lives Matter Team Meeting Minutes

July 24, 2017 BUF Black Lives Matter Team Meeting Minutes

Attendees: Erika, Lauralee, Cat, Paul, Martie, Hilde, Rod, David, Lucie, Rachel, Lisa, Sandra, Judy K., Karen N-F, Angie

Chalice Lighting

Introductions

Eracism Minutes Planning - EVERY WEEK, Permanently on Order of Service, add definition and intro
   

Communications Committee Report: 
Martie will connect with Director of Lifelong Learning, Jennifer Smith

Coalition Committee Report:
Cat reported on UUA General Assembly, including Bryan Stevenson, author of JUST MERCY as WARE Lecturer, as well as groups to connect with:

Equal Justice Initiative: https://eji.org/
Worthy Now Prison Ministry Network: https://worthynow.org/
Families on the Outside: http://www.familiesontheoutside.org/
Bellingham Families of Prisoners
Jan & Rick Krouskop's Alternatives to Violence

Program:  28 Racist Attitudes: http://www.culturalbridgestojustice.org/resources/written/detour

#24 Whites Only
I have no connection with or accountability to people of color. I do all my anti-racism with whites only. I am accountable only to other white people.
Reality Check and Consequence
While it is vitally important for white anti-racists to work with other white people, this detour results in white people again controlling the direction and focus of anti-racism work.

Learning to follow the leadership of, and taking direction from people of color, while being accountable to them are all vital components of our ally-ship.

July 10, 2017 BUF Black Lives Matter Team Meeting Minutes

July 10, 2017 BUF Black Lives Matter Team Meeting Minutes

Attendees: Erika, Lauralee, Hilde, Libby, Liz, Rod, David, Heidi, Lee S., Lucie, Sita, Nancy, Mary, Courtney, Monica Koller, Lisa, Sandra

Chalice Lighting

Introductions

Eracism Minutes Planning
     Mary July 23
     Courtney July 16
     Erika July 30

Communications Committee Report: 
Hilde & David will write letters re police action accountability in justifiable homicide and research work done by the WA Legislative Committee on community policing.

Libby reported on the I-940 campaign: https://www.sos.wa.gov/_assets/elections/initiatives/FinalText_1372.pdf

New book by Robin DiAngelo: https://robindiangelo.com/publications/

Program:  28 Racist Attitudes: http://www.culturalbridgestojustice.org/resources/written/detour

#23 I Have to Do My Personal Work
"I have to do my personal work first." or "Ending racism is only about changing personal attitudes."

Reality Check and Consequence
     If we assume that personal reflection and interpersonal work is the end of our job as anti-racists, we will stay out of the public, institutional arenas. We will ignore cultural racist practices that don’t include us personally. We won’t take action, until we have finished ridding ourselves of all racist conditioning. And since that complete “cure” will never happen, we will never take any institutional or cultural anti-racist action.

 

June 26, 2017 BUF Black Lives Matter Team Meeting Minutes

June 26, 2017 BUF Black Lives Matter Team Meeting Minutes

Attendees: Erika, Lauralee, Hilde, Libby, Alice, Martie, Liz, Angie, Lucie, Rod, David, Heidi, Nan

Chalice Lighting

Introductions

Moment of silence in remembrance of Charleena Lyles, mother, killed by Seattle police.

Communications Committee Report:  Lauralee excitedly presented the Rainbow Poster to be displayed in the Wayside Pulpit

Hilde updated on the RE Committee plans to incorporate race education into RE studies.

David will research who is working on laws to increase ability to change law enforcement officers' accountability/ability to prosecute.

Members are encouraged to write letters to newspaper/magazine editors as well as government representatives re police abuses, profiling and incarceration.

Those present signed a condolence card Liz will mail to Charleena Lyles' family.

Program:  28 Racist Attitudes

Smoke and Mirrors
We use the current politically correct language; we listen to the right music; we state the liberal line; we're seen at the right meetings with the right people.  We even interrupt racist remarks when the right people are watching and when there is no risk to us. We look lie anti-racists.

Reality Check and Consequence
This is the "Avon Ally," the cosmetic approach. People of color and other white anti-racists see through this pretense quickly.  This pseudo-anti-racist posturing only serves to collude with racism and weakens the credibility of sincere white anti-racists.

June 12, 2017 BUF Black Lives Matter Team Meeting Minutes

June 12, 2017 BUF Black Lives Matter Team Meeting Minutes

Attendees: Erika, Lauralee, Cat, Rod Martie, Angie, David, Mike Betz, Alice, Courtney, Lisa, Hilde, Lucie, Heidi, Barbara, Sandra

Chalice Lighting

Introductions

Communication Committee Report: Buttons & Banners

Programming Committee Report: Eracism Minutes

Program: Detour-Spotting (Jona Olsson: www.culturalbridgesto justice.org/resources/written/detour)

#20 Teach Me or Help Me, I'm Stuck
"I want to stop acting like a racist, so please tell me when I do something you think is racist." (Spoken to a person of color.)

Reality Check and Consequence: White people often assume that they can learn about racism only from people of color. We further assume that people of color have the energy and/or desire to do this teaching. My understanding is that most people of color are weary of educating white people about racism.

We will get stuck. We'll get frustrated and impatient with ourselves and other white people in this struggle.  We'll stay stuck if we don't seek help from other white anti-racists.  Our inclination in the past has been to ask people of color to help us.  We should seek out other white people BEFORE we go to people of color.  Perhaps, as we become more trustworthy as allies, we will build genuine relationships with a few people of color who will offer their reflections for us when we get stuck.  But this is at their discretion, not ours.  We can't assume or act as though people of color whould be so grateful for our attempts at anti-racism, that they will be willing to guide us whenever we are ready to be guided.

#21 White on White, and Righteously So
"What is wrong with those white people? Cant they see how racist they're being?" or "I just can't stand to be around white people who act so racist anymore." And
You're Preaching to the Choir
"You're wasting your time with us, we're not the people who need this training."

Reality Check and Consequence:  We distance ourselves from "other" white people.  We see only unapologetic bigots, card-carrying white supremacists and white people outside our own circle as "real racists."  We put other white people down, trash their work or behavior, or otherwise dismiss them.  We righteously consider ourselves white people who have evolved beyond our racist conditioning.

This is another level of denial.  There are no "exceptional white people." (4) We may have attended many anti-racism workshops; we may not be shouting racist epithets or actively discriminating against people of color, but we still experience privilege based on our white skin. We benefit from this system of oppression and advantage no matter what our intentions are.  This distancing serves only to divide us from potential allies and limit our own learning.

Eracism Minute 8/14/17 Lauralee Carbone

This morning I'd like to recite a poem I wrote about my experience as a juror in the spring of 2015, entitled CARL.

CARL

Many black lives taken
Many police acquittals
Where is accountability?
Hopelessness abounds

Bellingham, Washington
Railroad and Holly
3 a.m. traffic violation
A black man hogtied

Thrown into a state trooper car
No breathalyzer, no blood test
Carl, arrested and charged with DUI

Police laughter recorded

Jury Selection
A colorblind judge censors defense

From referencing Carl's color

Jury trial
Six white jurors deliberate
Five minute acquittal

Carl finally walks free

This time, justice was attained
Hopefulness rises




Lauralee Carbone

Eracism Minute Intro

[Below is a suggested intro when presenting an Eracism Minute]


Good morning,

My name is ________________, here to present an Eracism Minute, a minute of consciousness-raising on behalf of the BUF Black Lives Matter Ministry Action Team. Eracism is defined as the removal from existence of the belief that one race is superior to another.

[After the Eracism Minute, if appropriate]

I'll be downstairs during coffee hour if you'd like to learn more about my experience or the work of the Ministry Team.