Why single out racism? 

Organizers of the 8th Principle movement address that here.

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What is our process at First Unitarian?  When and how will a decision be made about adopting the 8th principle (or not)?

At the Mid-Year Congregational Meeting on Jan. 8, small groups discussed the 8th Principle, both in person and on Zoom, followed by a straw poll of those in attendance. The Beloved Community Team  was organized to continue our congregation’s engagement with the 8th principle and building beloved community at First Unitarian. At its first meeting in early February, the team reflected on feedback from the congregation, and decided to place priority on taking actions that will further the dream of building a justice-seeking church community, diverse in backgrounds and identities, grounded in love and mutual respect. There is no set timeline for taking a congregational vote to adopt the 8th Principle.

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Haven’t we been talking about this for a while? How did we get started?
Yes, we have. While serving on the Board, member Sarah Copeland, a young adult leader (and mother of multiracial children) brought the 8th Principle project to the Board of Trustee’s attention in Fall 2020, and the Board agreed it was important for our church to engage with it.

Our Sister Church Team supported this effort by bringing Paula Cole Jones, one of the creators of the 8th principle movement, to Nebraska (virtually) in August 2021 for a special worship service and a workshop, held jointly with other UU churches in Omaha and Lincoln. And 8th Principle Moments were shared occasionally during worship services that year.

In 2022, Mary Kay Peters and Della Bynum facilitated a discussion group on Widening the Circle of Concern, a report of the UU Commission On Institutional Change addressing racism and building Beloved Community in UUism at large. 
 

I think this is really important. How can I support our congregation’s efforts?
Actively participate in upcoming events sponsored by the Beloved Community Team.
You can also join the 8th Principle UU Learning Community on Facebook, a national group of UUs working with their congregations. Contact the Beloved Community Team at belovedcommunity@firstuuomaha.org with any questions or concerns and to share your ideas about building beloved community here at First Unitarian and in the larger world.


I want that recap of Rev. Shari’s 8th Principle sermon.
Here you go:  The 8th Principle is inviting us onto a journey that is ultimately about love. Building the Beloved Community is the work that Love is calling us to do, not just Out There in the community, but In Here, inside our own church.
 
Rev. Shari’s top 5 reasons to go on this journey:

#1 - This church can be a beacon of liberal religious values and community for ALL who need it in our region.  (We don’t want to leave people out due to our lack of multicultural skill. But we probably have been. Good intentions are not enough.)

#2 – For our young people. Our children and youth (and for that matter, young adults) are more diverse than the older folks in our congregation, and they move in more diverse circles in the rest of their lives. Their spiritual community should be on the forefront – not the tail end – of the transformative work of building Beloved Community.

#3 – Joy and the expansion of our horizons.  There’s more joy available to all of us when we experience more of the rich variety of human cultures. We get a glimpse of this in UUism’s theological pluralism, and in the inspiration diverse music provides. So much more is possible!  (Respectfully, of course.)

#4 – Spiritual growth. Our mission is to “foster the whole person, compassion and justice.” Part of the journey toward spiritual wholeness is healing places of division or closed-off-ness or hurt within ourselves – places that almost every American has inside due to the legacy of our country – so that we can become more integrated, more open and free.

#5 – Numerical growth. When more people can experience belonging more fully in our congregation, including our own young people as well as new folks of all ages… when those who participate here now experience the joy of expanded horizons and genuine spiritual growth – this church can not only serve more deeply, but also serve more people.
 

Five perils Rev. Shari identified – things that might hold us back from participating in the journey of the 8th principle – and some antidotes:

#1 – The bad person fear: that I’ll say or do something wrong or be misunderstood, and end up feeling like (or being labeled as) a bad person.  (Antidotes: Remember your own inherent worth and dignity – no one is bad; use your curiosity and humility, learn, and “when you know better, you’ll do better”; remember we don’t have to be perfect and release your own perfectionism; remember there’s no cancel culture here – instead, we work to actively live into our ideals and our Right Relations Covenant.)

#2 – Fear among people of color of being under the spotlight when a predominantly white congregation undertakes anti-racism work. (Antidotes: Draw upon sensitive pastoral support as needed; we can create a caucus group for Nebraska UUs of color to be in your own space together, and there are national networks too; white folks can be mindful not to seek affirmation from people of color in the church, and to recognize the individuality of each person, and to not expect people of color to take on a teaching role; people of color can name any concerns as they arise, set boundaries and draw upon our Right Relations Covenant and committee.)

#3 – Change is hard for humans, in general, and the journey of the 8th Principle involves change. (Antidotes: Use your personal spiritual practices for strength and stamina; and support each other as a community in coping with change, honoring the efforts of everyone who participates in this journey in good faith.)

#4 – Not knowing what to do. (Antidotes: Learn from others. Learn from our own experience. Recall Dr. King’s sage words:  “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” We will gain confidence as we act.)

#5 – Feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the work of dismantling racism.  (Antidotes: Focus on our circle of influence right here, in our own church. Remember that Building A New Way is what UUs have always done. We can too, one step at a time.)
 
We will stumble sometimes, make mistakes, have to grapple with our own insecurities. But the greatest peril truly is inaction. We have so much more to gain than we do to lose. Now is our time to continue the journey toward wholeness.

 
I missed Paula Cole Jones’ work with our congregation last fall. Please catch me up.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get a good recording of Ms. Jones’ appearance in our pulpit. Here’s one highlight from the workshop:

Four shifts Ms. Jones envisions in UUism:  from 7 to 8 UU principles; from dominant culture to multicultural paradigm; from family metaphor to community of communities; from conflict avoidance to reconciliation as a leadership competency

Ms. Jones also addressed the following *questions:
 
*Is the UUA spearheading this 8th Principle work?
No. It’s misinformation that this is being forced down from the top. The 8th principle movement has grown out of years of local organizing. It has been grassroots from the very beginning. The UUA board initiated the contact and they declined to put the focus at the national level initially – so Ms. Jones and others have continued with grassroots organizing, congregation to congregation.
 
*But I thought there was a national component to this too?
Yes, the 8th principle has always been on 2 tracks. We have congregational polity; congregations can and have been adopting it. We have a national process too. Local adoption is most important, because that’s how most people encounter UUism. If the church adopts it and lives into it, that is where the most impact will be. Even if it were passed nationally, if it were never applied at the local level, it would not have the impact. Grassroots organizing is where it’s at.

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So what is happening at the national level now?
In our non-creedal, “living tradition,” every 15 years we are to review Article II of the UUA bylaws, where the 7 principles are housed (also the sources, purposes, and inclusion statement).  In 2017, organizers introduced the 8th principle nationally through a responsive resolution. They asked for an Article II study commission to be formed to consider the 8th principle. It was formed in June 2020. Ms. Jones is on it. That group waited for the Commission on Institutional Change to finish its work before proceeding.

The Article II Commission has completed its two year study and has presented its proposal to the UUA Board. You can follow this link to a copy of its report. In June 2023, General Assembly will vote on proposed changes to Article II. A simple majority vote will move the process forward, but a second 2/3 majority vote in June, 2024 is required to adopt any changes to Article II. So, nothing will change nationally for several years. And again, any national changes will lack meaning if local congregations do not embrace the work that the 8th principle invites us to do.
 

I heard the 7 principles might become obsolete soon – doesn’t that make the 8th principle irrelevant?
Regardless of what happens at the national level, the most important work still happens at the local level. No effort toward building a diverse multicultural Beloved Community will be wasted. The organizers of the 8th Principle movement, including Ms. Jones (who serves on the Article II Study Commission) continue to encourage congregations to adopt the 8th principle locally.
 

Why is working on Internal changes at the local and national levels important? Won’t working internally take us away from the important work of making changes in our larger society?
A Lao-tse quote says, “If there is to be peace in the world… there must be peace in the home… there must be peace in the heart.”So, if there is to be Beloved Community and social justice in the world there must be Beloved Community and social justice in the church home and heart.

Religious organizations are no different than other social institutions like schools, businesses, criminal justice, and government that have structures, policies, practices, and norms reflecting the dominant white superiority culture embedded in the United States since its founding.Many people of color and others marginalized by this culture, simply do not feel welcomed or represented in any of these institutions.As UUs work at local and national levels to develop a more inclusive culture, we will not ignore our efforts in the larger community.We will be “practicing what we preach” and learn new tools and valuable insights that we can all apply to any other institutions we are involved with.
 

Can we change the wording?
That would be counter-productive. The current wording was written by African American leaders in the UUA and endorsed by Black Lives of UU (BLUU) and DRUMM (Diverse Revolutionary UU Ministries).  While it is phrased differently from the more vision-focused language of the other 7 principles, it was specifically worded to express the need for accountable action because the implicit language of dignity, respect, equity and inclusion in the current seven principles has not resulted in sustained and significant change towards anti-racism in the UUA or its congregations.  In fact, since the late 1960’s, the UUA has made many commitments to change without following through. 

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Also, in our journey of understanding white supremacy culture (which includes an emphasis on the perfectibility of the written word) it best to release any desire to tinker with the 8th Principle’s wording, and simply accept what UUs of color have said is needed, and the way it is being said.

Why are the words “white supremacy culture” sometimes used in talking about the anti-racism work that UUs need to do?  We obviously aren’t neo-Nazi’s, so what do those words mean?
The phrase “white supremacy culture” is sometimes used because we need to understand that moving towards Beloved Community will not be accomplished only by making changes in our personal attitudes and behaviors towards one another.“White supremacy culture” refers to the structures, laws, etiquette, language, media, art, and norms of our society that are privileging white people and marginalizing others – despite the beliefs/actions of individual people who behave in equitable and inclusive ways.

For those of us who identify as white, it can be easy to ignore or deny this systemic level of racism because we are immersed in it, benefit from it, and may accept the cultural belief that everyone else can too. We tend to be isolated from the harmful effects of “white supremacy culture” that are experienced daily by those whose race, gender, sexual identity, religion/spirituality, ethnicity, ability, age, or other marginalized identity do not fit the “norm” in this country. The COVID-19 crisis and blatant cases of police violence towards Black people have revealed to many white people what people with marginalized identities have known for generations: the massive inequalities between privileged and marginalized people embedded in our health care, education, employment, and justice systems. Calls for systemic change led by marginalized people are becoming louder and more supported by people of all races. Only by uncovering, acknowledging, and changing this dominant culture of white supremacy and its harmful impacts can we hope to build a congregation and society of equity and justice.
 
If the 8th Principle is passed, how will this impact our congregation – will we lose members?
We are all at different places on our personal journeys of learning about racism in our society. With respectful and honest discussion, without shame or blame of anyone, all members can continue to learn and grow and find a home in our church. It is possible that some members who disagree may choose to leave. However, UU congregations have historically gained members, rather than lost them, when we have taken strong stands on justice issues.
 
 
 
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Thank you to the 8th Principle Task Force at the UU Congregation of Worcester, Mass., from whom several FAQ items were adapted. Additional items come directly from www.8thprincipleuu.org and Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism. And some items are specific to our congregation.

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Click here for a flyer about our April 2023 event (offsite). 

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