Dear friends,

This is my first letter as president of the UU Congregation, and I love that I’m writing you this letter on a beautiful day with great news to share.

First, however, let me speak a little from the heart. I write this letter on Juneteenth, a new federal holiday but hardly a new holiday. I remember going to Holy Cross Catholic Church in Corpus Christi, Texas, with my aunts in the 80s where the congregation always celebrated Juneteenth. I can’t remember if I heard a speaker talk about it, or my aunt told me the history, but I remember thinking the holiday was important and the name was catchy. We joined the other congregants in the yard for a big plate of brisket, potato salad, and cornbread. I’ve been a vegetarian now for 15 years, but I can still appreciate that brisket. It was more like a family reunion than anything else, but it was special in a different way.

Later in life, I learned that the folks on my father’s side of the family passed as white, starting in the late 1800s and, if it was known, did a good job of keeping it to themselves. Despite the Emancipation

Proclamation ending slavery in Virginia, passage of the 13 th Amendment ending chattel slavery, and despite have a lot of family in the area, they apparently did not feel safe to identify as Black in Virginia. Despite laws to protect them, and a community that went back generations in the area, they were not safe in their own skin. I can only speculate about this decision and what it meant for them to pass as white, but it must have been incredibly difficult. I mention this because I don’t want that history to be lost again—not only my family’s history but also the history of our country that is quite often going back and forth on its promises of freedom to many people.

 As a historian of this era in American history, I feel that it’s important to recognize the significance of the holiday. We celebrate Independence Day on July 4th with fireworks and love of freedom, yet often ignore the fact that a very large percentage of our population was left out of Jefferson’s declaration: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” Not only were women not counted in this declaration, but also those who were enslaved. Understanding this part of my own family history has led me into a different exploration of what freedom means, and also how tenuous this concept of freedom is in the United States. After all, my ancestors hid their Blackness after Emancipation, not before, which means that being free on paper doesn’t necessarily mean actually feeling free. I can only imagine what this decision meant for them, but also what it meant for the others who felt this country wasn’t safe enough for them to enjoy the promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

At a moment when so many people in our country are losing freedoms, whether it be through anti- trans laws, attacks on the LGTBQ+ communities, the ongoing war on women, immigrants, minorities, and even democracy itself, one thing I appreciate is when people are clear on where they stand. This is my round-about way to say I was happy to see that our congregation is now poised to adopt the 8th Principle. The support for the new principle was clear at our annual meeting and by the online tally, and the only opposition to adopting the 8th Principle came from those who felt the other principles basically said the same thing: UUs oppose oppression. That said, I’m happy that at a moment when oppressive laws are being passed and white supremacy is on the rise—and gaining support from those in very high places of power—there is little doubt about where our congregation stands.

I think it’s fitting that the news of this tally came on Juneteenth weekend. I know that there is some debate about the appropriate ways to celebrate Juneteenth. With this in mind, it’s hard for me to think of a better way our congregation could celebrate Juneteenth than taking a strong stance against oppression. That is why I support our congregation adopting the 8th Principle.

I want to thank our past-president Laura Keith King for her diligence in seeing this work through, and I look forward to seeing it on display in our updated video once the vote is official. I think it’s clear that UUs stand against oppression, but I also think it’s important to remind ourselves of this. We have a long history, filled with imperfections, but one that is most often moving towards freedom. For this reason and many more, I look forward to this year of working with y’all as I stand on the shoulders of giants who’ve come before me in this role.

Sincerely,

Scott

Scott Satterwhite