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congregational life |
 J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 2 |
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A First Step, or Way Station, on the Journeyby Donald E. Skinner
For some congregations, a Journey Toward Wholeness Sunday service introduces people to anti-racism work for the first time. For others, like the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana, it is a way to expand their commitment. For first-time and veteran congregations alike, "JTW Sunday" — usually scheduled in January, February, or March — raises money to promote racial justice locally as well as nationally through the UUA.
For some congregations, a Journey Toward Wholeness Sunday service introduces people to anti-racism work for the first time. For others, like the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana, it is a way to expand their commitment. For first-time and veteran congregations alike, "JTW Sunday" — usually scheduled in January, February, or March — raises money to promote racial justice locally as well as nationally through the UUA. In Bloomington, interest in the program began when an African-American friend of the congregation told longtime member Guy Loftman that she didn't see any signs that the church was committed to attracting people of color. "A light went on," said Loftman. "She pointed out we seemed welcoming to gays and lesbians, but there was nothing to show we welcomed people of color." Loftman and his wife, Connie, had long been engaged in civil rights issues, but this comment from a friend prompted them to take a new look at their church. That was two years ago. About the same time, in a separate conversation, the president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People asked Loftman, a lawyer, why blacks seemed to get longer court sentences than whites in that area of Indiana. The church formed a racial justice task force that, in collaboration with the NAACP, began a study of local jail bookings. The study was completed in February 2001, showing that sentences for blacks were indeed half again as long as for whites. A month earlier the congregation held its first Journey Toward Wholeness Sunday. Friends and members of the congregation stood up and talked about their experiences with race. These included an African-American man, an Iranian, and a Mexican-American woman. The theme was " that which is life-giving in the culture of my birth." The stories were mostly positive, but some described injustices as well. For the children's story, two members read a story in both Spanish and English. Possible social justice projects, which had come out of an earlier brainstorming session, were introduced to the congregation. "It was a very powerful service," said Shari Woodbury, service coordinator. "The comments later were all very positive. People appreciated most hearing people of diverse backgrounds speak in their own voices. They really shared of themselves. Personal stories really reach people." More than $1,000 was raised at the service to help pay for a followup study that determined that on a per capita basis, blacks got three times more traffic tickets than whites. "That Sunday put Journey Toward Wholeness on the map for the whole congregation," said Loftman. "Prior to that it was just a group of us. The Sunday service raised the consciousness of the whole congregation. And with our two studies, we're hopeful some real change will occur in our community." Journey Toward Wholeness is a multicultural anti-oppression initiative of the UUA's Department of Faith in Action that invites congregations to oppose racism in their own communities. The annual JTW Sunday is one part of the broader program. A third of the funds raised in JTW Sunday collections goes to the UUA to support anti-racism education and training and the Whitney Young Jr. Urban Ministry Fund. The balance remains with the congregation to support local racial justice projects. In the last year congregations have used JTW Sunday funds to establish scholarships and provide tutors for minority students, hold anti-racism workshops, sponsor events that demystify Arabic and Islamic culture, study racial profiling, support an interfaith and interracial gospel choir, host a community observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and contribute to multiracial Boys and Girls clubs. The Manatee Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Bradenton, Florida, invited Bill Maxwell, an African-American columnist for the St. Petersburg Times, to speak at their JTW Sunday last February. Maxwell spoke about his experiences growing up in a segregated Florida. An advertisement in a local newspaper as well as personal invitations from members drew about 50 visitors to the service, according to Jo McRae, co-chair of the congregation's cultural diversity committee. The congregation also helped sponsor a two-day diversity workshop, open to the public, at a college in nearby Sarasota. Each January the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington, Vermont, celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday rather than Journey Toward Wholeness Sunday, but the effect is the same. The congregation, which has a long history of anti-racism work, looks forward to the annual opportunity to talk about its efforts. "It's a wonderful opportunity for us to make a difference," said Dorrie Senghas, former JTW coordinator at Burlington, speaking of the broader UUA initiative. For several years the congregation has helped support a boys and girls club with contributions from special collections. In 2001 the congregation gave anti-racism grants to three public schools in Vermont. The congregation also sponsored four "Racism in Vermont" workshops last year through an interfaith anti-racism organization. Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday in Burlington is usually the start of a month of anti-racism activities which often include religious education classes with anti-racism curricula and an annual fundraiser, such as the "Africa to America" concert it held one year. "Maybe we do this because people sometimes say we're the whitest state in the union," said Senghas.
UU World XVI:1 (January/February 2002): 58-59.
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All material copyright © 2001, Unitarian Universalist Association. There have been accesses to this page since December 15, 2001. Address of this page: http://www.uua.org/world/2002/01/conglife.html |
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