This morning we will shift our regularly scheduled Sunday morning worship to participate, along with over 600 other congregations in a teach-in on racism and white supremacy.
This call to action and worship comes from a growing network of UUs–religious professionals and lay leaders from both within and outside congregations–led by UUs of color and white UUs working together.
Over the past few weeks, many have been responding to calls by UUs of color to look critically *within* our faith communities–including hiring practices, power brokers, and cultural habits–for the ways racism, sexism, and white supremacy live.
“White supremacy” is a provocative phrase, as it conjures up images of hoods and mobs. Yet in 2017, actual “white supremacists” are not required in order to uphold white supremacist culture. Building a faith full of people who understand that key distinction is essential as we work toward a more just society in difficult political times.
It has become clear that, in order for us to be more effective at tackling the white supremacy beyond our walls, we must also identify ways in which systems of supremacy and inequality live within our faith and our lives. We are honored to answer this historic call to action.
Attention AUUC Members and Friends
The Aiken Unitarian Universalist Board of Trustees and Minister, Debra Guthrie, would like to invite you to
a White Supremacy Teach In that will take place on May 7th during our regular Sunday Service.
People of color from our international Unitarian Universalist (UU) faith have come together to ask white UUs to consider the ways White Supremacy hurts us all. White Supremacy is the idea that white culture is the standard by which all other peoples and cultures of the world should be
measured. AUUC is one of more than 550 other UU congregations who have answered this call from all 50 states, Canada, Mumbai, New Zealand and the UK.
If you would like more information prior to our Teach In, you can go to the
following link: http://www.blacklivesuu.com/uuwhitesupremacyteachin.
In addition, the covenant sent by the Southern Region of the UUA, co-written by Connie Goodbread and Natalie Briscoe, is
helpful http://www.uua.org/southern/blog/lovers-leaving.
We hope you will join us as we begin this difficult and necessary work with trust in the healing power of truth spoken in love.
Sincerely,
Debra Guthrie, AUUC Minister