ON BUILDING OUR BELOVED COMMUNITY
After my once-thriving Sangha foundered, and I sadly sought a new vehicle, I came across UUCE’s message of “Beloved Community”. This vision of peace and Oneness arose as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh stood together against the Vietnam War.
I joined UUCE, and engaged with its “Widening the Circle” initiative. Founded in 2020 by the Unitarian Universalist Association (“UUA”) on the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, “Widening the Circle” sought radical expansion of the foundations, reach and practice of Unitarian Universalism. Studying the UUA’s 2020 report, our discussion group examined our perceptions of our UUCE congregation in relation to our larger community. We considered how we might implement radical hospitality and antiracism at UUCE.
The Pandemic notwithstanding, we continued to “Widen the Circle”. our Anti-Oppression Task Force (“AOTF”) was formed and continued for years. For equity training, the AOTF retained Dr. Gilo Kwesi Logan and Eileen Heinemann, experts from the highly-regarded Evanston YWCA equity training program. Our Clergy and our Board joined in the conversation: how do such oppressive forces as racism, sexism, ageism, and disability discrimination oppress others? Foul our relationships? Frustrate our activities? Cloud our communications? This is a work in progress – and toward progress.
The AOTF developed tools to identify and address relevant behaviors and practices, which are used by our various advocacy and interest groups. In the spring of 2025, the AOTF held an inspiring Revival for the engagement and further training of the entire Congregation. For further guidance and discovery going forward, the AOTF has issued a thoughtful, detailed report of its work and aspirations.
In 2024 and 2025, the Board explored with our Congregants their insights and ideas into ways to “Widen the Circle.” Through many meetings and discussions, we explored our hopes and ideas to open ourselves and our Congregation to a broader, more supportive and inclusive future together. These insights are compiled in a Board report, “Big Questions, Big Answers”. It is rich with ideas for expanding our vistas.
Elected to the Board in 2022 for a four-year term, I am “singing my swan song”. Sharing the responsibilities of building Beloved Community has been, at once, a deep dive into the intricacies of social justice, a meditation on the potential of Beloved Community — and the reality of its lived experience, and a call to continued action.
There is much to learn, much to share from our years of learning, analysis, introspection, and course-correction. I am looking forward to the UCE Board’s forthcoming initiative, COMMUNICATING ACROSS DIFFERENCES. We are presently evaluating different methodologies to evaluate and enhance our verbal and nonverbal interactions with others. As we continue to deepen our perceptions and improve our communication skills, we seek to enter more deeply into engagement with each other, and to broaden our outreach into our broader community.
In the words of Dr. King, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that”. “
“When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Each of us must do our part to help build the Beloved Community.”
May it be so!
– Elaine Siegel, President Emerita, UUCE
