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Amid a year of virtual work and pandemic life, the Unitarian Universalist Association has been focusing on the big-picture shifts called for by the 2020 report Widening the Circle of Concern (WCC) from the Commission on Institutional Change.
The report concluded the Commission’s three-year charge to engage thousands of UUs and recommend changes that can undo structural racism in our Association. For the UUA, implementing the WCC recommendations means embedding them in every aspect of our mission and operations. We created a cross-staff team to coordinate our implementation with UUA staff and volunteers. Read the team’s first year report here (PDF).
Recognizing its recommendations touch every aspect of Unitarian Universalism, the UUA also released a study/action guide for congregations to engage the WCC report. The eleven-session guide provides framing and helpful hints on how UUs can actively participate in transforming their own local faith communities. Sign up to receive the study/action guide here. Congregational leaders will also have opportunities to attend learning and practice forums starting in the fall of 2021.
Grounded deeply in UU theology, the WCC report declares that antiracism and antioppression are at the heart of our religious tradition. UUs believe that all people are interdependent, that our destinies and liberation are intertwined. We recognize the need to build trust in ourselves, our leaders, and our communities to continue this work over the long haul. We are committed to centering UUs who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color, who are trans/nonbinary, who have disabilities, and who are otherwise marginalized to broaden the range of people who find a home in our faith communities. This commitment has been affirmed through decades of statements endorsed by the UUA General Assembly. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build the inclusive world we imagine. We hope all UUs will join us in this challenging, powerful, beautiful, and life-giving work.