questions about this journey
What do you see as the outcomes, positive or not, of anti-racism work within the UUA since the General Assembly at Calgary?
What specifically is different about the UUA or UU congregations you know because of this work?
What one event, occasion, interaction, etc. stands out for you personally around this work and how did it affect you?
A decade from now, what do you think you might tell a young person who asks you about this work and its significance?
Whose leadership has affected you most personally?
If you could change one event or decision that was made since Calgary, what would it be?
Why does this work matter to Unitarian Universalists?
Do you have documents, sermons, reports, essays or any other written materials related to this
work that you would be willing to share?
Finally, what is/are your role/connection/contact(s) with this work?
thank you!
posted by Chip at 12:04 PM
2 Comments:
this is really great you guys, you should ask Rev. Sean Dennison to link to the JTWTC website as well, I'll work to link it to the ARTO site and my site.
joseph
2:07 PM
Here are my responses to your questions.
What do you see as the outcomes, positive or not, of anti-racism work within the UUA since the General Assembly at Calgary?
Anti-racism work is a noble effort and deserves our diligent attention. I believe that most of the people dedicating themselves to this work in recent years are well-intentioned, passionate, and sincere. But, this issue more than any other I have experienced falls most victim to the process by which political correctness stifles the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. The UUA’s efforts in recent years have made it very difficult for anyone to express an opinion about racism in our society that does not toe the party line.
What specifically is different about the UUA or UU congregations you know because of this work?
I find that anti-racism work segregates us unnecessarily. I have always advocated that the real enemy is not racism, but hate and intolerance in general. The lessons we learn from anti-racism apply equally to homophobia, anti-Semitism, our societal fixation on body shapes and weight, etc. The way we currently do AR work, again in my opinion, only divides and weakens our efforts, and segregates us into special interest groups (like DRUMM and LUUNA) that perpetuate isolation of our members.
What one event, occasion, interaction, etc. stands out for you personally around this work and how did it affect you?
I attended the first training of YRUU chaplains in Indianapolis about five years ago. Saturday night, we did an anti-racism component that included an exercise that I found incredibly offensive and counterproductive. Each participant (this included adults and youth) was given five index cards and told to write a derogatory racial epithet on each card. Then, we were gathered into a circle and one person put in the middle. Each of us in the circle took turns shouting these epithets at the person in the middle. The purpose, supposedly, was to give us a sense of what it is like to be a victim of a racist social environment. Several of us quickly dropped out of the exercise, which left many people traumatized. What I found most ironic was that the exercise taught the youth many epithets that they were completely unaware of.
A decade from now, what do you think you might tell a young person who asks you about this work and its significance?
I constantly struggle not to stay bitter about this issue. As a curriculum writer and RE teacher, I will say what I have always said. Educate yourself about the issue first. Understand the root causes and especially the opinions of those who do not share your convictions. And then, challenge whatever paradigms exist in society to support the application of our principles to the eradication of all hate and intolerance.
Whose leadership has affected you most personally?
Many of the youth I work with are inspiring. Their passion and commitment to this issue is significant. What affects me is that they are being exposed, too often, to a one-sided agenda without sufficient history and knowledge to challenge the motives of these leaders of the movement.
If you could change one event or decision that was made since Calgary, what would it be?
I was on YRUU Youth Council when the anti-racist lobby began to (in my opinion) hijack and monopolize most of the time and energy of the continental youth leadership. While I believe anti-racism to be important, the issue has consumed far too much of the precious energies we devote to youth ministry. I wish more of us could have resisted the headlong dive that the Youth Office took in committing so much of its energy to this issue.
Why does this work matter to Unitarian Universalists?
It matters because it makes us look beyond motherhood and apple pie statements to more meaningful assessments of where we stand on a broad range of issues. And, the tools learned in AR work, in done correctly, have wide applications to other work
Do you have documents, sermons, reports, essays or any other written materials related to this work that you would be willing to share?
My favorite resource is still "Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?": A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity by Beverly Daniel Tatum and Beverly Daniel Tatum.
Finally, what is/are your role/connection/contact(s) with this work?
As a youth advisor, I have attended several YRUU trainings on AR/AO work. As an aspirant minister, I imagine that I will be very exposed to this in the coming years.
6:26 AM
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