In collaboration with all the other UU congregations is San Diego County, we will have a series of meetings to review the UUA publication, Widening the Circle of Concern, in an effort to take next steps in implementing changes that we are called to do in our 8th principle.
The board and the Racial Justice Task Force have been meeting with a newly formed UU collaboration group. We look forward to more ideas and input through our “What Now” meetings and this new study group that will begin in the spring. The book is available on the UUA website. For more info on the Racial Justice Task Force click HERE.
The Racial Justice Task Force of the UUFSD Social Justice Committee has been busy this year, and we wanted to re-introduce the work of this group, share an overview of what we have been doing, and our hopes and vision for the future. This is an invitation to join us in learning and action within this congregation and in the community outside rooting out overt and covert oppression, bias and racism and replacing it with the love and justice that is the aspiration of our faith. During these past few years, it has become increasingly obvious to white folks of conscience that we have truly been living in a world removed from and oblivious to the experiences of our BIPOC siblings. Indeed, many of our congregants have realized that though we are ‘good people’ we may have ingrained racist, oppressive perspectives which we have grown up with.
The work we have been doing in the RJTF includes:
● Uncovering biases through the 8 week Beloved Conversations class, book and film studies and continuing the conversation periodically after services
● Offering facilitated book discussions, including the “Me and White Supremacy” multi-week study groups
● Spearheading the campaign to educate and bring to a vote the adoption of the 8th Principle
● Creating an inter-congregational group with other UU congregations in our cluster to support each other as we begin to work toward operationalizing the 8th Principle in our congregations
● Partnering with the North County Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)–started by two of our members–to participate in community action on police accountability, treatment of the mentally ill and homeless, educational practices in schools, and legislative action
Our congregation has small group meetings coming up, facilitated by Rev. Frank Willey to dialogue about the future of UUFSD–this can be an opportunity for members to share their interests and ideas in furthering anti-racism and anti-oppression internally and externally as a part of the overall vision for the future of our faith community. We are also open to new members of our task force– please consider joining us in engaging in this work that is vital to the future of our congregation and our faith.
Posted by Julia Darling