Dear friends,

This past month has been busy for a lot of us. School starting for the kids, as well as the college students of all ages—not to mention for the teachers and staff, too. Having kids and working in education myself, I often see my life revolving around the changes in a school schedule of sorts. Whenever I ask friends if they have plans for the summer, they remind me that their summer plans look like their winter plans: work. Somethings change, and something stay the same.

Nonetheless, we do have changes on the horizon. Even if the thermometer is still reading like it’s the dead of summer on the sun, fall is approaching and we will eventually see a new season. Autumn could be a metaphor for change as well. In fact, a great change did take place over the summer that, like any season, is very familiar but also a longtime coming. As many of you know, UUCP democratically adopted the 8th Principle through a congregational vote as an official addition to our values. The new principle reads that we, as congregation, will affirm and commit to make an: “Active commitment to dismantle racism and other oppression in ourselves and our institutions.”

So what does this mean? First, the movement to adopt the 8th Principle came out of the Black Lives Matter movement. Presented by numerous Unitarian Universalists, the principle was adopted by over 200 congregations throughout the United States and Canada. As with most congregations, we crafted our principle to reflect our congregation and what we agreed upon through a large meeting is now our new principle.

The question that was often thrown around was “Why?” After all, we’re Unitarian Universalists and UUs are historically on the side of the oppressed, right? Well, sadly, that’s not always the case. We certainly do come from a proud tradition of people who fought against slavery, were martyred in the Civil Rights Movement, and continue to be on the side of the modern civil rights struggles—from anti-racist work to the LGTBQ rights. We also have people in our history that worked counter to those struggles.

Adding another principle does little to change a person’s heart, just as changing a few laws in the 1960s did not end racism or the legalization of gay marriage clearly did not end homophobia. However, adding a new principle, one that passed with overwhelming support, does set a tone for our congregation. Generally speaking, if you are with us now, you know this is where we stand as a congregation.

As the events of 2020 showed the world, our country is far from one where racism is a thing of the past. As much as politicians like to misuse the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, we are not at a place where we judge people by the content of their character over the color of their skin. On a national and state level, many of us became complacent and now the gains of the past are in terrible jeopardy. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is now in tatters and Roe v. Wade was overturned, both of which represented laws that many thought would never change. Supreme Court musings even pushed legislative protections that were put in place to secure the legality of interracial and same- sex marriage, again, laws that most of us thought were untouchable. Our progress as a nation shouldn’t be judged on the quality of life of the privileged few, but by the lives of those in continuous struggle—which often come down to women and minorities.

Which brings us back to the 8th Principle. If anything, the last few years should remind us that the struggle for equality is far from over and the wins are far from guaranteed. Extremist hatred is even on the rise in our region. The recent local attacks on Jewish and Muslim centers of worship, as well the newly opened Liberation Center and various other spots around Pensacola, make clear that extreme hate is not just for the history books but the top story of your news feed. Even as I write this, news is circulating about racist gun violence that took the lives of several Black citizens of Jacksonville. It is worth noting that the intended targets were specifically young Black students at a religious HBCU, harkening back to historic and recent attacks on the Black church. Like those who attacked Pensacola, symbols of white supremacy and fascism were used in the attack: in Pensacola it was on bricks but in Jacksonville it was on the guns. If you watched the recent Zoom talks hosted by the UUA, you learned that several UU congregations have also been targeted by fascists. Yet, for those who think this type of violence does not involve us, I suggest taking a look at the plaque by the front door to see how extremism has affected our congregation in the past. As a student of American history, I know these undercurrents of bigotry and extremism are never far below the surface. One day they might be, but they are not right now, and in many instances have become legislation in this very state.

To be clear, by adopting the 8th Principle, we will not end hatred. What we will do, however is every week at church, we’ll see this principle, and maybe some of us will think about what it means. By adopting this principle, we recommit ourselves to continue the work to make our society, ourselves, and specifically our congregation, a reflection of what we want the world to look like. We recommit ourselves to help create a society where we are free of racism, gender discrimination, anti-LGBTQ+ ideologies, and other oppressive structures. Some might say this is only a dream, but what a nice dream it would be if we could help to make this a reality. As we’ve heard often, real change begins at home and truly begins with the individual. From that individual change comes growth and that, too, can also spread.

The events of 2020 seem so far off in the mind, but do you remember how much hope came from seeing the protests that were so diverse? What I saw in Pensacola, a city in the Deep South with a long history of systemic racism, was older white ladies walking up the hill by Graffiti Bridge with cupcakes that read “BLM,” and giving them to the protesters of all ages, genders, and races. People going out of their way to buy stacks of pizza and bring water to help support the protests that went on for hours, with speakers and DJs playing all night. It was an incredible moment of unity that we shouldn’t forget, despite the movements afoot to make us forget these histories and try to erase them. Lean on these memories, as well as the memories from our congregation and all that we did to bring together a community after the tragic anti-abortion violence of the 1980s and 1990s. Many of us were there, and many of us remember. The 8th Principle helps to make the seeds of those struggles turn into a delicious fruit. If the history of these social justice struggles is not to be wasted, we need to constantly recommit to the work to unseat and dismantle bigotry that is so deeply woven into our society, and the 8th Principle helps us to do so.

That is why the 8th Principle was introduced, and that is why this principle has now become part of our service. For some, this may seem like a big change, but in reality this is simply saying out loud what so many of us have thought and hoped for UUCP for so long. One thing we do well is talk the talk, and this helps us further as we walk the walk toward justice.

In the meantime, don’t forget to drink some water. It’s hot out there. While I have a lot of hope for social change, not only in society but also our congregation, I don’t see the temperature changing much. If anyone can think of a principle that might help with that, please let us know. Until then, stay hydrated.

Sincerely,

Scott

Scott Satterwhite