From the “Letter from the President,” The Light, May 2023

One new and interesting thing that will be on the Ballot will be the question of adopting the Eighth Principle. Although the UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association) has been working for several years on revising, updating, and replacing the Seven Principles (written back in the 1980s), and may soon recommend a new way to communicate UU Values, the Eighth Principle was initially drafted 10 years ago, and formally adopted by the UU Church of the Restoration in Philadelphia in May of 2017, at which time they recommended that the UUA formally adopt it. You can read more about it at https://www.8thprincipleuu.org. Since that time over 50 UU Congregations have independently adopted it, and at our April Board meeting, our Board members also agreed to recommend it.

On May 21st, with the vote on the Eighth Principle, you will be asked to make some of our values about Justice and Beloved Community more explicit, the way “Black Lives Matter” is more explicit than “All Lives Matter”. In words from the website, we can easily believe that we are being a “good UU”, and follow the “7 Principles without thinking about or dealing with racism and other oppressions at the systemic level.” “For people identified as white, it is too easy to ignore these issues, which is exactly what keeps the system of racism in our society alive, and in fact worsening right now.”

I deeply believe that as a “majority white” congregation, we need to be more mindful of and more involved in the work of recognizing our privilege and attempting to make a safer and more just Beloved Community. Explicitly stating our goal is the first step.

The wording the Board has approved for your consideration has not been completely finalized, but the version of it will be similar to this, shown here with the original 7 Principles:

1st Principle: The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

2nd Principle: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

3rd Principle: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;

4th Principle: A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

5th Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;

6th Principle: The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;

7th Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

8th Principle: The journey toward spiritual wholeness; to build a multicultural Beloved Community and dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.