ERACISM Minute 7/19/2020 Kara Black

Good morning, my name is Kara Black

As people of Unitarian faith, we espouse and hold dear our first principle, the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

Those of us who are white or middle class or cisgender or from other dominant groups in our society may believe that this statement of principle has been enough for us to have overcome, within the institutions and practices of our faith, the wider society’s systemic oppression and suppression of particular groups of people. But if we listen, we will hear other voices in our UU community giving us a different message—that our faith is NOT fully actualizing this principle, especially when it comes to people of color and those in other marginalized groups.

To help address this failing, Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism, or BLUU, urges each Unitarian congregation to adopt the following 8^th principle which shows on your screen:

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.

The 8th principle was introduced in 2013 and to date, 26 UU congregations have adopted it, with hopes that one day soon there will be national UU adoption of this language. One of our members, Beth Beyers, attends the UU church in Honolulu, which was among the very first to adopt this principle a few years ago.

I hope our congregation will soon be one of the congregations embracing this principle to help us improve our awareness and practices in this area, and bring us closer to truly realizing our beloved first principle.

Antiracist Checklist for Whites

Antiracist Checklist for Whites adapted from Dr. John Raible’s (2009) checklist for antiracist white allies.

Part 1

_____I demonstrate knowledge and awareness of the issues of racism.

______I continually educate myself about racism and multicultural issues.

______I recognize my own limitations in doing antiracist work.

______I raise issues about racism over and over, both in public and in private.

______I realize “it’s not about me.” I avoid personalizing racial issues as they are raised in conversation.

______I can identify racism as it is happening.

______At meetings, I make sure antiracism is part of the discussion.

______I can strategize and work in coalition with diverse others to advance antiracist work.

______I attend to group dynamics to ensure the participation of people of color.

______I support and validate the comments and actions of people of color and other allies (but not paternalistically)

______I strive to share power, especially with people from marginalized groups.

______I take a personal interest in the lives and welfare of individuals of different races.

______I use my position as a white “insider” to share information with people of color that they may not have access to.

______I hold high expectations for people of color and for white people.

______I reach out to initiate personal contact with people of different races.

______I listen carefully so that I am more likely to understand the needs of people from marginalized groups.

______I understand enough about people of color’s perspectives that when relevant, I can share these perspectives when people of color are not present.

______I can accept leadership from people of color as well as from white people.

______I work side by side with people of different races on tasks, projects, and actions.

______I debrief with people of color to give and get “reality checks” and affirmations after meetings and interactions.

______I readily accept—with no explanations or “proof” necessary—a person of color’s position or perception.

______I can be present emotionally when individuals need to express feelings about racism.

______I discuss race and racism with both whites and people of color, and in these discussions I take people of color’s perspectives seriously.

______I take risks in relating to people across lines of difference.

______I demonstrate shared values with people from various communities, for example, impatience with the pace of change, anger at injustice, etc.

______I know the private lives of families and friends who are people from different backgrounds. I can relax, socialize, and feel at ease with people of color and with whites.

Antiracist Checklist for Whites - Part 2

The following are some problem areas where individuals sometimes get stuck. These were developed specifically for white individuals. Do any of these apply to you?

______I am not clear on the labels people of color prefer to use to identify themselves.

______When people of color point out racism as it is happening, I feel personally attacked.

______I rely on people of color for education about my own (and institutional) racism.

______I use meeting time to establish my antiracist credentials (e.g., recounting stories about how I “marched in the Sixties” or about how many friends of color I have).

______It is important to me to point out examples of “reverse racism” when I see them.

______I have been told I act in a racist manner without knowing it.

______I speak for people of color and attempt to explain their positions.

______I view myself as a mediator between people of color and other whites.

______I see my role as interpreting the behavior of people of color for other whites.

______I prefer to spend time and energy dealing with my personal feelings and issues rather than moving the antiracist agenda forward.

______I intellectualize about the struggle rather than live it daily.

______I wait for people of color to raise white people’s awareness.

_______I know fewer than five individual peers of color intimately (i.e., adults, not children, or family members, or employees, or co-workers).

While a checklist may seem simplistic, many will find that these guidelines are very difficult to put into action and take on-going commitment and practice. We will make mistakes but cannot give up.

Dr. Raible explains his list by stating, “The main goal is to develop relationships of solidarity, mutuality, and trust, rooted in a praxis of intentional antiracist thought, action, and reflection. When I observe people consistently taking the above steps (in Part 1), I recognize that they ‘get it’ when it comes to race and racism.”

Meeting Minutes 7/6/2020

Black Lives Matter Ministry Action Team

July 6, 2020

The meeting convened at 6 pm on Zoom. Present were Amoret Heise, Jane Ronca-Washburn, Judy Fruhbauer, David Curley, Mary Alden, Cat McIntyre, Lauralee Carbone, Murray Bennett, Claire Lending, Henry Ohana, Barbara Gilday, Deb Cruz. Michael Knapp, Mike Betz, Kara Black and Susie Walker

Agenda:

1.    Eracism minutes

2.    July 13 program

3.    August 10 program

4.    Antiracist checklist

5.    Eighth Principle update

1.  Eracism Minutes.  

·     July 12                        Henry Ohana(trans women of color)        

·     July 19                        Cat McIntyre  (8th principle)

·     July 26                        Kara Black (8th principle)   

·     August 2         Murray Bennett

Services are now broadcast via Zoom. Everyone giving an Eracism minute should be sure to contact Rev. Paul by Wednesday before the service to introduce themselves  and learn whether they should attend a rehearsal.

2. July 13 program. We will show the film "The Bail Trap" which has several segments. Henry has the film on DVD and is working with Kathy Wahto to master the technology for zoom.

3.  August 10 meeting.At our June program meeting, we discussed how to get training to deal with conflict. Suggestions were to ask whether Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center could provide this training. David Curley investigated and found that the dispute resolution classes are offered at certain dates that do not coincide with our meeting times, that the classes are three hours long and cost $75 per person. David has taken this course, and offered to find some of the exercises for our August 10 meeting. We will ask Rev. Paul if he can help us create breakout rooms for the exercises. 

4. Anti-racist checklist. Cat asked if anyone had a chance to review this checklist that was sent out with the minutes from last month's meeting. We did not have sufficient people who had read the list to discuss it. Mary asked for examples of what's on the list and whether it could be the basis for a program discussion at a future meeting. Cat read some of the items. Lauralee posted a link to the list (a copy is also attached hereto), as well as titles of several powerful books for education: How to Be Anti-racist, White Fragility. Amoret recommended the movie about John Lewis, "The Trouble," which can be streamed on Netflix.  

5. Eighth Principle Update. Mike Betz repeated the eracism minute he had given last Sunday describing our 8th principle work group. Deb and Kara described some followup information from a national 8th principle zoom meeting last week with Paula Cole Jones and Bruce Pollack-Johnson, authors of the Eighth Principle, and representatives of many congregations around the country who have already passed the resolution or are in the process. Another meeting with just BUF, Paula and Bruce will be held later this week. Some of the aspects we expect to cover are what is plan at UUA level now*, how have congregations approached accountability for the 8th principle, and what do they expect to include in their service with BUF on August 9.

*Lauralee posted a link to the UUA plan, "Widening the Circle of Concern," from the UUA website.

Next meetings: July 13 , 2020, 7 pm - program; August 3, 2020, 6 pm - business/planning.

Respectfully submitted

Cat McIntyre, co-facilitator

Attachment: Antiracist checklist

ERACISM Minute 7/5/2020 Mike Betz

Good morning, I am Mike Betz, and I will be speaking about the 8th
principle.

What is the eighth principle? Simply stated:

We 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.

Where does it come from

UUs and the UUA have done good work in fighting racism in the 1990’s
passing a resolution in 1997 at GA to become an Anti-Racist,
Anti-Oppression Multi-Cultural Organization. Although funding and
support began to wane in the 2000’s.

After working with congregations on the 7 Principles and Beloved
Community for over 15 years, Paula Cole Jones realized, as evidence:
most UU congregations are primarily European-American in membership,
culture, and leadership.  She realized that an 8th Principle was needed
to correct this, and she talked with Bruce Pollack-Johnson about the
components that should be in it.  Bruce put together an initial draft in
2013, and the two of them worked with a group of anti-racist activists
to refine it.  Bruce’s congregation incorporated it into their Covenant
at that time, then in May 2017 formally adopted it for themselves and
recommended that the UUA adopt it.

At that time the UUA had just gone through a crisis related to inclusive
hiring practices, resulted in the resignation of the UUA President in
March, 2017. In response to this crisis, Black Lives of Unitarian
Universalism and Diverse Revolutionary UU Ministries endorsed the 8th
Principle.

what is the eighth principle group at BUF?

Last year, members at BUF were invited to participate in an anti-racism
workshop. After the workshop, small groups continued to discuss issues
raised during the workshop. One of the actions agreed on was to work
toward adopting the eighth principle. The group is composed of Black
LIVES Matter members, members of the Social and Environmental Justice
Committee and consultation with Right Relations Team. We are still in
process

You can contact me with any questions.

--
Michael Betz
mwbetz@comcast.net

ERACISM Minute 6/7/2020 Henry Ohana

"Today I want to talk about why we have an eracism minute every week.  Some people are under the impression that we want all of the white folks out there to feel bad.  Some have asked why they aren’t more positive.   Some feel talking about race makes it more divisive.  Some have wondered why we don’t talk about other issues or types of oppressions.  I hope this will help.

First off, it is never our goal to make you feel bad.  We may want you to feel uncomfortable because talking about race is uncomfortable.  But the only way we can become more aware is to be uncomfortable and learn. 

There are many kinds of oppressions – sexism, classism, heterosexism, religious bigotry, etc.  What is unique about racism is the ‘institutionality’ and visibility of it.  The entire structure of society - from economic justice to police justice and mass incarceration to health justice - are stacked against black people and there is no way for them to hide who they are.   Race is the first thing people see.

We will need to flesh out all the ways black people have been specifically targeted from accumulating wealth and have been prevented from having access to “The American Dream”.  We will need to analyze the dynamics at play that adversely impact the health of black people.  We will need to talk about why we have such an enormous prison population and why is disproportionately people of color.

But I think we need to start with the most basic aspect of all: the constant risk black people face for their safety.  For all you white people: do you ever worry that you might get pulled over for a broken tail light and end up dead?  Do you ever worry if you pull out a cell phone a police officer might think it’s a gun and Shoot you?  Do you ever think that sometime in the middle of the night the police will barge into your apartment and kill you?  I know I don’t.

I think at least ½ of the room can understand and relate to this fear.  Women.  I’m sure there has been some point in each of your lives where you have been alone, at night, in an area that feels deserted or otherwise unsafe.  What do you do?  What do you think about?  You stand straight and walk briskly – maybe holding your keys between your fingers in case of attack and keep your ears and eyes peeled.  And the whole time you are terrified.  Terrified!  Imagine feeling this every day for your whole life!  Think about what a toll that would take on your psyche.

I know every person in here has a good heart and wants the best for everybody.  That’s why we invite you to the struggle.  We don’t want to call you out – we want to call you in.  Because just as women had to convince enough men to give them the vote – they could not do it for themselves, likewise white people have to be the ones to deconstruct racism, black people cannot do it.  So please, welcome the discomfort  - lean into it and use it as an opportunity to learn.   We are all in the same boat and it is a life long journey.  And unless white people talk about it regularly, it won‘t change.

Step 1 – learn, Step 2 – act.

In that vein, you are all invited to the black lives matter meeting tomorrow at 7:00"

Eracism Minute 6/14/2020 Lauralee Carbone

Prayer of the day

We honor the revolutionaries and martyrs who have gone before us — all those who struggled for the sake of this new world. We praise you, and the God who formed and led you. In gratitude, we stand on your sacrifices and victories. We invite your presence into our lives, asking for your wisdom, strength, and accompaniment as we join your struggle. Be with us as we continue contending for God’s kin-dom. Amen.

- Friendly Fire Collective

Meeting Minutes 6/8/2020

Black Lives Matter Ministry Action Team

June 8, 2020

The program meeting convened at 7 pm on Zoom. The zoom invitation gave the meeting time as 6:30, so some people signed on early. Cat will communicate with BUF Administrator to make sure the time is correct (6 pm for business meeting the first Monday, 7 pm for program meeting on second Monday. Also, publish the link in the midweek update.

Present were Barbara Gilday, Kathryn Allen, Judy Kasper, Paul Beckel, David Curley, Henry Ohana, Rick and Nancy Steele, Michael Betz, Amoret Heise, Jane Ronca-Washburn, Mary Alden, Lauralee Carbone, Claire Lending, Murray Bennett, Genia Allen, Jane DeBrock and Cat McIntyre

First we had check in to introduce ourselves to new people, each describing how they're feeling and what they've been up to. Then we went around with each telling what anti-racism action they expect to be accomplishing immediately. 

1.    Put the Black Lives Matter banner up outside BUF.

2.    Read the list of black-owned businesses in the Bellingham Herald, and patronize those businesses. Also, be aware of businesses that are funding Law & Oder President and cut off spending there (Home Depot, McDonalds, etc.)

3.    Write letters to Whatcom County Executive, Satpal Sidhu to reallocate funding for police and sheriff for community, especially Generations Forward Family Council (see below, at end of minutes).

4.    Create a phone/text tree to notify those interested in actions like the rally on 6/6/20. Henry Ohana and Genia Allen will work on this. Cat will transmit the names to them. We also need a script for such phone calls, with information solicited from those who are contacted by black-led groups for action; this will make sure we have their direction for what is needed and when.  We have current connections to the Whatcom Human Rights Task Force (DavidCurley), Black Lives Matter-Bellingham (Cat) and Racial Justice Coalition (Cat and others).

5.    Educate ourselves about racism and antiracist history and current actions. Read books, watch films, listen to black leaders. Consider organizing resources and posting them in easily-accessed spots on BUF website, and/or BUF Black Lives Matter blog.

David Curley offered a powerpoint describing the Rapid Response Team plan developed in 2019 by the three Beloved Conversations study groups. He offered  to share the powerpoint upon request : dcurley1945@gmail.com We discussed a need for training in what to do and what not to do when demonstrating. 

One suggestion was to practice one-on-one how to de-escalate confrontations with those who are doing racist actions. We suggested using local experts (Training could be arranged with Whatcom Peace and Justice or Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center. Rev. Paul can split the zoom meeting into breakout rooms so we can practice confrontations one on one.

Our next business meeting will be Monday, July 6 at 6 pm. Our next program meeting will be Monday, July 13 at 7 pm.   If we can arrange training with one of the local experts, will conduct that at the July 13 meeting; if not, we will watch the documentary, The Bail Trap. Announcements and zoom links will appear in the BUF Midweek Update and sent out by email to those participating in this meeting,.

Respectfully submitted

Cat McIntyre, co-facilitator

Information about Generations Forward Family Council reported by Mary Alden at 6/8/20 BUF Black Lives Matter program meeting.For further information, contact Hilde Festerling. land line 360 312-0396 or  cll 360 594-8612. Her email is in the email copied below.

Begin forwarded message:

From:Hilde Festerling <hildebootstrap@gmail.com>

Date:June 8, 2020 at 6:35:26 PM PDT

To:Mary Alden <mary@sunrisechapel.org>

Hello to my friends at Black Lives matter BUF!

I have been working with a group called the Generations Forward Family council for the last 18 months. We have helped draft and pass in principle through County Council a plan called the Whatcom County Child and Family Action Plan. This plan was developed with grassroots community oversight and with input from the visionary work of black community leaders. The plan is a blueprint for stopping root causes of childhood trauma and closing equity gaps based on race in the county The county council are writing their budget this month and we are asking community groups for their support and collaboration in asking County Executive Sidhu to Fund the Plan, Not the Police. I've included some of our draft materials, and we welcome your collaboration!

Sample letter to County Executive Sidhu

County Executive Sidhu

We call on you to invest in families and communities, not policing and jails.

This Whatcom County Sheriff’s office has overseen rising incarceration rates and rising jail-time stays. It disproportionately targets, arrests, and incarcerates black, Native American, and Latinx people. These practices are traumatic and destructive to individuals, families and communities, and perpetuate systemic racism and inequity in our county.

The county must stop investing in practices which harm the community and perpetuate systemic injustice. We must invest instead in families, communities, and measures to close equity gaps in our county. The Whatcom County Child & Family Action Plan, which was passed in February of 2004, calls for those investments. While the Child & Family Action Plan offers a clear path forward to support Whatcom children and families, it has not yet received financial backing.

This moment, in which our local crises of poverty, racism, and homelessness are compounded by a pandemic, in which we are all reeling from images of police violence, and in which we are experiencing a national uprising against police brutality, this is the moment to make clear and appropriate financial commitments. The answer is clear: redirect funds away from law enforcement and jails, toward community.

Signed