Anti-Racism
Wildflower Church opposes racism in all its forms – systemic, cultural, and interpersonal. We acknowledge the presence of systemic racism and white supremacy in the origins of the United States and the continuing presence of both throughout this country. We acknowledge that this legacy shows up in the life of our congregation and denomination. We acknowledge the unequal burden and emotional labor for People of the Global Majority as we navigate our anti-racist journey together.
We also acknowledge the difficulty of this work and understand that we will make mistakes along the way. We aspire towards racial equity with humility and openness to growth that may sometimes cause deep discomfort. Our goal is to use this discomfort to spur our learning at a deep emotional level and to guide us toward building a Beloved Community where all are truly welcomed.
We invite and welcome all who seek to grow spiritually together, spreading love, justice, and joy. We continue to do the messy, important work to make changes to our bylaws, policies, processes, and practices. We are working toward dismantling oppressive structures and hierarchies, holding each other accountable and decentering whiteness to become a more anti-racist and multicultural church community.
In December, 2021, we adopted the 8th principle in order to more fully live into our anti-racist values:
“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.”
Additional Links and Information
Congregational
Context/History
- Board Acknowledgement of Harm, Apology, and Commitments (October 11, 2020)
- Settler/Colonialism Teach-in (October 11, 2020)
- Open Letter Denouncing Gadfly Papers
Educational Resources
Eighth Principle Resources
- Paula Cole Jones speaks about the 8th Principle (10-minute video)
- Navigating White Fragility (UU College of Social Justice)
- Our Anti-Racism Work: Creating Accountability in our UU world (one-hour video from The VUU)
- What is the 8th principle? A Message for All Ages (2-minute video from SFUU)
Unitarian Universalist Denominational
Educational Resources
- Diverse Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM)
- Black Lives UU (BLUU)
- UU Allies for Racial Equity
- The Eighth Principle
Context/History
- UUA Racial Justice Statements: The Unitarian Universalist Association of congregations meets annually for a democratic business meeting called the General Assembly. At these meetings, the following racial justice statements were passed by the delegates of the General Assembly:
Undoing Systemic White Supremacy: A Call to Prophetic Action
UUA General Assembly 2021 Statement of Conscience
Amen to Uprising: A Commitment and Call to Action
UUA General Assembly 2020 Action of Immediate Witness
Address 400 Years of White Supremacist Colonialism
UUA General Assembly 2020 Action of Immediate Witness
Protect the Rights of Immigrants and Asylum Seekers
UUA General Assembly 2019 Action of Immediate Witness
End Family Separation and Detention of Asylum Seekers and Abolish ICE
UUA General Assembly 2018 Action of Immediate Witness
We Are All Related: Solidarity NOW with Indigenous Water Protectors
UUA General Assembly 2018 Action of Immediate Witness
Reaffirmation of Commitment to Racial Justice
UUA General Assembly 2016 Responsive Resolution
Support the Black Lives Matter Movement
UUA General Assembly 2015 Action of Immediate Witness
Deepen Our Commitment to an Anti-Oppressive, Multicultural Unitarian Universalist Association
UUA General Assembly 2013 Responsive Resolution
The Doctrine of Discovery
UUA General Assembly 2012 Responsive Resolution
More social justice statements can be found here
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- The Commission on Institutional Change Resource Center
At the New Orleans General Assembly in 2017, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Commission on Institutional Change was established and charged by the UUA Board of Trustees to conduct an audit of white privilege and the structure of power within Unitarian Universalism, and analyze structural racism and white supremacy culture within the UUA. The Commission was in place for three years through the Virtual General Assembly in June of 2020. The Commission has curated discussion guides, videos, and presentations for congregations, fellowships, covenant circles, and other forms of community to engage in the work of institutional change. These resources are substantial materials to support the final work of the Commission, Widening the Circle of Concern: Report of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change, presented to the Board of Trustees and General Assembly in June 2020. - Discussion of the Gadfly Controversy
- UUMA People of Color and Indigenous Chapter, Regarding The Gadfly Papers
- The Commission on Institutional Change Resource Center
National/Societal