“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief.

Do justly, now.

Love mercy, now.

Walk humbly now.

You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.

Anonymous

On Sunday, January 15, 2023, UUCV voted to adopt the 8th Principle.

The 8th Principle: “We, the member congregations of the Unitarian
Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying
toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural
Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle
racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”

Written in 2013 by Paula Cole Jones and Bruce Pollack-Johnson, and
edited by people of color members of the UU community, The 8th
Principle is under review by the UUA’s Article II Study Commission, with a
plan to bring it to General Assembly for a required two stage vote in 2023
and 2024. However, there is a grassroots effort encouraging individual
congregations to adopt the 8th Principle now, and to date more than 200
congregations have done so. The authors of the 8th Principle recognized
that one could strive to live as a good UU following the 7 Principles without
really having to think or do anything about racism and other oppressions on
a systemic level. The authors also believe that until we take accountable
action toward dismantling racism and other “isms” in ourselves and our
institutions, our journey toward spiritual wholeness will be incomplete.

The process of adopting the 8th Principle calls us to examine our own
hearts honestly and to seek healing when we find white privilege, othering
of those different from ourselves, and barriers to love. It calls us to look at
the policies, procedures, and practices of UUCV through a racial justice
lens and to apply that same lens to how we engage with the wider
community. It calls us to the next step in building the Beloved Community
where all are celebrated and welcome. Each of us plays a role in this
process and you are encouraged to participate. To begin you can visit
www.8thprincipleuu.org where there is a wealth of information to explore.

In order to allow for questions and deeper exploration of the 8th Principle,
Rev Meg will be offering discussion sessions on the 2nd and 4th Friday of
the month beginning with September 9. Sessions will be held at 7pm in the
Board Room at UUCV or can be accessed via our Zoom channel. Also,
listed below are additional resources to help gain a better understanding of
the impact of racism and oppression on all of our lives.

Books

Articles

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
by Peggy McIntosh

Originally written in 1988, This article is considered a ‘classic’ by anti-racist
educators and still helps one understand white privilege.
www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/mcintosh.pdf

The Case for Reparations
by Ta-Nehisi Coates

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/

75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
by Corinne Shutack (2017)

https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234

Videos

Brittany Packnett’s Ware Lecture at the 2018 UUA General Assembly

https://www.uua.org/ga/past/2018/ware
Consider: “Do I know what the people of color in my life expect of me?”

A Conversation with White People on Race:

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/01/opinion/a-conversation-with-white-people-on-race.html?_r=1
Five minute Interviews with white people on the challenges of talking about race. Where do we see ourselves or white people in our lives in this video? How would we enter this conversation or a conversation like this one in our congregation?

Suppressed: The Fight to Vote

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03DGjnIkTdI
40 minutes Brave New Films In 2018 Stacey Abrams of Georgia fought to become the first Black female governor in the U.S. while her opponent, Secretary of State, Brian Kemp, was in charge of running the election. In a race that was ultimately decided by 54,723 votes, the film exposes that the basic constitutional right to vote continues to be under siege in America.

UUA Resources

https://www.uua.org/justice under “Racial Justice”…

We work to end racial discrimination and injustice, starting within ourselves and moving out into the world around us. There is a multitude of material to explore. Here are a few examples:
https://www.uua.org/worship/collections/black-lives-matter
https://www.uua.org/braverwiser/bruh
https://www.uua.org/worship/words/reading/nod

Family Friendly

Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness (Ordinary Terrible Things)

by Anastasia Higginbotham

Website – Your Kids Aren’t Too Young To Talk About Racism: Resource Roundup

https://www.prettygooddesign.org/blog/Blog%20Post%20Title%20One-5new4

Mental Health Information

Blacks in the US disproportionately struggle with mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse, and just 1/3 of those affected will receive the help they need. This site provides information on mental health issues impacting the Black community as well as links to mental health services.

https://www.sunshinebehavioralhealth.com/mental-health-issues-facing-the-black-community/

Updated September 2022