Minutes of December 2, 2019, Black Lives Matter Ministry Action Team Meeting

Black Lives Matter Ministry Action Team

Minutes of Meeting - December 2, 2019

The meeting convened at 6 pm, in the BUF conference room. 

Present: David Curley, Cat McIntyre, Amoret Heise, Judy Kasper

Agenda:

1.    Eracism minutes

2.    Program for 12/9

3.    February 9 service

4.    Strategic planning - Big Ideas

5.    Eighth Prinicple

1.  Eracism Minutes

12/8   None

12/15None

12/22Amoret Heise - from 1619 podcast #4

12/29Chad?

Since Chad wasn't at this meeting, his assignment for 12/29 is tentative. We will try to confirm 12/29,  and enlist someone for Jan. 5, at the 12/9 program meeting.

2. Program for Dec. 9.  We will continue our study of the 1619 program at 7 pm on Monday, December 9.  David will lead the discussion of Podcast 3, "The Birth of American Music."  Cat will send an email to all Black Lives Matter Ministry Action Team (BLM MAT) members, and assure that the program is highlighted in the Midweek Update and Order of Service on preceding Sundays. We hope that Lauralee will send out the notice from the Blog and Facebook as she has previously.

3.  February 9 Service.  BUF BLM Ministry Action Team will organize this service. Amoret brought two ideas for activities at the service: "Getting Ahead" - game cards that detail the legal landmarks that sustain systemic racism in housing, jobs, education, wealth and health care; and "Privilege Walk." 

We discussed how to implement these within the configuration of our sanctuary. Possibilities include two skits, or dividing the congregation into the twelve "birthday" groups. Amoret will send the materials to Cat to write up skit material. We will also discuss the format with BUF DLL.  

4. Strategic Planning - Big Ideas. Tabled until we hear from Henry Ohana, who volunteered to develop a plan and letter for recruiting Beloved Conversations and other participants.

5.  Eighth Principle.  We want to get the earliest possible start to getting Eighth Principle onto the agenda for the May 2020 congregational meeting, so that we will have ample time to hold public meetings to get members' input on the proposed resolution. David will get this on the agenda for December's BUF Board meeting. Cat will email Kara Black to assure that our efforts are coordinated with hers; we also want to approach specific BUF groups in this effort: e.g., Healthy Relationships, SEJC.

6. Next planning meeting: Monday, January 6, 2020, in BUF Conference Room.

Respectfully submitted,

Cat McIntyre

BLACK LIVES MATTER Program Monday, 12/9/19, 7 p.m.

Dear Friends of BUF Black Lives Matter Ministry Action Team,

This month's program meeting will be held in the BUF Conference Room on Monday, December 9, at 7 pm. We will be discussing the 3rd podcast of the 1619 Project, The Birth of American Music. You can access this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1619/id1476928106

Please listen to the podcast before the meeting and come prepared to discuss this very interesting topic.

David Curley
Cat McIntyre
Co-Facilitators
BUF Black Lives Matter Ministry Action Team

ERACISM Minute 11.17.19

ERACISM MINUTE

11.17.19

Lauralee Carbone

BUF Black Lives Matter Ministry Action Team

Paul’s message today is about baggage, so I decided to list some of our American baggage:

• 250 years of slavery: Four million humans bought, sold and traded as commodities, families torn apart, rape, brutality, torture and murder, an economy built on the labor of enslaved people.
• 90 years of Jim Crow: segregation, beatings, lynchings, churches burned, Sundown laws, poll taxes, due process denied.
• 60 years of separate but equal: legalized discrimination, inferior schools and medical care, Black Codes and white supremacy.
• 35 years of racist housing policy; cut out of the mortgage market, commercial loans unavailable, farms stolen, predatory lending, redlining and block busting, overcrowded ghettos.

Because of this history, the effects are still being felt and still ongoing to this day. Economically, black people have been locked out of the greatest mass-based opportunity for wealth accumulation in US history. White households are worth 20 times as much as black households. Black people have been deprived of their rights under the 13^th and 14^th amendments. There is mass incarceration, as well as police brutality and killings. In recent years there has been a rollback of progressive legislation of the 1960s.

Like Ta-Nehisi Coates said, “It is as though we have run up a credit card bill and, having pledged to charge no more, remain befuddled that the balance does not disappear. The effect of that balance, interest accruing daily, are all around us.”

“Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole.”

You are invited! Event Monday 11/11/19 6 pm @ BUF

Please listen to this riveting podcast and come to discuss. The institution of slavery turned a poor, fledgling nation into a financial powerhouse, and the cotton plantation was America’s first big business. Behind the system, and built into it, was the whip. On today’s episode: Matthew Desmond, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and the author of “Evicted,” and Jesmyn Ward, the author of “Sing, Unburied, Sing.”

“1619” is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at nytimes.com/1619podcast. And more here: http://www.project1619.org/

Here is the link to copy and paste to get episode 2: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9yc3MuYXJ0MTkuY29tLzE2MTk&episode=Z2lkOi8vYXJ0MTktZXBpc29kZS1sb2NhdG9yL1YwL1lkTW9vTEdsTzBDTm9xVjdCclhBNVRZZWRFSDJHTmU1UldfY2hUWWNfTzQ&hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwiCnY70pdLlAhWNvJ4KHUpyCMgQiOUEKAR6BAgAEAs&ep=6&at=1572930291787

Eracism Minute 3/31/2019 Cat McIntyre

Black Lives Matter (BLM) is an international activist movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people. The movement began because of frustration over George Zimmerman's acquittal in the shooting of Trayvon Martin.

I want to introduce you to the three Black women who created Black Lives Matter: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi.

Alicia Garza, created the slogan after the July 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman, when she posted on Facebook: "Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter, Black Lives Matter". Garza saw similarities of Trayvon Martin to her younger brother, feeling that it could have been him who was killed instead. Garza grew up in Oakland, California, graduated from UC-San Diego, and self-identifies as a queer woman. Her spouse is biracial and transgender.

The second founder, Patrisse Cullors, shared Garza's FaceBook posting with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. She helped organize the 2015 Freedom Ride to Ferguson, that launched BlackLivesMatter chapters across the United States. Ms. Cullors also grew up in California, holds a degree in religion and philosophy from UCLA and now teaches at two colleges. Cullors identifies as queer.

The third founder of Black Lives Matter is Opal Tometi, the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. She grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. She has two degrees from University of Arizona. She has appeared in several media outlets including Glamour, CNN , The Huffington Post and Time.

Since 2014, the originators of Black Lives Matter expanded their project into a national network of over 30 local chapters. The overall Black Lives Matter movement, however, is a decentralized network and has no formal hierarchy. It is characterized by gender inclusiveness and builds upon social media.

Washington Diversity Academy Black History Month Event

Located at Bruna Press 211 Prospect street, B'ham 98225

On Feb 23 - door opens at 6 pm, Program starts at 6:30 pm

"Come together as an inclusive community to commemorate Black History month in Whatcom County. This event provides an opportunity to enjoy an evening of family, amazing soul food, live entertainment and fun. "

Donation at the door.

Please wear Red/Black/Green

Meeting Canceled Tonight 2-13-19

Hi Folks,

Our regularly scheduled 2nd Wednesday 6:45 meeting is canceled tonight due to poor driving conditions.

Stay warm and safe and support your community wherever, whenever and however you’re able. 

--Lauralee C

Eracism Minute 12/23/18 Cat McIntyre

On behalf of the Black Lives Matters Ministry Action Team, I want to wish you all a joyous and loving holiday season. We honor each one of our congregants, and confirm that no matter what you go through in this life, you are loved, you are worthy.

I am also reminding you that the Black Lives Matter Ministry Action team does not say that black lives matter more than your life. We are not saying that there is only so much love and justice to go around. We ARE saying that until black people know justice, no one will know justice. To borrow from our Universalist ancestors, none are saved until all are saved.

We aren’t there yet. We aren’t where we deserve to be. We aren’t yet living in the world we were promised at our birth, but we will get there. Each day we meet fear and anger with love we bend the arc a little closer to justice.

Cat McIntyre

12/23/2018