by Mary McKillip, Chair, Racial Justice Initiative As new chair of the Racial Justice Initiative, I want to express my excitement and anticipation for the year ahead! The monthly theme of vision is timely as I think about what I envision in the coming year and beyond for the racial justice work in our congregation. … Continued
by Dan Tuft Hello again everyone and as promised in this final installment of the updates from the Racial Justice Initiative (RJI) Praxis Group that ended after our June meeting, I am combining highlights of our May and June meetings below. Read through to the end of this article for what is happening next! 4. … Continued
by Pam Wallace This year members, groups and friends of the congregation donated a record number of backpacks, all stuffed with school uniforms and school supplies, to help 34 HomeFront kids start the school year off right and have a brighter, happier year at school. In addition, The Dancing Spirits group donated $160 directly to … Continued
From UU FaithAction NJ: It has been a busy week on the US border and in the halls of power–and very little of it was good. Many of us are horrified at the latest round of inhumane and unjust treatment of immigrants, including the highly publicized removal of children from their parents. Two things you … Continued
On Sunday, June 3, 2018 our UUCWC congregation voted by a supermajority to adopt the 8th Principle. This vote is an important step in our congregation’s racial justice journey which began back in the 1960’s. Where our collective journey goes from here depends on all of us living into this principle in our own way. … Continued
8. Institutional Transformation The congregation engages in critical self-assessment and seeks outside consultation to ensure that power structures and practices align with stated racial justice values and make space for diverse leadership and participation. Our April Praxis area was Institutional Transformation. We will have one more submission for CrossCurrents that will summarize our final two … Continued
The Council for Faith in Action is proposing a change to UUCWC’s bylaws to facilitate UUCWC expressing itself publicly in alignment with our principles. PROPOSED BYLAW CHANGES REGARDING PUBLIC EXPRESSION RATIONALE FOR PROPOSED CHANGE TO BYLAW, ARTICLE III CONGREGATION, SECTION 3 PUBLIC EXPRESSION: The current bylaw was developed when UUCWC was small and issues moved … Continued
At the June congregational meeting we will be voting on whether we should affirm and hence adopt the proposed 8th principle. An 8th principle was drafted by Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU) and reads: We covenant to affirm and promote: Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by … Continued
by Dan Tuft, Co-Chair 7. Political Education, Study and Training The congregation offers regular opportunities for members to learn about justice issues, gain concrete skills, and develop political analysis The above assessment point was the focus of our March, 2018 Praxis Group meeting. The Praxis Group supports the adoption of the 8th Principle ( www.8thprincipleuu.org) … Continued
On June 3, 2018, UUCWC members will vote at the annual meeting on proposed Bylaw changes. The Bylaws to which change is proposed are those regarding Public Expression, specifically Article III Congregation, Section 3 and Article VII The Ministry, Section 1. The current Bylaws and the proposed changes are detailed on the attached, along with … Continued
