ERACISM MINUTE
Good morning! I’m Lauralee Carbone and this is an Anti-Racism Minute. I am listening to Ibram X. Kendi read his book, How to Be an Antiracist and I quote him this morning:
“The opposite of racist isn’t ‘not racist.’ It is ‘antiracist.’ What’s the difference? One endorses either the idea of a racial hierarchy as a racist or racial equality as an antiracist. One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or locates the roots of problems in power and policies, as an antiracist. One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an antiracist. There is no in-between safe space of ‘not racist.’ ”
Journeying Toward a Beloved Community: Enacting the 8th Principle
8/16/2020
Good morning! Two weeks ago, Paula Cole Jones and Bruce Pollock Johnson zoomed into our Sunday service from their homes in the eastern U.S. to present their experiences as writers and developers of the 8th Principle back in 2013.
Ah, have you forgotten already what the 8th Principle is? It’s not a short one that rolls off your tongue like the other seven, and that’s ok. It’s a bit different and I’ll go into why that’s important.
The 8th UU Principle reads: “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.”
Ok, I see your wheels turning out there. Questions popping up. First off, why isn’t the UUA adopting this for all congregations? Why do we need to do this congregation by congregation? Because that’s how we do things now, from the ground up, not top down. Over 2 dozen congregations have adopted the 8th Principle since its rollout at the 2017 General Assembly and endorsed by Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism and Diverse Revolutionary UU Ministries and supported by the Allies for Racial Equity the UU white ally group. Let’s just say a LOT of UUs have been working on this for many years, nationwide. The Black Lives of UU encourages all Unitarian Universalists to advocate for the formal adoption of an 8th principle, articulating a commitment to the dismantling of white supremacy, within the stated principles of our faith.
Alright, now let’s take the Principle apart and look at some of the terms it includes. Okay, it speaks to dismantling racism and other oppressions. Why racism? At a global level, this would not necessarily make sense (for instance, the oppression of women is fundamental to poverty and lack of development in many areas), but in the USA, racism stands out. Racism in the US stems from chattel slavery, where people were uniquely legally treated as property that could be inherited, for something (skin color) they had no control over. It also causes oppression among Latinx and indigenous peoples.
The 8th Principle speaks to journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community. What’s THAT, you ask. Beloved Community happens when people of diverse racial, ethnic, educational, class, gender, sexual orientation, and backgrounds/identities come together in an interdependent relationship of love, mutual respect, and care that seeks to realize justice within the community and in the broader world. Wow, that sure sounds like a worthy goal!
But wait, what about that accountably part? White UUs hold themselves accountable to communities of color, to make sure whites do what they say they will do. Black UUs hold each other accountable and help each other see and dismantle signs of internalized racism.
In conclusion, our existing 7 Principles imply this 8th Principle, but do not explicitly hold us accountable for addressing these oppressions directly, especially at the systemic level. UUism has great potential for building diverse multicultural Beloved Community as envisioned by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but it won’t happen without conscious awareness and effort on our part. Dismantling racism, white supremacy, and other oppressions requires work at the personal and institutional levels.
The UU Principles were designed to be dynamic, not a fixed creed. It means we want to always continue to be educating ourselves, exploring truth, and raising our consciousness. When we get to a new level of understanding and clarity, our structure makes it possible to reflect that. UU is the only religion that intentionally builds in that flexibility to acknowledge the importance of ongoing revealed truth. This happened when environmental awareness reached a critical mass and got added as a 7th Principle. We are approaching a similar critical mass level of awareness with the systemic nature of racism and other oppressions.
None of the other Principles mentions love; by having “Beloved Community” in the 8th Principle, it brings our commitment to love higher in our consciousness, consistent with our Standing on the Side of Love campaign.
The 8th Principle is really just the beginning of action, rather than the ultimate goal. It should lead to restoring funding and support for Anti-Racism trainings for any UUs who want them and the other programs, as well as starting an anti-racism version of the Welcoming Congregation program that was so effective for LGBTQ awareness and progress. Many people of color have been attracted by the values and potential of UUism, but their souls have been repeatedly wounded by its whiteness. Let’s make our actions match our values. Let’s be a UU movement that feeds them. That would be spiritual wholeness.
Now I’d like to introduce you to the team here at BUF that has been working on promoting the 8th Principle: Mike Betz, Kara Black, Beth Brownfield, Deb Cruz, David Curley, Cat McIntyre, Henry Ohana, and me, representing four Ministry Action Teams under the Social and Environmental Justice Committee, along with Karen Nuckles-Flinn, who is our Inclusion and Diversity Coordinator on the Healthy Relations Team. We’ll be joining you later in our interactive breakout groups.
Now here to guide us in meditation is Kara Black.
