How Do We Inspire Love?

Big things are happening. The month of June saw these developments:

• Sustained demonstrations against racist police brutality across the nation and internationally,
• A massive shift in views on race held by most Americans,
• A powerful mass gathering to end poverty held by the Poor People’s Campaign (https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org),
• And two landmark Supreme Court decisions that the U.S. President referred to as “shotgun blasts into the face” of conservatives. The court determined that the firing of an employee for being gay or transgender violates Title VII of the Civil RIghts Act. The court also ruled against the president’s attempts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

For many of us who have vocally supported these justice issues for years, these developments brought feelings of excitement and relief along with thoughts of “It’s about time!” There is some comfort in having our convictions and our experiences validated on a broad scale. However, the blood, sweat, and tears of people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, and the poor who have been fighting for their humanity are worth far more.

As significant as the recent events may be, our work is not done. In fact, we actually are continuing efforts that began decades ago and that have witnessed steps forward and backward in those times. World history and our UU legacy demonstrate that justice and equity require commitment and deep transformation at the individual and systemic levels. The UUA recently released a report called Widening the Circle of Concern that was prepared by the Commission on Institutional Change after UU leaders of color in 2017 identified major problems within the denomination. Introduced at the 2020 General Assembly in late June, the report presents findings and recommendations for a process of truth and reconciliation within our congregations. Each congregation will receive a copy from UUA, and the full text of the report is available at https://www.uua.org/uuagovernance/committees/cic/widening.

In the Final Thoughts, the report states, “In spite of the promise of our movement, we still need to address the bias and oppression within our systems to build resilience in our living tradition for the times we are in and strengthen it for future generations. Making these changes will allow us to stay relevant.” In part, the recommendations are to prioritize transformation of our systems, to practice authentic hospitality and self-awareness, to show empathy and compassion, to demonstrate humility, and to continue making progress rather than losing focus over time.

Like our communities, states and the nation, we as UUs are at a crossroads with important decisions to make about where we go from here. Our congregation has an opportunity to study the findings in the Widening the Circle of Concern report and to act on the recommendations. How we respond may very well decide the future of our denomination.

Until next time,

Lauren Anzaldo

President of the Governing Board