The Task Force for Dismantling White Supremacy formed in early 2020 in response to the Board of Trustees' discussions around the proposed adoption of the 8th Principle. The goals of our group are to identify biases within ourselves and each other to dismantle those thoughts and behaviors; hence, dismantling white supremacy. We have only begun our work and understand that this will be an on-going journey. 

VIDEO EXPLORATION OF WORDS
These conversations are spontaneous and unedited. We aren’t striving to have the last word (or even the best word). We’re not trying to teach, we’re trying to listen, attend to what surfaces, and hopefully, to spark thought and conversation among others. 

VIDEO #1 "White" - Listen as we consider the word “white” click HERE. 
VIDEO #2 "Comfort" - Listen as we consider the word "comfort" click HERE. For the transcript, click HERE.
The remaining videos that lived here before no longer exist.

CONGREGATIONAL SURVEY 2021
Executive Summary of Survey Work
In an effort to ascertain the level of knowledge and commitment of our staff and members regarding the imperative of dismantling white supremacy, survey work was undertaken in January and February 2021. The initial audit of staff and lay leaders helped to establish a baseline for where we currently stand with regard to meeting the imperative and made clear the significant level of support for continued work in dismantling white supremacy. The congregational survey shows significant awareness of the presence of white supremacy culture and motivation to undertake the work of dismantling it personally and collectively, both within and beyond our church community.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
We are asking those who are interested in taking action to consider a couple of things. 

1. Check out the 12-Day Racial Equity Challenge. By using a variety of resources and reflection journaling, this site guides people to create a habit of being more racially aware and to dismantle their white supremacy thinking patterns. 

2. Help us to identify all the ways that individuals and the church have worked towards being an ally or accomplice in racial understanding and dismantling white supremacy. We want to know what you've been doing and what the church has done over the course of our history. To submit your contributions to this history project, email Christine Davis.
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BLACK LIVES MATTER BANNER
After many years of debate, the Board of Trustees and Program Council purchased and installed a Black Lives Matter banner in 2020 to make our support for Black Lives Matter visible on the A Street Corridor. 

THE 8TH PRINCIPLE 
In 2017, the General Assembly called the UUA Board to appoint a commission study for potentially adding an 8th Principle to our current 7 Principles. 

That 8th Principle says:
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 our institutions.  
(https://www.8thprincipleuu.org)

The 2017 General Assembly felt that issues of racism and other oppressions are significant enough to call these out specifically.  The 8th Principle is more than an aspiration of being kind, inclusive, and loving to all people. It is a call to action that impacts our spirituality and community in ways that Principles 1 – 7 do not. A conversation on the 8th Principle will be scheduled soon.

BELOVED CONVERSATIONS
Beloved Conversations is a program for Unitarian Universalists seeking to embody racial justice as a spiritual practice. In Beloved Conversations, we are here to heal the impact of racism on our lives, in order to get free together. The Task Force for Dismantling White Supremacy hosted this workshop entitled "Time to Show Up" as a part of our Virtual Retreat September 2020. The workshop inspired many people, and we had forty plus individuals participate in Beloved Conversations Fall 2020 "WITHIN". In addition, we had another twenty individuals participate in "WITHIN" in Spring 2021, and we have twenty individuals signed up to participate in "AMONG" from Fall 2021 into Spring 2022.

This three-phase workshop is designed to guide UU congregations through learning that is personal ("Within"), congregational ("Among") and community-focused ("Beyond"), all work that catalyzes dismantling white supremacy.

CLICK HERE to watch the AMONG service entitled "Getting Our House in Order" from January 15, 2022.

Below is the slideshow of "Why I Joined" from members of the AMONG team. You can pause the screen by hovering over the slideshow and selecting the PAUSE button in the upper left-hand corner.​

WIDENING THE CIRCLE
Widening the Circle of Concern: Report of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change represents the culmination of the Commission’s work analyzing structural and systemic racism and white supremacy culture within Unitarian Universalism and makes recommendations to advance long-term cultural and institutional change that redeems the essential promise and ideals of Unitarian Universalism.

The UUA is embarking on the next phase of this journey and has formed a working group to guide the implementation of the Report. We invite you to work together with us and imagine creative ways your congregation can take up these important practices for culture change.

As the Commissioners noted, everything that has come to pass during this pandemic has only reinforced how urgently we are in need of transformation:

This crisis has revealed the disparities that exist at all levels for the well-being for Black people, Indigenous people, and other people of color as well as for LGBTQ individuals, people living with limited economic means, and people living with disabilities. Addressing them within our faith becomes more important, not less.

-- Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association