UU Allies for Racial Equity

Madame Moderator and Members of the UUA Board of Trustees:

As current leaders of UU Allies for Racial Equity (ARE) we are writing to you in regard to recent developments in the public discussion surrounding the GA 2010 business resolution on our scheduled Phoenix GA.

As you know, ARE exists in accountable relationship with our organized communities of color in the Unitarian Universalist Association of congregations.  We were formed in direct response to the events of the 2004 GA in Fort Worth, TX.  Although incidents of racism at GAs are not new, nor are they new within UUism itself, the Fort Worth General Assembly marks a particularly difficult time in our history.  During that GA, adults and youth of color were profiled and encountered acts of racism by local authorities, some members of the community and others in attendance.   In direct response to these events, DRUUMM leadership asked known white allies to organize and help ensure an identifiable, accountable allied presence would be visible, present and proactive the next time racism entered our space, and the next and the next, even and especially when that racism was a result of our own collective actions.  It is with this charge in mind we write to you today.

We remain concerned that holding our General Assembly in Arizona in 2012 would incur costs to our community that would far outweigh the benefits to our presence.   Those costs include:

•  A devaluing of personal testimony of leaders and members from our communities of color and Latino/a community who have explicitly stated they will not travel to Arizona because of fear of personal safety.
• A reinforcement of a false competition between those leaders and members and our Arizona UUs and possible partners in Arizona.
• Lost opportunity to mobilize greater numbers of UUs already poised, eager and able to enter into meaningful partnerships in AZ and at home.
• Dilution of our possible impact in AZ and in our congregations by seeking a proposal requiring the transformation of a meeting (GA) not readily (or perhaps even appropriately) transformable.

How we decide this issue and move forward offers us great opportunity to lead from our faith.  To do so, however, requires more than tying our faith to the issue of immigration reform and solidarity with partners in Arizona.  It requires a grounding in the multicultural relationships within our own community.   Holding the central annual meeting of our faith in a State immersed in a campaign of exclusion would do one at the cost of the other.  We fear that cost may be unrecoverable.  Fortunately, there is a way to do both and do both well.

We appreciate the historic opportunity to engage in a partnership with Puente and NDLON, and believe strongly that the decision about GA can be made separately from the decision to form a partnership.    In noting this we urge the board to support the underlying intent of our President’s proposal – a clear declaration and delivery of advocacy, witness and action, but do so in a manner that honors our own commitment to be a multicultural faith community accountable to its historically marginalized members.

As part of this response, we remain open to the possibility of a large event being held in AZ with the purpose of engaging all attendees in a concentrated time of witness, education and advocacy.  We believe strongly that this event should not be our General Assembly.  We ask that GA 2012 either be moved to a location outside of Arizona or eliminated as part of a move to biennial GA gatherings.   To do so would recognize the power of many organizations representing Latino/Latina/Hispanic people and undocumented workers who have called for an economic boycott of Arizona by conventions and meetings.  This action is in line with your current resolution, the statements of support from DRUUMM, APIC, LUUNA, LREDA and ARE.

We further ask that a multifaceted response be designed and launched offering immediate and ongoing on-the-ground opportunities for all UUs to work with Puente and NDLON.  Such a response would also include the development of resources for congregations to engage in the human rights issues surrounding immigration in their communities and states.  We believe that a major fundraising effort should be part of this response as well, and should raise funds for organizers in Arizona and elsewhere to create real justice in our nation.

We believe that such a response would honor the intent of the invitation shared by President Morales.  Additionally, we believe that it would deliver a response more rapidly and build upon social justice efforts already present within our congregations, districts, and organizations like DRUUMM, LUUNA and ARE.  Such a response would place the hopes of engaging our entire faith community more realistically within our congregations, their social action groups, their ministers and leaders rather than entertaining the hope of a ‘different GA.’

We thank you for the time and energy you have put into this effort, and for your clear willingness both to engage in conversation and also to do the difficult work of listening.  We look forward to working with you on this matter as it unfolds, and on other issues in the future.

Sincerely,

The Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo, President, UU Allies for Racial Equity
The Rev. Dr. Michael Tino, Vice President, UU Allies for Racial Equity

With other people of faith and concerned citizens across the country, we are disappointed and deeply troubled by the passage of recent anti-immigrant legislation in the state of Arizona.  We fear that this legislation will ultimately result in marginalization of immigrants, both documented and undocumented.   Harassment of Latinos/Latinas/Hispanics and people of color perceived as immigrants because of their race or ethnicity will be an inevitable consequence of any attempts at enforcement.   Our nation has made significant progress toward racial equity in the last fifty years.  This new law is a shameful step backwards, once again inscribing racism in the legal system and thereby in the institutions required to comply with the legal system.
  
Immediately upon passage of the new Arizona law, the Rev. Peter Morales, president of our Unitarian Universalist Association, issued a statement in which he wrote: We cannot stand by while those charged to protect us instead subject us to racial profiling, unwarranted searches, and unjust arrests. We must not let fear and ignorance cause our neighbors to be treated as lesser beings. We must not allow this law to violate our national constitution or America’s moral conscience.”  We are grateful for the leadership of Rev. Morales and for the leadership of our Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees who quickly convened a special meeting to consider whether we should rescind our commitment to hold our 2012 General Assembly in Phoenix.  After listening to many voices and considering a spectrum of protest strategies, the board voted to present a business resolution before the delegates to our annual General Assembly this June in Minneapolis, MN asking us to participate in a widespread economic boycott of Arizona.  We encourage you to read the full text of the board’s resolution which can be found at http://www.uua.org/aboutus/governance/boardtrustees/index.shtml.

We know that some in our association are advocating alternative protest strategies, but our philosophy of accountability calls us to carefully consider requests for allied participation from Diverse & Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM) and from the Latino/a Unitarian Universalist Networking Association (LUUNA).  In doing so, we have discovered that DRUUMM and LUUNA leaders have aligned themselves with the leadership of several prominent national civil and immigrants rights organizations.  With hope and faith that a strong, united voice of protest will help overturn this law, and in solidarity with LUUNA and with DRUUMM, we affirm our support of an economic boycott of Arizona and encourage delegates to our General Assembly to vote in favor of the business resolution presented by our board of trustees.

Allies for Racial Equity Steering Committee
Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo, President
Rev. Michael Tino, Vice-President
Ken Wagner, Treasurer/Stewardship Coordinator
Sharon Blevins, Membership Chair
Justine Urbikas, Communications Chair
Rev. Bill Gardiner, Education Team Co-Chair
Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer, Education Team Co-Chair
Rev. James Hobart, Connections Team Co-Chair

NEW FROM ARE ~

Dear members and friends of ARE,

The leadership team of Allies for Racial Equity may have seemed quiet this past year, but we've sure been busy!  We're pleased that so many of you were able to join us at the Annual Conference in March and were glad to see a strong ARE presence at General Assembly in June.  Our commitment to be present and in accountable relationship with DRUUMM is an important aspect of who and how ARE came to be just a few short years ago.  While the birth of this organization came as a direct result of so many years of specific relationships within DRUUMM and the UU White Allies group, the formalization of that relationship has been an important step in better understanding what 'accountability' looks like on an institutional level.  Each year, each event, each conversation helps move us along toward making ARE an institution that helps us live out that accountability in our personal lives as well. 

While we have much to celebrate we have also heard from you that there are things we could do better, and frankly, some things we’ve sorely neglected!  Communication and invitations to participate rank high among the feedback.  We're hoping to address that in the coming year and this communication is part of that commitment!  We aim to make sure that we never again hear 'I signed up for ARE and never heard from you!'  We want to strengthen our ties with our ARE membership, better define who we are, what we offer and how you might be involved.  We want to support regional groups of members and friends and be able to support DRUUMM by providing those regional connections.  There is much we 'want' to do, but we need your help too!

In the coming weeks, we'll be asking you to verify your membership information and status.  Some of you may have already done so.  If we ask you twice (please forgive us as we complete a transition to a more manageable database system. 

You'll also be receiving a quarterly electronic newsletter and we welcome your feedback regarding the newsletter.  We'll be including reviews, resources, news about the March 19-21, 2010 Conference in Long Beach, opportunities to be involved and more.  Please feel free to send us your ideas, questions, suggestions, AR/AO/MC events coming up in your area, and submissions for consideration in the publication.  For now, send these to me at revwendyvon@yahoo.com. 

In closing, thank you so very much for your support of ARE and please continue to help us spread the good news, good work and faith ~

 

Rev, Wendy von Zirpolo

President, Allies for Racial Equity

 

 

 

Dear ARE Members and Friends,                             

 

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT GA! If you will be in Salt Lake City, we have several GA suggestions for you:

·         ARE Booth. Please visit the ARE booth (#927).  If you’d like to volunteer to help staff it, please contact Ken Wagner at ken.r.wagner@comcast.net or 508-308-9262. 

·         UU University. The Multicultural Track of UU University will include leaders and participants who are ARE members and potential members. Come talk with others about your and their involvement.

·         Workshops. Anti-racism programs and activities are listed in the “Index by Subject” of the program book on page 78. We especially encourage participation in the workshops Crossing Borders I: Building Cross-racial Understanding and Crossing Borders II: Personal and Institutional Commitment to Anti-racism on Saturday afternoon between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m., sponsored by DRUUMM and the GA Planning Committee. ARE financially supports this workshop and will help facilitate it.

·         Films. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 10 p.m., ARE will show films of interest and will facilitate discussion afterward.

·         Chaplains. In addition to the GA chaplains, there will be special ARE chaplains to help people deal with issues of racism, multiculturalism and white identity. If you or someone you know would like to speak with an ARE chaplain, please contact the Rev. Michael Tino on his cell phone at 919-949-1158.

 

WHERE’VE YOU BEEN? Some of you have said, “I haven’t heard anything since I joined ARE. What’s been going on?” Good question, and here is some of what’s happened in the past year:

·         DRUUMM Leadership. Your ARE Executive Team met with the DRUUMM Steering Committee to discuss direction and ways to work together. Goals include maintaining a focus on the1997 GA Resolution Toward an Anti-Racist Unitarian Universalist Association (http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/socialjustice/statements/14244.shtml) cross-referencing one another on materials and at gatherings, and focusing together on future goals and planning. The ARE president and DRUUMM president discuss activities and issues on a regular basis.

·         General Assembly Presence. We believe our organizing to have chaplains available at potentially sensitive workshops and events at GA has raised awareness and helped to prevent racist incidents. We have received appreciative feedback from DRUUMM members about the presence ARE members who are willing to speak up in the face of insensitive or racist remarks.

·         Education. Members of the ARE Education Task Force have done excellent work in developing and leading anti-racist workshops. Contact Rev. Bill Gardiner (BillGardiner@verizon.net) or Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer (minister-uukent@sbcglobal.net) for more information about workshops for your congregation or district.  Also, see resource information on the ARE web site (http://uuallies.org/resources.html).

·         Conference. Our third annual conference, held in Kansas City in March 2009, brought UUs together around a theme of Identity: Understanding white privilege, unlearning white supremacy, and creating an anti-oppressive, multicultural Unitarian Universalist faith. We received lots of very positive feedback and also good ideas and suggestions about what we can do better next time. The featured presenter for the 2011 ARE Conference will be Shelly Tochluk, author of Witnessing Whiteness: First Steps Toward an Antiracist Practice and Culture.  We’re close to confirming a west coast site and a date in mid-March. 

·         Membership. In response to the question of what ARE membership really means and specifically how we hold ourselves accountable to DRUUMM and communities of color, we revised the membership form to include specific commitments for ARE membership (http://uuallies.org/getinvolved/membership.html). We considered again whether membership should be limited to people who identify as white. After much discussion, the emphatic answer to that question from DRUUMM leadership and from our own experienced leaders was yes, we do need an organization that focuses on white people doing our own work. We welcome people of color and those not able to make the commitments of ARE membership to be Friends of ARE.

·         Inclusion. Some congregational members of All Souls Church in Kansas City, which hosted the 2010 conference, were deeply uncomfortable with the idea of “excluding” people of color from ARE membership or from the ARE conference. We had a series of intense conversations with DRUUMM leaders, UUA leaders, and members of All Souls about the issues. We confirmed that ARE membership is for people who identify as white, and while people of color usually don’t attend ARE functions because of the focus on white identity work, we emphasized that all are welcome. Persons of color from All Souls served as key leaders of the conference hosting task force, led an outstanding workshop and tours, and were present and welcomed at many conference activities. The youth workshops included a lively, racially mixed group of UUs and non-UUs.

·         UU Leadership. We’ve been in conversation with elected and staff leadership about anti-racism needs and activities, including UUA President Bill Sinkford, Moderator Gini Courter and DRUUMM President Danielle Di Bona.  We’ve had in-depth interviews with Rev. Laurel Hallman and Rev. Peter Morales, the two candidates for the UUA presidency, and have asked questions focused on anti-racism at candidates’ public forums.

·         Excellence in Ministry. Our presence at the Excellence in Ministry Summit helped direct the conversation from conceptual support to firm commitment to anti-racism as a criterion for excellence in ministry. ARE members serve on the Ministerial Fellowship Committee and Regional Subcommittees and help ensure that ministerial candidates understand the importance of anti-racist, anti-oppressive work.

·         Electronic Updates. We changed our computer server and transferred our database to a program that is more easily accessible. We updated our web site. The hitch is, the transition took time and made it difficult to track our data and stay in touch with members. We think we’ve almost worked through our technological transition and accompanying technical difficulties, but we’re very much aware that it’s been a long, dry spell of non-communication. Some of you receiving this are active, contributing members of ARE, while some of you may have signed your name on a list three years ago and not thought about it since. We have the records, but are still working on sorting them out.

·         Communication. Technology slowed us down some, but the Executive Team was delighted to welcome Justine Urbikas, who brings the savvy of a “bridger” (that’s UU lingo for a person 18-24 years old). Facebook, here we are!

 

WHAT’S NEXT? For the volunteer leaders of ARE it’s been a busy year—and, we know that much more needs to be done. While we’ve made a difference at a national level and have provided a community of learning and support for those able to come to the ARE Conference, General Assembly or some district workshops, we’d like to support individuals, congregations and districts in their ability to confront racism, understand white privilege and unlearn white supremacy. Here are some of the questions and issues on our plate:

• Accountability. How can we encourage and support the efforts of ARE members to fulfill our pledge of accountability to DRUUMM and other communities of color?
• Communication. What systems can we set up to encourage regular communication among ARE members?
• Learning. What resources can we offer to ARE members, in our congregations, and in the larger community…
• Organizing. How can the work of ARE be carried out at congregational and district levels?
• Resources. What can we offer? What do we need and what is available to help us carry out our mission?
• Coordination. How can we best coordinate with other UU organizations doing AR/AO/MC and social and economic justice work?
• Activism. How should we encourage using the insight of ARE in active involvement in changing the world?

 

What else? What other questions and concerns do you have?  How would you like to be involved?  What might we offer as Allies for Racial Equity that would support your commitment and your work?

 

Please come talk to us at General Assembly, look at what is on the ARE web site (http://uuallies.org/) and think about what should be on it. Let us hear from you, and expect to hear from us again soon.

 

Sincerely,

 

Sharon Blevins, ARE Membership Coordinator,

for the ARE Executive Team: Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo, President; Rev. Michael Tino, Vice President; Ken Wagner, Stewardship; Justine Urbikas, Communication Coordinator.

sharonblevins@pobox.com

816-531-5242 (h), 816-719-0349 (cell)

 

Unitarian Universalist

 

 

Allies

FOR

Racial

Equity

 

2009 Conference

____________________

 

Identity:

Understanding white privilege,

unlearning white supremacy, and

creating an anti-oppressive, multicultural

Unitarian Universalist faith.

 

_____________________________

 

March 13-15, 2009

 

All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church

4501 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri

 

 

For more information about ARE and the conference see www.uuallies.org. For information about about ARE’s partner organization, Diverse and Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM), a UU People of Color Organization,see www.druumm.org
ARE: The Identity Conference

Join other Unitarian Universalists at the ARE Identity Conference to further our understanding of how UUs who identify as white can dismantle racism in ourselves, in our congregations, and in our Association. The conference is for UUs who share a goal of working to end racism and learning to be effective allies to people of color in a multigenerational community of UUs committed to anti-racism, anti-oppression and multiculturalism in a convenanted relationship.

 

Conference Highlights

(See www.uuallies.org for additional information)

 

Outstanding Speakers.

·         Julian Sharp, Young Adult, anti-racism activist and former UUA Trustee will keynote on Friday evening.

·         Rev. James Hobart, UU Minister and Civil Rights Activist keynotes on Saturday

·         Gini Courter, UUA Moderator, will lead a panel at the All Souls Forum on Sunday morning to consider the question of whether we live in a post-racist age.

 

Workshops will offer insight into identity issues, learning about how UUs can serve as allies to people of color in both multi-cultural and all-white settings, and tools and resources to take home. Workshop topics include:

·         Racial Identity in the UU Movement

·         The Identity Factor in Interfaith Work

·         Intersections of Identity: Gender, Sexuality and Race

·         The Ministry Challenge: Resistance to Anti-racism, Anti-oppression and     Multiculturalism

·         Cultural Misappropriation: Respecting and Learning from            Cultural Heritages

·         Living Our Personal Racial Identity Journey

·         Cultural Competency

·         The Identity Factor in Interfaith Work

·         Identity, Racism and Worship

·         Youth Identity Work: Making It Real

 

Films and Discussion. Showings of Traces of the Trade, Tim Wise on White Privilege and A Light in the Shadows will provide personal insigts and information about resources to use in your home congregation.

Community Building. Small covenant groups provide a place for conference participants to build relationships, process experiences, share ideas and commit to holding one another accountable as we continue our work beyond the conference.

 

Worship.  Shared worship that grounds us in the faith that unites us and calls us to build Beloved Community, with conference participants on Friday and Saturday and with All Souls on Sunday.

 

Resources. Please bring your own stories, experiences, curricula, contacts, websites to share —whatever has fed you and may feed others. There will also be a bookstore and resources provided by conference leaders.

 

Pre-Conference Training.

Anti Racism:
Transforming Our Whiteness. Developing a positive white identity that will empower us to work for change is challenging in a culture of white supremacy. In this workshop, we will identify what whiteness is, clarify the ways it operates on our lives, and explore ways of transforming whiteness into a force for justice. We will discuss being a good ally to People of Color, how to work to end racism in white controlled institutions, and nurturing a positive white racial identity in the next generations. Participants will receive information on future training and curriculum materials on white identity. Led by Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer and Rev. Bill Gardiner.

 

Post-Conference Exploration in Kansas City. Join a local host in touring the Kansas City Jazz Museum, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and other local cultural and ethnic highlights.

 

Program and Workshop Leaders include:

·         Sharon Blevins, ARE Executive Team Membership Coordinator

·         Connie Brown, All Souls Racial Justice Committee

·         Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer, ARE Education Team Co-chair

·         Gini Courter, UUA Moderator

·         Rev. Jim Eller, Senior Minister of All Souls, UU Justice Funding Panel

·         Rev. William Gardiner, ARE Education Team Co-chair

·         Susan Leslie, UUA Director of Congregational Advocacy & Witness

·         Janet Moss, All Souls Racial Justice Committee

·         Rev. Michael Tino, ARE Executive Team, Vice President

·         Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo, ARE Executive Team, President

·         Ken Wagner, ARE Executive Team, Stewardship

 

Schedule Overview.

 

Friday, March 13

   10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Pre-conference Training (optional)

   3:00-6:00 p.m. – Conference registration, Pizza from 5:00 to 6:00

   6:00-9:00 p.m. – Welcome, Worship, Keynote Presentation and

Covenant Groups

Saturday, March 14

   8:00-9:00 a.m. – Breakfast

   9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. – Worship, Keynote, Workshop Track A,

Lunch and Workshop Track B

   3:15-4:15 p.m. – Covenant Groups

   4:30-7:30 p.m. – Taking ARE Home, Worship, Dinner and Closing

   7:30 p.m. – Movie Night or Out on the Town

Sunday, March 15

   8-9:45 a.m. – Breakfast followed by Covenant Groups

   10:00 a.m. – Forum: A Post-Racial Society?

   11:15 a.m. – Worship Service

   12:30 p.m. – Conference Programming Ends

   1:00 p.m. – Optional Post-conference Tours, Exploring Kansas City

 

Registration & Cost. Register online at www.uuallies.org. Cost is $110 or $75 for students, limited scholarships are available. Registration includes meals, programming and materials.

 

Lodging. Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza, $99 per night for conference participants if registered by February 20. Homestead Kansas City, $85 per night. To arrange home hospitality, contact All Souls member Dori Bader at jodori@kc.rr.com or 913-424-2065.

 

Transportation. Hotels are near the church. The Kansas City airport (MCI) is approximately 23 miles from the church; the SuperShuttle to hotels is $18.

 

Questions? See more information at www.uuallies.org or contact Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo, President of ARE, at revwendyvon@yahoo.com or 603-479-6096.

 

Here you'll find out about ARE activities, important news, links, and other information that will help you in your antiracism, anti-opprression, multiculturalism work.

 Thanks for this good work, Annette ~