Racial Equity Action Leadership (REAL) Team
“Beloved community is formed not by the eradication of difference but by its affirmation, by each of us claiming the identies and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the world.” – bell hooks
The REAL Team members support and engage in anti-racist and anti-oppression work. All UCE folks are welcome to join us at the REAL Team monthly meetings to share ideas and collaborate on education and action programming. REAL Team meetings are 7 – 8:30 pm on the fourth Tuesday of the month except during holiday months. See the newsletter for more details. Your voice is needed!
The REAL Planning Group is small and meets monthly or more often and we encourage you to contact us if you have questions or an initiative to propose : Becky Crawford, Alison Issen and Cheryl Mounts. Contact REAL via any of its Planning Group members at email addresses in REALM.
Click on the button below for ideas on how to fight racism.
Contact REAL at ucerealteam@gmail.com or contact any of its Planning Group members listed above.
What has been your experience of oppression and equity at UCE? The Anti-Oppression Task Force would like to know. We have worked with the YWCA Equity Institute to create a survey. We hope that the survey results can be used to help make UCE a place of radical welcome. Click here to participate in this 20 min survey. Members of the Anti-Oppression Task Force will be available during kinship hour to answer questions and provide paper copies of the survey for those who prefer the paper and pen format. Feel free to send a message to uceantioppressionsurvey@gmail.com with questions or if you would like a paper survey mailed to you. If you have already completed the survey, stop by the table Sunday to get an “I Completed the Equity Survey!” sticker to wear.
Bettina Love explains what a co-conspirator is in this video. We think it better describes what we are trying to be than the term “allies.”
Our congregation is reading Widening the Circle…
Our Unitarian Universalist Association, through the Commission on Institutional Change has issued a powerful report which names the way white supremacy culture lives within our systems, just as it does throughout our larger society. The good news is that it also provides tools for dismantling systemic racism within, among, and beyond us. We can use these tools to build a more loving, anti-racist, anti-oppressive world. We can use these resources to practice building the Beloved Community. You may choose to buy a copy of the Widening the Circle book ($16) here.
Actions with REAL
Join the REAL Team History Group for continuing discussions about the Netflix series “AMEND: The Fight for America.” Meetings starts at 8:00pm. Contact Dana Deanne for more information.
- January 26: We will discuss Episode 3, WAIT: Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement.
- February 2: We will discuss Episode 6, PROMISE: Immigration to the United States, hope, xenophobia and systemic discrimination faced
Black Lives Matter signs and buttons are available – text Martha Holman (number in the directory and Realm). Signs are $10 each and come with a stand. Buttons are $1 each.
Important Links:
REAL Lending Library Annotated Book List
The UCE Racial Equity Action and Leadership (REAL) team has often been asked to give suggestions for books to read to further our understanding of race in America. Many books about race in America, both fiction and non-fiction, are published every day. The UCE REAL Lending Library volunteers try to continually update our collection of current and time-honored books that have been recommended by members of our congregation, but as you can imagine, it is not feasible to have all books on oppression and racism available in our library. If we don’t have a particular book, we may be able to provide information about other that may interest you and that may be available at local libraries.
The attached annotated listing is an almost up-to-date compilation of some wonderful books you might explore. Some are on the UCE Racial Justice book cart (at the back of the sanctuary) and are noted as such. The listing categorizes books by author, title, genre, date of publication, and numbers of pages. It also provides a short description to further help you choose what to read.
Because so many in our congregation are voracious readers and participate in book clubs, the Lending Library volunteers ask that you send us your recommendations for books that can be annotated and placed on our book list. If you would send us the title, author, and date of publication, we will complete the remainder of the annotation.
You may contact Joan Retzloff, Jackie Seaman, or Cheryl Mounts through Realm or via admin@ucevanston.org.
Thanks to Sarah Vanderwicken, Joan Retzloff, Jackie Seaman and Carolyn Laughlin for putting together this resource. Thanks in advance to future volunteers who will help keep the listing and the cart up-to-date.
News & Updates from the REAL Team
Beloved Conversations Spring Registration Open: Feb 2021
Beloved Conversations Virtual Spring Registration Opens February 1-26th!
Beloved Conversations—a faith formation anti-racism program through our Unitarian Universalist seminary in Chicago, Meadville Lombard Theological School—went virtual last fall and over 1,200 learners joined the first ‘Within’ phase, including 23 participants from UCE! We would love to have you join us for spring! This program is an experience of connection and spiritual development that you don’t want to miss.
The Spring Term registration opens February 1st and closes on February 26th. The Spring Term begins March 16th, with lessons published every two weeks, as well as biweekly small group check-ins and monthly large group worship and discussion. In the program’s current phase, ‘Within,’ we engage with a personal exploration of race and our work for racial justice. With two caucuses, our white participants are invited into the Un/learning for Liberation course and our BIPOC+ participants are invited into the Gathering Ourselves course. In Beloved Conversations, we are here to heal the impact of racism on our lives. Let’s get free together. Learn more at meadville.edu/beloved
Scholarships are available. Please click here to apply.
Update on the Anti-Oppression Efforts: November 6, 2020
UCE’s call to dismantle white supremacy, be inclusive, be antiracists, and be accountable continues and we need your assistance!
First, if you have ideas about the process that should be used to organize the Anti-Oppression Task Force, including how to determine membership and mission, please contact one of the following people by November 15, 2020:
- Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org or Rev. Karen at kgustafson@ucevanston.org
- Jessica Tomell-Presto, President of the Board of Trustees at BOT@ucevanston.org
- Any member of the REAL Planning Group.
Second, as mentioned in the October 2nd newsletter, representatives from the Board of Trustees, the ministerial team, and REAL are working to find an outside consultant to partner with UCE as we form our Anti-Oppression Task Force. Below is the list of organizations that we are reviewing. If you know of any other organization that you would recommend regarding a racial equity audit or anti-racism consulting, please send that information to Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org by November 15, 2020.
Organizations being reviewed:
- Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Ministries at First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
- Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism
- Crossroads of Chicago
- Evanston/Northshore YWCA
- Transforming Hearts Collective
Our first conversation will be with Julica Hermann de la Fuente with the Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Ministries at First Universalist Church of Minneapolis on November 24, 2020 at 7:30 pm. Please contact Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org by November 15, 2020, for the Zoom link.