Some churches, such as First Unitarian Church of Portland, Oregon, reference the seven principles in their bylaws, listing each one. So, they will amend their bylaws to speak to eight principles. UUCT does not currently include the 7 UU Principles in our bylaws, nor do we mention them. Other churches adopted the 8th Principle as […]
Allies for Racial Equity is a UUCT advocacy group whose mission calls us to “confront and dismantle racism and racial inequality in ways that are accountable.” How can we do this? I don’t pretend to give a complete answer. I can list some of the actions of other UU churches, along with a few of […]
ReThink Energy Florida is a nonprofit whose mission is to engage, educate, and empower Floridians to take action and achieve a just transition to clean energy for a healthier, more sustainable environment through youth education, adult engagement and community organizing. This year, in addition to our usual programs, such as our Energy Camp and the advocacy […]
The 8th Principle calls on each of us to take responsibility for building beloved community by dismantling racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions. I see this as a call to commit ourselves to action not only within our congregation but also within our community. UUCT’s involvement with the Capital Area Justice Ministry […]
The UU Ministry for Earth (UUMFE) is an independent non-profit organization that works to inspire, facilitate, and support personal, congregational, and denominational practices that honor and sustain the Earth and all beings. UUMFE supports UUs in connecting with others to grow our faith, providing resources for each other and organizing or action through its three […]
Saturday, April 16 for a workshop on Building a Culture of Inclusion. Unitarian Universalist congregations like ours are looking to create change not only in the communities that surround them, but their own churches, too. This April we will have a singular opportunity to begin the process of addressing remnants of racism and oppression in […]
Beyond Welcome: Building Communities of Love (Linnea Nelson, ed.) includes 20 short essays about the prospects for building community in Unitarian Universalist congregations. The book needed to become a discussion series for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tallahassee, and so it has. Rev. Holly Brown and Robin Gray have built five sessions for us all to […]
Most of the books we’ve read for Centering Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Voices focus on the American experience. In April, we’ll travel over the sea to change our perceptions about the history of Africans in Europe. Olivette Otele, a Professor of History of Slavery and Memory of Enslavement in the UK offers us a […]
For me, the 8th Principle is grounded in our Universalist theology. Our Universalist ancestors believed in universal salvation: that an all-loving God would not condemn anyone to everlasting damnation — that all would go to heaven. Our concept of universal salvation has evolved over time into one of an all-loving community here on earth. Our […]
According to law professor Kimberle Crenshaw, intersectionality is the idea that, if you are standing in the path of multiple forms of exclusion, you’re likely to get hit by more than one. For example, Black women cross an intersection and are hit by both racism and sexism. The race ambulance and the gender ambulance arrive […]
