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
Donate to Evanston’s Reparations Fund: October 8, 2021
At last Sunday’s Interfaith Reparations workshop we learned about an exciting opportunity to support Evanston’s Reparations program. A group of UCE members has pledged up to $11,000 to match any contributions made to the Evanston Community Foundation’s Reparations Fund. Contributions to the fund will be doubled.
Donations are tax-deductible and will be used to “directly benefit Evanston’s Black community and to heal racism and address harm caused by discriminatory practices.” Plans are underway for funds to be used to improve health care, pay for education, and help expand housing and business opportunities for Evanston’s black community. To find out more, you can visit the group’s website at Evanstonforever.org.
Donations should be made in the next four weeks. To donate by mail, write a check to ‘Evanston Reparations Community Fund’ at 1560 Sherman Ave, Suite 535, Evanston IL 60201. You can also donate on-line by visiting the online donation page. In both cases make sure to write “Interfaith Reparations Workshop” on the memo line of your check or in the space reserved for ‘Tribute Information’ on the on-line form, that way the Community Foundation will know your contribution qualifies for matching funds.
You’re also welcome to give directly to the housing fund established by the City of Evanston and supported primarily by cannabis taxes. You can donate to the housing fund here. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet been able to work out a way with the City of Evanston to double donations made to this site.
Either of these funds provide a great way for us to live our values, show our support for the city of Evanston’s Reparations efforts, and atone for the discrimination suffered by the city’s black community. We hope you’ll consider making a donation today.
Many thanks to those who’ve contributed to the matching fund. This announcement is not for you. We’ll ask you to fulfill your pledge in a few weeks, after we know how much money has been collected from the rest of the congregation.
Also at last week’s Reparations workshop, we heard inspiring words from former Ald. Robin Rue Simmons, the driving force behind Evanston’s program. She urged people of faith to actively support the work that’s begun in Evanston, healing rifts in our congregations and working for better housing and more city services for all. She also urged support for the national Reparations bill, HR-40. The workshop closed with time for participants to offer suggestions on how we all can stay involved. Be looking for information on next steps in upcoming issues of the newsletter.
Reparations Workshop Update: October 1, 2021
The final session of our workshop on Faith, Justice and Reparations in Evanston will be held this Sunday afternoon from 4 to 5:30 pm. The three-part series is being held completely on-line. Register today to attend.
This week, we’ll be hearing from former Ald. Robin Rue Simmons, who spear-headed the Reparations movement in Evanston. We’ll also be hearing about an exciting opportunity for us to support this important racial justice initiative.
Our second session last week, which focused on the history of race relations in Evanston, was very well-received. We heard from a panel of local religious leaders, as well as from Dino Robinson of the Shorefront Legacy Center.
Are you familiar with the Dodge Ave YMCA? The Community Hospital? The crusading 5th Ward Alderman who integrated the public school teaching staff and began the fight for equal housing in Evanston. Tune in to the recording of last week’s session to find out more.
Over the summer, several members of the Racial Equity (REAL) and Peace and Justice teams have been working to develop this faith-based workshop series on Reparations. We have begun to explore what “reparations” means, how Evanston’s history of exclusion and discrimination calls for repair, what is happening with the city’s current Reparations programs — and to consider how we, as people of faith, are called to act at this significant moment in history.
To find out more and to access links to articles and videos on Reparations, Evanston history and faith statements on slavery and racial justice, visit the workshop website here.
This program is a joint effort by UCE, Lake Street Church, Northminster Presbyterian Church, Saint Luke Episcopal Church, and Sherman United Methodist Church. It is endorsed by Interfaith Action Evanston and funded by the UCE Endowment Fund.