Recommitting to antiracism, thanking Gini Courter
The first responsive resolution was read from the floor and appeared on screen, and was endorsed heartily by the delegates:
Responsive Resolution: Deepen Our Commitment to An Anti-Oppressive, Multicultural Unitarian Universalist Association
Whereas, the Board-approved Ends for the Association call on the administration to move our Association toward a future in which “UU congregations and communities are intentionally inclusive, multicultural and multigenerational”; and
Whereas, Moderator Gini Courter, in her report, and Mel Hoover, in his acceptance of the Distinguished Service Award, called upon our Association to recommit to our work in the area of anti-oppression, anti-racism and multiculturalism; and
Whereas, the Unitarian Universalist Association has been engaged in a decades-long struggle to better equip us to be more inclusive across race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, and ability, as well as a renewed conversation about covenant; and
Whereas, those marginalized in our Association and their accountable allies continue to lead us and are need of continued opportunities to be supported in their efforts through mutual support and spiritual sustenance; and
Whereas, the need for that struggle has not abated and, indeed, has only been magnified by the demographic, economic and geopolitical changes facing the world in which we live and offer our faith; therefore:
We call upon the President of the Unitarian Universalist Association and his staff to establish a vision for the steps needed to deepen the anti-oppressive and multicultural capacities of Unitarian Universalist Association and its member congregations and to identify the systematic, programmatic, and financial resources needed to provide deeper support to congregations and affiliated organizations seeking to move into a deeper anti-oppressive, multicultural understanding.
We also call on the Board to ensure that Board of Trustees and staff-appointed, board-appointed, and elected committees of the Association are empowered and encouraged to identify existing, and new, practices and structures that lead to greater diversity among participants in the work of those committees and that lead to a greater sense of inclusion among participants and provide for youth and young adult-led efforts.
We call on the Journey Toward Wholeness Transformation Committee to assess the financial and staff resources currently devoted to this work, including those supporting organizations that empower marginalized populations and an analysis of these expenditures relative to other allocations.
These measures will ensure the deepened understanding, relationships, spiritual renewal and practical skills necessary to move towards the Beloved Community that we are compelled to build in the name of our faith.
Photograph above: Members of the UU people of color organization DRUUMM introduced a responsive resolution at the end of the final plenary session June 23. (© Nancy Pierce)
