Program Meeting Minutes- December 8, 2021

 BUF Black Lives Matter Ministry Action Team

Minutes of Program Meeting – December 8, 2021

 

Present: Rupert Ayton, Mike Betz, David Curley, Naomi Gary, Mel Hoover, Angie Lindquist, Tom Kirchner, Judy Kasper, Cat McIntyre and Hank Ohana

 

This program meeting was about planning program meetings for 2022. David Curley led the meeting, with questions about Audience, Content and Format. 

 

Who is our Audience?  Who are we trying to reach, how do we reach them, to develop Beloved Community? 

o   Begin with the 105 people who attended the congregational meeting that supported the Eighth Principle (amended to Covenant of Beloved Community). 

o   We don’t just want an audience—we want participation

o   Teams who have completed their accountability assessments

o   Beloved Community meeting group

o   Newcomers to BUF and/or newcomers to BUF Black Lives Matter

o   Core group of committed leaders

o   Young people, parents, elders, multi-cultural representatives

 

 

Considering the Content that participants favor:

o   Naomi found that going to an event together, like Juneteenth, was very powerful

o   Hank suggested a SURJ speaker

o   Rupert finds discussing an issue, like a recent Washington Post article, useful

o   How about focusing on a current event that affects the entire congregation, like the trials in Charlottesburg, or the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict?

o   Feedback from the participants of January anti-racism training?

o   The origins of Community Land Trusts in the American South

o   WWU History professor about the history of Blacks in Bellingham, and the 1852 treaty with Lummi Nation

o   Self-education so that we can be a resource when people have questions; e.g. about Blacks and banking, home ownership, courts, sentencing, institutional racism, dirty politics, local actions in these areas

o   Cowboys: who were they? Why is the cultural perception that they were all white?

o   Institutional change – the congregation accepting that “we won’t be a white congregation anymore” and committing to being a human community

o   Policies, practices and mentalities that support being a human community

o   Learning to be authentic, especially in leadership

o   Help people find their Next Right Step

o   Racism isn’t about Black people, it’s based in White people; don’t be “animal rights” types advocating from outside

o   Learn about BLUU and the Eighth Principle

o   Study books from Beacon Press

 

We decided to have book discussions, beginning in January and February, reading Dogwhistle Politics, by Ian Hainey Lopez in January, and The Sum of Us, by Heather McGee in February. Since the BUF book group, which meets on the third Thursday of every month, is reading McGee’s book in January, we may organize a joint meeting with the BUF book group at the end of February.

 

Format: We will hold weekly meetings every Monday at 6 pm in January and February. We need a leader and some provocative questions about Dogwhistle Politics to begin. We will discuss this at our Monday, January 3, Black Lives Matter business meeting.

 

Cat agreed to publicize the new format and meeting topics in the BUF Midweek Update, and procure weekly zoom links for January and February.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Cat McIntyre, scribe 

Co-facilitator, BUF Black Lives Matter Ministry Action Team

Minutes - Business/Planning Meeting December 6, 2021

BUF Black Lives Matter Ministry Action Team

Minutes - Business/Planning Meeting

December 6, 2021

 

Present:  Rupert Ayton, Murray Bennett, Lauralee Carbone, David Curley, Naomi Gary, Mel Hoover, Judy Kasper, Tom Kirchner, Cat McIntyre, Henry Ohana

 

1.Anti-Racism Minutes:  We discussed the changes that Rev. Barbara has requested in anti-racism minutes, beginning now until the end of her ministerial duty while Rev. Paul is on sabbatical. Though invited, Rev. Barbara did not attend the meeting.

 

We agreed to not do anti-racism minutes on December 19, and December 26. Rupert Ayton will offer a two-minute clip Joy Harjo poetry video to Su Livingston for January 2.  Cat forwarded it to Su after tonight’s meeting.  

 

December 12     Henry Ohana

January 2           2 minute Joy Harjo video  (no anti-racism speaker)

January 9           Rupert Ayton

January 23         Rose Edington

 

We would like to continue anti-racism minutes every Sunday, keeping them to two minutes. Another useful method to involve the congregation would be to have longer presentations by representatives of other groups (Community to Community, Immigrant rights, Native American connections, and/or other categories of oppression), with speakers describing their personal histories with racism and oppression.

 

Anti-racism speakers for January 16 and 30 will be enlisted at the January Black Lives Matter Ministry Action team meeting on January 3. 

 

2.Program Meeting.  David suggested a thorough review of the Black Lives Matter monthly programs to establish some continuity, engage more members of the congregation, etc. Cat sent out the link to the program meeting (Dec. 13) noting that would be the purpose of the program that night.

 

3.January Training. The first training will take place towards the end of January; Deb Cruz is renegotiating length and dates with Courtney Wooten. Most of the BUF board of trustees have signed up, as well as members from the Blaine and Mt. Vernon congregations. Training slots are mostly filled already.

 

The January 16 Sunday service, now in the planning stage, may include the Blaine and Mt. Vernon congregations. 

 

4.Rubric for Accountability Committee. The rubric report is nearly complete, with help from Mel Hoover and Rose Edington. David Curley drew this up and will present it to the BUF Operations Team on December 17. It is due to the Accountability group on January 30; will discuss this again at our next business meeting, January 3.

 

5.New facilitator(s). Cat again asked for volunteer(s) to take over her co-facilitator role by March, so that she can pass on the Black Lives Matter Ministry Action Team archives.

 

Next Program Meeting on Zoom:                    December 13, 7 pm

Next Business Planning Meeting on zoom:   January 3, 2022, 6 pm

 

Respectfully submitted

Cat McIntyre, co-facilitator

AntiRacism Minute 12/5/21 Claire Lending

 Hello, I am Claire Lending and I will talk a few minutes about my Unitarian Universalist and Antiracist journey. 

 

Many years ago, after I moved to Alabama to be a professor, I found a UU Fellowship which allowed me to relax and feel comfortable in a veryconservative place. The principles and purposes aligned with my beliefs and most of all I found a community of like-minded people. I feel so comfortable as a UU. 

 

In contrast, my antiracism journey in the last fouryears mostly makes me feel uncomfortable. I learned that almost all I know about history is through a White Supremacist lens. The more I read and listen, the more disturbing things I learn about the country I live in. 

 

Even harder for me, I realize all the White privilege I have. My education and childhood comfort came from my Father’s ability to go to college with the GI Bill (as he was White) and the fact that I was able to go to good schools due to my Whiteneighborhood. I am also an avid reader of fiction and it never occurred to me I mostly read White authors with White characters. 

 

When I close my eyes to the real world around me and the many privileges I experience because I am White, I am not living my UU values. But by opening my eyes I am using this newfound knowledge to grow. I am starting to catch up on my learning about the world. I am enjoying reading books written by Black authors. I am learning and working with others, both at BUF and at work, to try to create a more equitable society. This work and collaboration, though very new in my life, is helping me to grow as a person. Beginning this journey, even though it is uncomfortable, is fulfilling and it brings me joy.