“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.”
Action begins with intention. Just as many of us take time at the end of the old year to reflect and consider where we want to focus our energy in the new year, congregations focus their actions in part by the congregational resolutions they make. The statements serve as a call to action, a way of focusing our priorities. UUCF’s Racial Justice Steering Committee (RJSC) believes that our UU values and principles call us to anti-racism work. A call to work toward a country where the inherent worth and dignity of all people is a lived reality for all, including people of color. Many at UUCF (along with many other UU congregations) see the sin of racism as a stain on our country that goes back to its founding. I recently came across a quote from Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker that for me makes the essential point about why anti-racism work is spiritual work:
“This is my country. Love calls me beyond denial and disassociation. It is not enough to think of racism as a problem of ‘human relations,’ to be cured by me and others like me treating everyone fairly, with respect and without prejudice. Racism is more: It is a problem of segregated knowledge, mystification of facts, anesthetization of feeling, exploitation of people and violence against the communion/community of our humanity.
“My commitment to racial justice is both on behalf of the other – my neighbor, whose well-being I desire – and for myself, to whom the gift of life has been given but not yet fully claimed. I struggle neither as a benevolent act of social concern nor as a repentant act of shame and guilt, but as an act of desire for life, of passion for life, of insistence on life – fueled by both love for life and anger in face of the violence that divides human flesh.”
The RJSC believes that now is the time for UUCF to engage in the work of adopting a new 8th Principle to be added to the UU Seven Principles. We believe that doing so would lead us to do both internal and external anti-racism work. We must be brave enough to examine ourselves both individually and as an institution while we advocate for public policy changes that lead to equality and inclusion. The 8th Principle was originally proposed by Paula Cole Jones who worked with congregations on issues of race and multiculturalism for over 15 years as director of racial and social justice for the Joseph Priestley District – the mid-Atlantic district of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), which is now part of the Central East Region of the UUA. She found that “a person can believe they are being a ‘good UU’ and following the Seven Principles without thinking about or dealing with racism and other oppressions at a systemic level.”
Both Black Lives of UU and Diverse Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries have asked UU congregations to adopt the 8th Principle. So far around 25 have done so (including All Souls DC, Annapolis, Richmond and the UU Church of the Restoration in Philadelphia) and many more are engaging in a process of considering adoption.
Our current Seven Principles appear in Article II of the UUA Bylaws, Principles and Purposes, which is the foundation for all of the work of the association and its member congregations and covenanted communities. Our current Principles and Purposes were last revised in 1987. Much has changed since then. At UUA General Assembly (GA) in 2017, attendees discussed adding the 8th Principle, a theological statement calling for actions to dismantle racism. In response to those discussions, the UUA Board established an Article II Study Commission to consider possible amendments to this article. The timeline for the commission’s work includes conducting feedback sessions on possible changes at GA 2021, a first vote at GA 2022 and the required second vote at GA 2023. Amending the Principles is a lengthy process that involves a great deal of time, energy and thoughtful consideration.
The RJSC believes UUCF should not stay on the sidelines during this time of racial reckoning in the United States. We believe adopting the 8th Principle as a congregation is a way for us to make a statement to the larger community about where we stand and hold ourselves accountable by matching our actions with our statements. At the same time, it would strengthen the grassroots movement to pass similar language at the UUA level.
The RJSC has already begun this process at UUCF. Through our congregation’s work in the Potomac Partnership (UUCF, UU Cedar Lane and River Road UU) we found there was an urgency for embracing the 8th Principle at all three congregations and I’m pleased to share that three UUCF members will join the joint 8th Principle Team started by Cedar Lane and River Road a year ago. Betsy Bicknell, Kaye Cook and Marcia Tugendhat will work on this joint process to educate the congregations on the 8th Principle and work toward adoption by the three individual congregations.
Unitarian Universalists have long professed a desire to build the “beloved community of all souls,” a multicultural, diverse, inclusive and equitable community welcoming to all. Being human, we have often fallen short of our ideals. In the 30 years I have been a UU, I’ve seen us make sincere and well-intentioned attempts to achieve this beloved community, but be unwilling to make changes in how we do religious community, changes that could lead us to be more welcoming to people who share our principles and values but not all our cultural norms. At the same time, I’ve seen us stretch ourselves in many ways, stepping outside of our comfort zones, reaching out to people outside our congregations and inviting them in, doing meaningful and impactful social justice work to promote equity and inclusion in the broader community and educating ourselves about the pervasiveness of racism both within our congregations and beyond. I believe adopting the 8th Principle is a statement of our intention to renew our commitment to this work, to hold ourselves accountable and to fulfill the potential of our existing principles. Of course, adopting the 8th Principle would just be a first step. Next, we must commit to ongoing actions, just as we must follow our new year’s resolutions with actions that make our intentions into a new reality.
If you have questions or are interested in working on the 8th Principle, please email me.
Linda L. Clark
Thank you, Susan, for your commitment to this much needed action to dismantle racism. I’m pleased to hear that we already have 3 dedicated members to this action and are in communication with our partner churches. Our covenant group has already dedicated our next meeting to discussing this issue and how we can support an 8th Principal.
As always, you amaze me!!