When I was working with homeless teens in Chicago early in my ministry, I attended a conference on teen pregnancy hosted by the University of Chicago. The panel of experts included doctors, social workers, psychologists, and front line social service agency workers. I have long forgotten what was said, the notes I took were abandoned … Continue reading Dreaming a Different World
Widening the Circle of Concern On Sunday, July 5, 2020, Ministerial Intern, Erien Babcock offered an intro to “Widening the Circle of Concern: Report of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change.” Erien is Passamaquoddy and Inupiaq, and brings a deeply personal story to the materials developed by the UUA Commission on Institutional Change. The … Continue reading An Intro to Widening the Circle of Concern – Educational Resources
There are times in life when it’s hard to figure out what to say. Comforting someone who has lost a beloved family member, for example. There are no words to meet that grief adequately, the small, clumsy ones we use never feel like they are enough. Or when a catastrophe hits, and whole cities are … Continue reading When Words Don’t Come
Our Racial Justice/White Fragility book group will be beginning on Wednesday, September 26 and the first book will be Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race. It’s a pragmatic and practical guide to talking about race. It offers us a common vocabulary and set of understandings to begin our conversations through the year. I’ve … Continue reading So You Want to Talk About Race: Getting Started
The rally was going to be held at Chinese Reconciliation Park. I was dressed in black and sporting my bright yellow Standing on the Side of Love stole, so I stood out in the crowd. The organizers I asked if I’d be able to open the rally. “Say a few words to begin,” they invited, … Continue reading Keeping On
This morning, our service was Love Beyond Beliefs, and we made special mention of the events in Charlottesville, VA on Friday night and Saturday. To follow on from that service, I offer the written text of the meditation/prayer I shared, and some opportunities to support the community in Charlottesville. First, the meditation, beginning with words … Continue reading Remembering Charlottesville and Living Our Love
The most remarkable thing that happened at UUA General Assembly transpired after everyone went home. On Saturday night, the last night of the annual meeting of Unitarian Universalists in New Orleans, defense attorney and author of Just Mercy, Bryon Stevenson, gave the Ware Lecture focused on restorative justice. The two thousand people who packed the hall had … Continue reading No One Is Outside the Circle of Love: UUA General Assembly 2017
For nearly three months, I’ve been trying to write something about what’s been happening in the UUA around a new awareness of white supremacy as manifests in our own lives and especially our organizations. If you are unfamiliar with what has been happening, here’s a comprehensive timeline of events and links to social media and … Continue reading Stumbling into the Truth: More Reflections on White Supremacy.
