BLUU Archives - UC Evanston

BLUU Havens Chicago March Gathering: March 19, 2022

BLUU HAVENS CHICAGO MARCH GATHERING – SATURDAY, MARCH 19TH 1:00-2:30 on Zoom

Join at 12:30 for Socializing or Just Hanging Out & Listening to Music! We welcome you to join us for our March Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism BLUU Havens Chicago Gathering.

This will be a Black Only Sacred Space. To request a zoom link please email: BLUUHavenChicago@gmail.com.

Be transported with us back to the Summer of 1969 and the amazing Harlem Cultural Festival in the acclaimed 2021 documentary: “Summer of Soul (…Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” By Questlove

From NPR’s It’s Been A Minute: “There were two big music festivals happening in the summer of 1969. While one defined an entire generation of culture and music… the other remained obscure — the only recorded footage placed in a basement that was said to have sat, unpublished, for decades. That is, until Questlove’s first documentary Summer of Soul came out last year. In this episode, Sam chats with Questlove about the recent release of the film’s soundtrack, the long history of Black erasure, and the memorable performances from the likes of The 5th Dimension, Stevie Wonder (playing the drums!), Mavis Staples, Mahalia Jackson, and Nina Simone.”

NPR-Questlove’s ‘Summer of Soul’ Brings Lost Music Back To Life

Watch this film in advance of our gathering for free on Hulu & Disney + with Subscription or for $5.99 on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV or Amazon Prime.

Discussion Questions for “Summer of Soul”

What was your overall reaction to the film and the music presented? Were there some musical groups or singers that you were seeing and hearing for the first time? Who was your favorite and why?
What were your thoughts about the 5th Dimension member’s comment that their group was sometimes accused of not being “black enough.” She also asked “how do you color a sound?” Do you find this to be a relevant question? Why did the 5th Dimension consider it so important to perform in Harlem?
What reaction did you have to the multi-dimensional range of the musical performances at the Harlem Cultural Festival – e.g. from a 19 y/o Stevie Wonder to The Staples Singers to B.B. King, Motown, the Edwin Hawkins Singers, Sly and the Family Stone, and Nina Simone. Is some of this music new to you – even in 2022?
Discuss the cultural and political context of the time at which this Festival was held, 1969, including the civil rights movement, Black Panthers, Operation Breadbasket, the Vietnam War, the Nixon Administration, the moon landing, the beginnings of the drug problem and the “War on Drugs,” and Woodstock. How did the Harlem Cultural Festival reflect – or perhaps not reflect – these other milestone events of the end of the 1960s?
What were your thoughts about the (mostly white) media’s reaction to some of the attendees comments about the enormous investment in the moon landing vs. investing in impoverished black communities across the country?
What was your overall reaction to the crowd itself? One narrator described the Festival as a “rose coming out of concrete.” What thoughts do you have about the audience attending the Harlem Cultural Festival as compared to that of Woodstock?
Acclaimed journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault commented in the film: “We hold these truths to be self-evident – that black history is gonna be erased.” In what ways do you see that statement playing out now, more than 50 years later? What can we do to keep those attempts at “erasure” from happening?

More info about BLUU Havens Chicago

BLUU Havens Chicago March Gathering: March 19, 2022UCE UCE2022-03-08T23:26:45+00:00

BLUU Havens Chicago Oct Gathering: October 16, 2021

BLUU HAVENS CHICAGO OCTOBER GATHERING SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16TH 1:00-2:30 on Zoom

NEW: Join at 12:30 for Socializing or Just Hanging Out & Listening to Music!

We welcome you to join us for our October Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism Havens Chicago Gathering.

Our guests will be Clarence Smith, Founder of One Family Farms and Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Alum (class of’20) alongside Kate Gannon, Windy City Harvest Youth Farm Manager, will be presenting a question and answer session.

Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship, a Chicagoland-based program, enrolls students in a nine-month classroom and hands-on certification course in sustainable urban agriculture that is accredited by the Illinois Community College Board for 31 continuing education credits.

At our last gathering we met Jim Embry, a Sacred Earth Activist, who spoke about the theory and practice of sustainable living while cultivating collaborative efforts at the local level with a focus on food systems.

Next we will hear how a local non-profit, Windy City Harvest, collaborates with individuals, wholesalers, institutions, and churches to: help feed people in the city of Chicago, produce fresh produce, help green the city, create social ties and jobs, and enhance the value of empty spaces particularly in black and brown neighborhoods.

As you will hear from the triumphant story of Clarence Smith, developing a sustainable urban food system movement is not without its challenges. His work and story is about redemption from his past and economic and racial liberation from systemic oppression, all on the road toward creating a beloved community.

If you’d like to learn more about Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship (WCHA), see below:

https://www.chicagobotanic.org/urbanagriculture/apprenticeship

We look forward to seeing you there, Alice, Curtis, Betty, Shannon, and Lecretia.

This will be a Black Only Sacred Space.

To request a zoom link please email: BLUUHavenChicago@gmail.com

BLUU Havens Chicago Oct Gathering: October 16, 2021UCE UCE2021-10-15T14:11:12+00:00

September 2021 BLUU Havens Gathering: September 18, 2021

Join at 12:30 for Socializing or Just Hanging Out & Listening to Music!

We welcome you to join us for our September Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism BLUU Havens Chicago Gathering.

In honor of Fall and the harvest season, please join BLUU Havens Chicago on September 18th, 2021 at 1-2 pm via Zoom for the first of a two part discussion on land, food justice, and the black freedom movement.

Food history in the US often describes Black people’s relationship to the land as one filled with danger, oppression, ignorance and subjection. There is another story however, filled with healing, resistance, and economic self-determination of our communities. How can we reclaim our connection to the land as a means of liberation in our lives?

Join us and our guest JIM EMBRY, Sacred Earth Activist, after which there will be a question and answer session.

Jim Embry considers himself an evolutionary being, his purpose is to contribute to a paradigm shift toward Sacred Earth consciousness and refers to himself as a Sacred Earth Activist. As founder and director of Sustainable Communities Network, Jim contributes to the theory and practice of sustainable living while cultivating collaborative efforts at the local, national, and international levels with a focus on food systems.

As a scuba diver and photographer, Jim has traveled widely to capture the beauty of the land and oceans. His photos and written works have appeared in many publications including We Are Each Other’s Harvest, Sustainable World Source Book, Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky, Kentucky African American Encyclopedia and many more!

If you’d like to learn more about Jim Embry, visit his website or read his “We Are Each Other’s Harvest” Essay.

September 2021 BLUU Havens Gathering: September 18, 2021UCE UCE2021-09-09T18:21:38+00:00

BLUU Havens March Gathering: March 20, 2021

BLUU Havens Chicago March Gathering Saturday, March 20th 1:00-2:30 on Zoom

We welcome you to join us for our March Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism BLUU Havens Chicago Gathering.

This Month’s Theme: “Traveling While Black.”

In Honor Of Women’s History Month and our theme “Traveling While Black” to quote Mae Jemison “Once I got into space, I was feeling very comfortable in the universe. I felt like I had a right to be anywhere in this universe, that I belonged here as much as any speck of stardust, any comet, any planet”– Mae Jemison -doctor, engineer, and former NASA astronaut, became the first African American woman to travel in space.

“Traveling While Black” What is one of your most memorable experiences traveling while black? Was it a joyful experience? Was it a challenging experience? What made it so? This can be traveling locally, regionally, nationally or internationally. What would have made the experience different for you?

We will also welcome your ideas for themes for future gatherings and you won’t want to miss our Closing Dance Party!

This will be a Black Only Sacred Space.

To request a zoom link please email: BLUUHavenChicago@gmail.com.

BLUU Havens March Gathering: March 20, 2021UCE UCE2021-03-18T21:41:06+00:00

BLUU Havens Chicago February Gathering: February 20, 2021

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH 1:00-2:30 on Zoom

We welcome you to join us for our February Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism BLUU Havens Chicago Gathering.

Our theme will be Self Care & Self Love. You may take care of others, but do you show yourself the same consideration? If so, how do you take care of yourself? When did you last treat yourself kindly? You may shower others with love but how do you demonstrate love of self? Also, we will entertain your ideas for themes for future gatherings and you don’t want to miss our Closing Dance Party!

This will be a Black Only Sacred Space.

To request a zoom link please email: BLUUHavenChicago@gmail.com

What is BLUU Havens?

“Everybody wants a place to call home. What many Black UUs have clearly articulated a need for is a Black Unitarian Universalism that offers an unequivocal and unwavering sense of home to Black people who feel held by, or want to be more connected to, Black ancestry, Black love, Black thought, Black artistry, and Black faith. What we want is a Unitarian Universalism that, at EVERY turn, honors, uplifts, and equips our Black Lives. So the development of BLUU Havens & BLUU Harbors came alive!

And after quite some time of deep listening, dreaming, discerning, and developing, Black Lives of UU is thrilled to have launched the process for social groups and spiritual communities of predominantly Black UU and Black UU-adjacent folks (folks who share our values of Love, Liberation & Justice) to become established as BLUU Havens or BLUU Harbors!!!”-BLUU

To further connect with BLUU:

BLUU.com

BLUU Public Facebook

BLUU Closed Facebook Group

BLUU Mailing List

BLUU Havens Chicago February Gathering: February 20, 2021UCE UCE2021-02-08T22:01:00+00:00

BLUU Update and Invitation: November 20, 2020

Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU) Havens Update and Invitation!

The Chicago Chapter of BLUU Havens had our first meeting online on Saturday, October 31st with members attending from UCE, 1st Unitarian Church of Chicago, 3rd Unitarian Church of Chicago, and Unity Temple, Oak Park.

We were a truly multi-generational group ranging in age from parents with younger children to our oldest member at 93 years old! We spent the time getting to know each other and decided that we wanted to meet more frequently than the suggested once per quarter and are meeting again this Saturday, November 21st at 1pm and we would love for you to join us!

As a reminder, Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism envisioned BLUU Havens as small groups created by and for Black UUs and UU-adjacent folks to connect socially at least once per quarter and to engage in organizing efforts locally. BLUU Havens will be centered in a Black Unitarian Universalism that offers an unequivocal and unwavering sense of home to Black people who feel held by, or want to be more connected to, Black ancestry, Black love, Black thought, Black artistry, and Black faith. BLUU imagines Havens as places to celebrate and practice a Unitarian Universalism that, at EVERY turn, honors, uplifts, and equips our Black Lives.

For our meeting this weekend each person is encouraged to bring something to share with the group that highlights black joy (favorite book, movie, poem, piece of art, piece of music, moment in time, etc.).

This meeting will be a black sacred space. Please contact me (Shannon Lang, shalizhilang@gmail.com) for the link if you are interested in joining us.

BLUU Update and Invitation: November 20, 2020UCE UCE2020-11-19T18:50:14+00:00