Dear Friends,

Have you heard of the 8th Principle? It is a proposed new Principle that is a call to action and accountability to dismantle racism and other oppressions. 

The following language for an 8th Principle was proposed at the 2017 General Assembly with an invitation for congregations to discuss it, adopt it, and act to live it: 

     “We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:

     Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and in our institutions.”

Why are we talking about a new principle that directly addresses the need to dismantle racism and other oppressions? Because “until we are all free, we are none of us free.” These words written by Emma Lazarus, an activist for Jewish causes in the 19th century, have been echoed by Maya Angelou and Janelle Monae, Black women of the 20th and 21st centuries. While these words have been written and spoken by women from marginalized communities, the reality is that as a white person, these words are true for me as well. As a white person, I am intimately aware that until Black, Indigenous, and People of Color have equality in housing, education, and job opportunities, have security from police and law enforcement, have the respect of government officials, have all the privileges that I enjoy as a white person, that I too am trapped in a society of collusion and fear. 

The call to dismantle racism and other oppressions is not new. And that is one of the problems. As a predominately white congregation and religious movement, we have been able to be comfortable with slow progress. We have been able to be comfortable with the heady promises that our 7 Principles give us and the world. Unlike our current 7 Principles, the 8th Principle is an explicit call to action. While we draw upon the other Principles in our activism, they have not been sufficient to dismantle white supremacy culture within our congregations, our UU movement, or our society.  

It is again time to renew our commitment to action, knowing that action takes many forms. I know that UCE is engaged in anti-racism and anti-oppression work, from having a Black Lives Matter sign along Ridge Avenue to the active Racial Equity Action Leadership Team to the Board holding monthly discussion groups based on the Commission of Institutional Change’s Widening the Circle of Concern report to the Social Justice Council just this year revising its process for choosing the plate share program recipients to account for their impact on dismantling white supremacy and addressing racism. And yet, there is more to do. 

In adopting the 8th Principle, we, as individual members of UCE, are agreeing to review our interactions with each other, our policies for staff and rental agreements, our budget, and our ongoing social action efforts through the lens of “working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.” While it is vital that we continue our work beyond the walls of UCE by supporting Black led organizations and Black owned businesses and advocating for legal and institutional reforms, it is also important that we do more work internally. 

Here are a few ways we engage in action and practice accountability for our actions, internally within ourselves and within UCE: 

  • Actively understanding our implicit biases 
  • Pausing to think before we speak or post; words matter 
  • Choosing where we and our congregation spend money 
  • Reviewing and revising policies and processes within our congregation so that we are able to hold each other accountable and in continued relationship as we dismantle white supremacy culture 
  • Calling each other back into covenant when the impact of something is harmful, regardless of intent, so we may apologize, make amends, and do better in the future 

When we are actively engaged in anti-oppression and anti-racism work, there will be disagreements, disappointments, and hard conversations. We are a congregation made up of individuals with numerous ideas about how to proceed in this work – not all white congregants or all black congregants or all people of color congregants will agree with each other. We are a group of diverse individuals trying to proceed in community. So, at times, we will have to apologize and make amends to our fellow congregants. At times, we will have to pace ourselves and dive deeper in order to remain in relationship and hold each other accountable for what we say and do. It will be hard, and we can do this! In fact, we are well equipped to do this hard, often messy work. In 2011, we adopted our Covenant of Engagement. We also have a Congregational Relations Team,  which is made up of UCE members who have training and experience in communication skills and conflict resolution and are available to help promote healthy relationships within the UCE community, including dealing constructively with conflict.

At General Assembly 2020, an Article II Study Commission was established to review and make recommendations regarding revisions to our 7 Principles. Part of this review will engage with the 8th Principle. As more and more UU churches adopt the 8th Principle at our annual meetings, we provide a grass–roots swell of approval for including the 8th Principle in the Commission’s recommendations. I have heard from so many of you about the pride you take in UCE being at the forefront of social justice issues. This is another step – incorporating a call for action and accountability into the fabric of UCE’s policies and processes.  

Watch the newsletter under Team 8th for information regarding learning about, discussing, adopting, and living into 8th Principle. If you have questions about the 8th Principle or want to be involved in Team 8th, please contact me at sfrances@ucevanston.org.  

Yours in working toward a diverse multicultural Beloved Community,
Rev. Susan