Our congregation is working hard to try to address the ongoing racism in our communities and our country. Many of our members are currently active participants in the R.A.C.E. (Reconciliation Achieved through Community Engagement) group working on this issue here in Muncie. Several of our members also participated as writers in the Facing Racism Project, and one member had her story shared.
Unitarian Universalist Anti-Racism Resources
Articles:
“In Their Own Words”– reflections from participants on the 1967-1970 UU Black Empowerment Controversy
“Journey Toward Wholeness” – a 2002 report on racism in Unitarian Universalist institutions and what to do about it, developed by the UUA Racial and Cultural Diversity Task Force
Meditation Manuals:
Been In the Storm So Long, ed. by Jacqui James & Mark Morrison-Reed – meditations that embody the struggles and triumphs of African Americans
Voices from the Margins: An Anthology of Meditations, ed. by Jacqui James & Mark Morrison-Reed – a collection of reflections and meditations from voices often left unheard in UUism
Books:
The Arc of the Universe Is Long: Unitarian Universalists, Anti-Racism and the Journey from Calgary, by Leslie Takahashi Morris, James (Chip) Roush & Leon Spencer – the recent history of the UUA journey toward becoming an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, multicultural movement
Soul Work: Anti-racist Theologies in Dialogue, edited by Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley & Nancy Palmer Jones – papers and transcripts from the UUA Consultation on Theology and Racism held in Boston in January 2001, which explore the costs of racism and what we hope to do about it
Learning to Be White: Money, Race and God in America, by Thandeka – exploration of the politics of the white experience in America, tracing the links between religion, class, and race
Three (of many) by Mark Morrison-Reed:
- Black Pioneers in a White Denomination – tells the stories of pioneering black ministers in Unitarian Universalism
- The Selma Awakening: How the Civil Rights Movement Tested and Changed Unitarian Universalism – title self-explanatory
- Darkening the Doorways: Black Trailblazers and Missed Opportunities in Unitarian Universalism – title self-explanatory
General Anti-Racism Resources
Articles:
“What riding my bike has taught me about white privilege” by Jeremy Dowsett
“National Seed Project” by Peggy McIntosh
“Race – The Power of an Illusion” by PBS
Videos:
“How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Discussing Race” by Jay Smooth
“Microaggressions in Everyday Life” by Derald Wing Sue
Books:
Uprooting Racism by Paul Kivel
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Witnessing Whiteness: The Need to Talk About Race and How to Do It by Shelly Tochluk