By Social Justice Coordinator Andrew Batcher, on behalf of the Potomac Partnership
Coming up in October is an opportunity to connect with UUs from Cedar Lane, River Road, Fairfax and Ann Arbor, MI, on the Living Legacy Pilgrimage to Mississippi, a transformative journey exploring civil rights history. In Mississippi, Fannie Lou Hamer worked to desegregate the Democratic Party, Emmett Till and Medgar Evers faced the worst violence of the Jim Crow era and the Freedom Summer Project mobilized black voters to act in the face of severe oppression. There is so much we can learn from the liberation efforts in Mississippi, then and now, that is relevant to us in the DC area.
Going on this trip is a real commitment that will be life-changing. My own dedication to activism began in college when I spent 3 months in Northern Ireland learning about The Troubles. Cedar Lane’s sanctuary work solidified after a large group saw the reality on the ground at the U.S.-Mexico border when they went on the Borderlinks trip. Pilgrimages lead us to encounter the profound, and ask us to examine who we would like to be. This Living Legacy Pilgrimage is a guided journey that you can experience with other UUs as a way to deepen community and the practice of our faith.
The real point of the pilgrimage is not simply to take a trip. Racial justice is core to both UU values and the internal struggles we face in our congregations. The murder of George Floyd in 2020 led to historic uprisings. Since then, more and more UU congregations have passed the 8th Principle and sought how to put it into practice. The pilgrimage is an opportunity to experience living history and bring back lessons we can use in our congregations and our UU movement. This is the work of transformation – within us, between us and beyond us.
Learn more about the pilgrimage and register here. The registration deadline is Jul. 15 but space is limited. If you would like to go on the pilgrimage or are considering it, please email Social Justice Coordinator Andrew Batcher so we can keep a headcount and make follow-up plans.
Thank you very much. One thing that excites me about the Potomac Partnership is how much joy I see when we get our congregations together. May we learn from one anothers’ transformative journeys.
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