Sunday, September 24, 7:00 p.m., offsite.

From the seaport city of Odessa, Ukraine, Kommuna Lux will be performing at St. John’s Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday, September 24 at 7 PM.

Kommuna Lux performs thrilling Klezmer music and Ukrainian folk songs, powered by rocket fuel. All seven musicians are sons of Odessa, the Pearl of the Black Sea.

Since the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine, Kommuna Lux have been collecting donations at all their concerts to support humanitarian causes back home.

Come enjoy great music for a great cause! Slava Ukraini!

Location: St. John’s Unitarian Universalist Church, 320 Resor Avenue, Cincinnati

Time: 7 PM; doors open at 6:30 PM.

Free-will donation at the door; suggested $20.

2023.

Introduction

by Rebecca A. Pace

After discussing the UUA’s approach to anti-racism with a group of General Assembly delegates, I recalled some research by Ken Christensen on Asset-Based anti-racism. Anne Schneider was familiar with his work and wrote the following article discussing and contrasting the two approaches, as well as other approaches. As she did her work, she occasionally consulted with me and other members of the editors group. I’m delighted to have had a small part in the development of this enlightening article.

If you step out into the wider UU world and express concern about where the UUA leadership is taking us, you’re very likely to be called racist. If UUs actually affirm and promote our first Principle, “The inherent worth and dignity of every person,” then opposition to oppression, in all its forms, wherever it is found is inextricably part of UU life. But the UUA leadership seems to be focused on a single approach to anti-racism that makes some of us very uncomfortable. Multi-cultural, “dignity” based approaches are dismissed. But this approach, called asset-based anti-racism in academia, has worked in MLK’s anti-racist work and William Barbers’ poor people’s campaign. Research has shown that the shame and blame, guilt-based strategies that the UUA asks us to accept are ineffective and actually can make the problem worse. Anne Schneider introduces us to the research in this article.

Alternatives to “Guilt-Based” Anti-Racism

by Anne Schneider, Ph.D.

Some Unitarian Universalists, especially those active in the Save the 7 Principles movement and the Fifth Principle Project, have been called “racist” because of their opposition to the current anti-racist strategy (Anti-racism, Anti-oppression, Multiculturalism, or ARAOMC) being promulgated by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). That accusation of racism is false. We are adamantly opposed to oppression in all its forms, wherever it is found. What we oppose are the guilt-based, shame and blame strategies being promoted by the UUA because these are antithetical to UU values and because research shows these generally do not have any lasting effects on racist attitudes or behavior. This article describes alternatives that are consistent with UU values and are based on principles that research has shown can bring about positive change.

Social and behavioral researchers have been studying anti-racist strategies for decades and the overwhelming conclusion is that “nothing works.” (Note 1) These same studies, however, have numerous suggestions about what is wrong with most of the anti-racist strategies and what works better. (Note 2) Several of these strategies are described in this essay: collective pride vs. collective guilt, asset-based anti-racism, amity-based anti-racism, affirmative anti-racism, and cognitive or habit-based anti-racism. These can be mixed and matched using ideas from each, as all are positive-based anti-racist strategies; all are consistent with UU values, and are based on principles that social and behavioral research have found to be effective in attitude or behavioral change.

Collective Guilt vs Collective Pride

The anti-racist strategy embraced by the Unitarian Universalist Association (anti-racism, anti-oppression, multiculturalism, ARAOMC) has a goal to “dismantle white supremacy culture.” This is primarily a guilt-based approach that asserts the collective guilt of white people. I have learned that the workshops often require white people to confess their racism, take a “privilege” walk, or engage in other forms of self-confession designed to inspire guilt for historical and contemporary racism caused by people of the same skin color. (Note 3)

A recent study comparing collective guilt with collective pride, provides some ideas of why guilt-based programs of this type so often fail. This study concludes that collective pride is more effective than collective guilt, especially among “high identifiers.” (Note 4) In the study, people in the Netherlands were divided into two groups. In one, they were told narratives about how their people (Dutch people) collaborated with Nazis during World War II. In the other group, they were told stories of how their people (Dutch) hid Jews and actively resisted the Nazis. They were then asked the extent to which the story made them feel guilty or proud. The final question was whether they would support the government’s plan to help people who had been victimized by the Dutch actions in WWII. They found that appeals to collective pride were associated with support for government helping the victims especially among “high identifiers” and that the appeal to collective guilt either had no effect or actually (surprisingly) was negatively related to helping attitudes especially among high identifiers.

In a UU context, “high identifiers” would be people with strong ties to Unitarian Universalism, such as people who usually attend services on Sunday. Unitarians also have both positive and negative historical narratives in that UUs historically supported abolition and worked against Jim Crow laws but some also were enslavers. This research, however, suggests that approaches based on “collective pride” might work better for UU audiences than those based on collective guilt. All historical stories, of course, should be honest histories and present both the pride and guilt, but this research suggests placing special emphasis on how UUs have worked against racism throughout history, including even some of those who were slave holders such as President Thomas Jefferson.

Asset-Based Anti-Racism

Asset-Based Anti-Racism is a strategy that emphasizes unity and respect for the inherent dignity of all persons. Its website https://assetbasedantiracism.com/ was developed by UU Dr. Kenneth Christiansen, who has several articles describing it and his experiences with it as a professor. (Note 5)

This strategy draws on ideas from the Unitarian Universalist 7 Principles, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., William Barber’s Poor People’s Campaign, and decades of social, behavioral research. Asset-based strategies are relatively new to anti-racist work but have been found effective in improving opportunities for disadvantaged populations in other fields including education, community development, and public health. (Note 6)

Asset-Based Anti-Racism encourages people of all identities to bring their ideas, courage, energy and outrage about racism to the task of reducing racism within themselves and wherever it might be identified. Asset-based anti-racism allows all people who want to combat racism to see themselves as assets who can contribute to that goal rather than too fragile to help; too guilty to participate; or shunted to the sidelines. It too appeals to collective pride rather than collective guilt.

Amity-Based Anti-Racism

Amity based anti-racism is grounded on the idea of friendships, and that increased contact and friendships across race will make a difference in racist attitudes and behavior. The website https://raceamity.org/ describes the approach:

We move the public discourse on race beyond the blame-grievance-rejection framework to one that recognizes and celebrates our ability to overcome racial prejudice through association, amity and collaborative action.

The Race Amity model website says that there has always been another tradition, not just one of white oppressor and people of color as oppressed. They say it has always been a parallel counterweight. In a sense, amity-based anti-racism is the “collective pride” story of racism rather than the collective guilt story. Friendship is its key ingredient. From the amity anti-racism web site:

The other tradition are those actions that have been based on a moral principle of oneness and unity of humans.

This dynamic can be seen in iconic historical episodes in our nation’s history, where people from vastly different backgrounds came together to achieve what they never could have accomplished separately. These historical examples of interracial and multiracial cooperation, harmony and amity are lessons we can draw on to foster racial amity in contemporary America.

Amity based anti-racism bears some close resemblance to the anti-racist strategy of the Unitarian Universalist Multiracial Unity Action Council (UUMUAC) with its slogan, “black brown and white together” and its advocacy of democratic processes with multi-racial (rather than segregated caucuses) taking action. See its website at this link: https://www.uumuac.org/.

Affirmative Anti-Racism

Affirmative Anti-Racism is a term given to a strategy used by Rev. Ken Brown in anti-racism activities that he created during his time as a regional director for the Unitarian Universalist association. It allows all participants to tell a story about an incident in their life when they did something for social justice, or did something to help someone other than themselves. This is based not so much on collective pride, but on individual affirmations of something they can be proud of having done.

People are asked to recall a time when they did something for social justice, and its date. Then they are asked to line up with the most ancient dates first (or vice versa) and people come forward and have one minute (or two or three, depending on size) to tell their story. A variety of different questions could be used:

When was the first time you did something for social justice, or an act to provide fairness to another person when it had been denied?

When did you first become aware of “race”?

Describe the first time you met someone of a different race.

What I learned about race at the supper table.

What I wish I had been told about race.

The point is that white people and people of color all have a story to tell. All participate equally. This is not “story telling” that becomes a burden for people of color as they are asked to describe how they have been discriminated against. All people in the group are asked the same questions. All participate.

Affirmation is a technique commonly used by speakers in any activity where the speaker is attempting to spark action of some kind. The speaker first commends the group on what a great job they are doing – in raising money, or anti-racist work, or tutoring children, or any other activity in which the group is already involved. Having first affirmed the groups commitment and skills in this area, the speaker then urges them to do more.

Cognitive / Habit-Breaking Anti-Racism

Prejudice and bias begin at a very young age and may become deeply ingrained, just as any habit can become deeply imbedded. (Note 7) Trying to rid oneself of prejudice is not easy, but understanding how prejudice begins, is reinforced, and how it is similar to the development of any belief or habit is helpful. One research study treated bias as if it were a habit and provided participants with five cognitive-based strategies that would be useful. These included learning to recognize stereotypes and how to replace stereotypical thinking; counter-stereotypical imaging; individuation (evaluate people individually, not as members of a group); perspective taking (imagining being in the shoes of the person one holds bias against); and increasing opportunities for contact. The researchers concluded:

In sum, this study presents the first intervention of its kind, one that, using a randomized controlled design, produces a reduction in implicit race bias that endures for at least two months. Our data provide evidence demonstrating the power of the conscious mind to intentionally deploy strategies to overcome implicit bias. As such, these findings raise the hope of solving a problem that has long vexed social scientists – how to reduce race-based discrimination. By empowering people to break the prejudice habit, this study takes an important step toward resolving the paradox of ongoing discrimination in a nation founded on the principle of equality.

Best Practices

Here is a list of the themes that are repeated most often as things that did work, or that counter things that did not work in changing attitudes and behavior:

~ Positive incentives work better to change behavior than negative.

~ Praise for doing something right works better than punishment for doing something wrong.

~ Mobilizing people of all identities in changing their own behavior and environment works better than “outsiders” doing it for (to) them.

~ Increasing contact across racial categories reduces racist attitudes and behavior.

~ Focusing on people as members of the human race works better than focusing on them in identity-based categories.

~ Appeals to collective pride work better than appeals to collective guilt.

~ Research on “habit-breaking” and “cognitive biases” (“decision heuristics” from Kahneman and Tversky are useful for strategies to rid oneself of racial prejudice).

~ Breaking down barriers across racial groups works better than hardening them.

As Unitarian Universalists, we all want to reduce racism and oppression. We want to live up to the 7 Principles: respect the inherent worth and dignity of every person; work for justice and compassion in human relations; and believe there are connections across boundaries that unite us all in a web of interdependence. We need to work toward effective, positive, affirmative approaches that will work.

***

Anne Larason Schneider is a retired political science professor and former Dean of the College of Public Programs at Arizona State University. She is the author of Policy Design for Democracy (U. of Kansas Press); and Deserving and Entitled (State University of New York). She belongs to the Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Chandler, AZ.

She is retired and lives in Phoenix, AZ.

—–

Note 1: “Why Diversity Programs Fail, and What Works Better,” by Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev. Harvard Business Review, 2016. https://hbr.org/2016/07/why-diversity-programs-fail. Also see (See Chapters 6 and 7 of (Dis)Continuing Racism: Essays on Race in America, by Anne L. Schneider, 2021. Available from Amazon.
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Note 2: Roberson, Quinetta. “Diversity in the Workplace: A Review, Synthesis, and Future Research Agenda,” Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 2018. Villanova School of Business, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085, USA; email: Quinetta.Roberson@Villanova.edu , 2019. (An abstract can be found here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3336083.) Also found in Oxford Handbook of Diversity and Work, Chapter 19, Oxford University Press, 2019.
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Note 3: See for example, Thandeka’s account in “Why Anti-Racism Will Fail” https://files.meadville.edu/files/resources/thandeka-why-anti-racism-will-fail-447.pdf or the testimonials on the Save the 7 Principles web site https://savethe7principles.org/ or the Fifth Principle web site https://fifthprincipleproject.org/.
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Note 4: Van Leeuwen, E., van Dijk, W., & Kaynak, Ü. (2013). “Of saints and sinners: How appeals to collective pride and guilt affect outgroup helping,” Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 16(6), 781–796 2013. (An abstract can be found here: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-36886-009.)
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Note 5: Kenneth Christiansen, MTh, DMin, Asset-Based Anti-Racism blog at this link https://assetbasedantiracism.com/about-dr-kenneth-christiansen/
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Note 6: For results of asset-based anti-racism in education, see “An Asset-Based Approach to Education: What It Is and Why It Matters,” Steinhardt, New York University, at https://teachereducation.steinhardt.nyu.edu/an-asset-based-approach-to-education-what-it-is-and-why-it-matters/; For asset-based approaches in community development, see Russell, Cormac, Asset Based Community Development (ABCD): Looking Back to Look Forward, In conversation with John McKnight about the heritage of ABCD and its place in the world today Amazon, 2021 (available from Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Asset-Based-Community-Development-ABCD-conversation/dp/B09NRG2FTR). For results in public health see Cassetti V, Powell K, Barnes A, Sanders T. A systematic scoping review of asset-based approaches to promote health in communities: development of a framework. Glob Health Promot. 2020 Sep;27(3):15-23. doi: 10.1177/1757975919848925. Epub 2019 Jul 18. PMID: 31319777, available online at https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/145181/23/Cassetti_article%20biblio%20revised.pdf.
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Note 7: See Anne Schneider, (Dis)Continuing Racism: Essays on Race in America (available from Amazon) and Devine PG, Forscher PS, Austin AJ, Cox WT. Long-term reduction in implicit race bias: A prejudice habit-breaking intervention. J Exp Soc Psychol. 2012 Nov;48(6):1267-1278. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2012.06.003. PMID: 23524616; PMCID: PMC3603687 (abstract at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23524616/). These ideas are drawn from research on cognitive bias pioneered by social psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow (available from Amazon).
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The Religious News Service (RNS), an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1934, is a source of global news on religion, spirituality, culture and ethics. RNS reporter Kathryn Post wrote three articles on the Unitarian Universalist Association’s 2023 General Assembly, held online and in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You can reach the articles by clicking on the links below.

The first woman to head Unitarian Universalists ends term full of historic turns

Unitarian Universalists elect first woman of color, openly queer president

Unitarian Universalism revisits identity, values at 2023 gathering (discusses differences of opinion regarding the Article II revision and a fossil fuel divestment resolution)

7/1/2023.

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) held its annual General Assembly (GA) on June 21-25, 2023, taking place both in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and online.

The primary focus of this year’s GA was a proposed revision of Article II of the UUA’s bylaws. Article II identifies the purposes of the UUA, lists seven principles and six sources for UUs, contains an inclusion clause, and contains a freedom of belief clause. The proposed revision, developed by an Article II Study Commission and put forth officially by the UUA’s Board of Trustees, revises the purposes, replaces principles with values and covenants, replaces the list of sources with a summary statement on inspirations, revises the inclusion clause, and revises the freedom of belief clause.

The GA approval of the new Article II is a two-year process. At GA 2023, a preliminary vote was taken, and the new Article II passed. In the next six months, the Article II Study Commission will work to incorporate into the wording of the new Article II some amendments that also passed at this GA. The Commission may make some wording changes as it incorporates the amendments into the proposed Article II. At GA in 2024, a final vote will be taken on the new Article II.

A “Side-by-Side” document has been created to help compare the current Article II with the proposed Article II. This is a “working” document only, since it is not known exactly how the Article II Study Commission will incorporate amendments and make wording changes in the proposed Article II. In the Side-by-Side document, the current Article II is on the left, and a version of the proposed Article II, with amendments incorporated, is on the right.

Click on the following link to open the Article II Side-by-Side Working Copy.

If you have any questions, feel free to talk with any of the Heritage UU Church delegates who attended GA. These delegates are Rev. Bill Gupton, Laci Lee Adams, Russ Araujo, Jen Ciolino, Bob Lamb, and Rebecca Pace.

7/1/2023.

By Susan Frederick-Gray

January 18, 2023

Dear friends,

Happy New Year! I am sending you care as we begin another year. This, 2023, is an important year for Unitarian Universalism.

We are currently in a multi-year process to consider changes to our UUA Principles and Purpose. This process formally began in 2020 when the UUA Board appointed an Article II Study Commission. This is a dry name for such important work. The reason is our Principles, Purpose, covenant and Sources are contained in Article II of the UUA Bylaws.

[Read the full article on the UUA website…]

In January 2023, the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Article 2 Study Commission released its complete, proposed revision of Article 2 of the UUA bylaws. Some reviewers of this proposal have created a “side-by-side” comparison of the current and the proposed Article 2.

In the comparison, the current Section C-2.1 is compared side-by-side with the proposed sections that replace it, Sections C-2.2 and C-2.3. In the places where the proposed Article 2 repeats ideas from the “Seven Principles” in the current Article 2, the words are both Italicized and underlined.

The rest of the comparison follows a typical revision approach, using the words of the current Article 2, with inserted words underlined and deleted words having a strikethrough.

Click here to get the Article 2 Side-by-Side Comparison.

1/23/2023.

 

by Barbara L. Barnes

With all the impact of landing on the moon, the final, proposed changes to the UUA’s Article II were submitted to the UUA Board of Trustees on January 18, 2023. As members of a staunchly non-creedal, non-shared-confirmation-of-faith based religion, Unitarian Universalists (UUs) rely on Article II of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) bylaws to fill that role held in other faiths. The majority of the current Article II contains the revered statements of the Seven Principles and Six Sources.

In an attempt to keep the concepts described in Article II as an accurate reflection of current UU beliefs, the Association’s Board of Trustees commissions a periodic review and update to this portion of the Association’s bylaws. The UUA completed the last major revision in 1985. Now, after 2.5 years of extensive study, debate, and feedback, the Article II Study Commission has released its final report to the UUA Board of Trustees and the general UU membership. The report contains the Commission’s proposed final revision of Article II. The highly readable, 26-page report can be obtained at UUA.org/A2Sc-report. This article attempts to distill down what this author feels are the highlights of that report.

The report defines Article II as follows:

Article II of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Bylaws, Principles and Purposes, is the foundation for all of the work of our UUA and its member congregations and covenanted communities. It is the covenant to which all of our congregations and covenanted communities pledge themselves when they become members of our UUA.

The proposed Article II replaces the Seven Principles and Six Sources with six values and associated covenants.

However, before reviewing the proposed changes, a look at the Commission’s membership and charge is in order to understand their backgrounds and motivations. The Commission consisted of six members, plus two Board of Trustees member liaisons, and two administrative liaisons. Of the six Commission members, one was male and five were female, with two of this last group being a college freshman and college sophomore. The remaining membership consisted of a minister, English professor, managerial consultant, and a religious educator.

The Commission quoted its original charge by the Board of Trustees, which stated the goals, scope and approach for the Commission. This charge included:

The Article II Study Commission is hereby charged to review Article II of the UUA Bylaws, and propose any revisions that will enable our UUA, our member congregations, and our covenanted communities to be a relevant and powerful force for spiritual and moral growth, healing, and justice. Proposed changes should articulate core UU theological values. The Board believes that one core theological value, shared widely among UUs, is love….

The new Principles and Purposes should guide us in the transformation of ourselves, our communities and our faith into active networks of collective care, restoration, and justice. The Principles and Purposes you will prepare should be a living document that challenges Unitarian Universalists to place the liberation, in all its dimensions, of all, at the center of our lives….

Our commitment to anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multiculturalism is love in action, and should be centered in any revision of Article II….

Further, the Commission shall de-center habitual practices that reinforce white supremacy culture.

The Commission’s report continued with a listing of the stakeholders (resources to assist in their work), and the General Assembly (GA) 2021 resolution. In that resolution, the 2021 GA delegates directed the Commission as follows:

…(W) e ask the Article II Commission and the Board to ensure proposed changes to Article II include in the Principles a clear and direct statement that accountable systemic anti-racist and anti-oppressive actions to build Beloved Community are part of what it means to be Unitarian Universalist.

In the report’s discussion of the Commission’s approach to its task, it defined the needs of Article II as follows:

The main functions of this article in our bylaws are legal and organizational. It defines who we are in a legal sense, and sets up the parameters of the UUA as an organization. In that first phase of the process, it became clear to us that in addition to these main functions, which are required of any bylaws, there were many other functions that UUs expected it to fulfill. These include:

• • Theological: helps us articulate our shared values and theology
  • Social: serves as a shared cultural touchstone
  • Educational: lists concepts to teach and sources to draw from
  • Personal: serves as a personal code of ethics
  • Evangelical: a way to explain to others who we are and draw their interest
  • Rhetorical: used in public situations to define our beliefs or morality in legal or political contexts.

The report’s approach section discusses the Commission’s opinion that the current Article II lacked commitment, covenants, action statements, and accountability.

The report then presents the current Article II before moving onto their final recommendations for a new Article II. Their recommended Article II consists of five components: Section C-2.1. Purposes, Section C-2.2. Values and Covenant, Section C-2.3. Inspirations. Section C-2.4. Inclusion, and Section C-2.5. Freedom of belief [sic: uncapitalized in the original].

The major section of the proposed Article II is C-2.2. Values and Covenant. However, the Commission chose to intersperse the values and their definitions with their associated covenant statements. Read as written, the values, meanings, and directed actions might appear diluted or confusing. As a result, I’ve chosen to separate the values and their definitions from the related covenants.

Values

• • Interdependence. We honor the interdependent web of all existence.
  • Pluralism. We celebrate that we are all sacred beings diverse in culture, experience, and theology.
  • Justice. We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all thrive.
  • Transformation. We adapt to the changing world.
  • Generosity. We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
  • Equity. We declare that every person has the right to flourish with inherent dignity and worthiness.

Commission Member Rev. Cheryl M. Walker, in the January 20, 2023 Zoom broadcasted portion of the meeting of the UUA Board of Trustees that was open to the public, stressed that these values are bullet points. The value statements should not be prioritized or numbered. She explained that the order could be randomized. She and other members of the Commission shared that they intended the single-word values to serve as touchstones of the faith.

The Commission members, in the meeting cited above, also stressed the need for the following graphic to describe the values as individual yet with each petal stemming from a central source of love.

The report intermeshed the associated covenants, shown below, with the values. The Commission Members stressed in the January 20 meeting and in the report that they felt the covenants added “verbs” or required accountable actions to the values. Below are the covenants stated in the report.

Covenant

• • Interdependence … We covenant to cherish Earth and all beings by creating and nurturing relationships of care and respect. With humility and reverence, we acknowledge our place in the great web of life, and we work to repair harm and damaged relationships.
  • Pluralism … We covenant to learn from one another in our free and responsible search for truth and meaning. We embrace our differences and commonalities with Love, curiosity, and respect.
  • Justice … We covenant to dismantle racism and all forms of systemic oppression. We support the use of inclusive democratic processes to make decisions.
  • Transformation … We covenant to collectively transform and grow spiritually and ethically. Openness to change is fundamental to our Unitarian and Universalist heritages, never complete and never perfect.
  • Generosity … We covenant to freely and compassionately share our faith, presence, and resources. Our generosity connects us to one another in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.
  • Equity … We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain fully accessible and inclusive communities.

Section 2.2. Values and Covenant defines the ramification of these covenants as, “We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love.”

So where does the proposed Article II adoption process go from here? As outlined in the Article II final report:

Article II Forums will be held, so people can learn more and talk about the proposal. Congregations are encouraged to have conversations to gather input from their members to inform their GA delegates. There will be opportunities for delegates to recommend amendments to the proposal including at a mini-assembly at General Assembly. The Board will also be able to recommend amendments. Amendments to the proposal from delegates and the Board of Trustees will be prioritized and placed on the General Assembly agenda for consideration.

The final version of Article II, as amended by the Board of Trustees and/or the 2023 General Assembly, must receive a simple majority vote to move forward for a final vote at the 2024 General Assembly. It will take a 2/3rd majority vote at the 2024 General Assembly to be adopted as the new Article II of the UUA bylaws. If either vote fails, a similar proposal cannot be considered for two years.

Part of the January 20 Board of Trustees meeting consisted of Board members discussing organizing possible forums or workshops to be held this spring to discuss and coalesce proposed amendments to the proposed Article II, prior to presentation at the 2023 GA. (The public attending this board meeting was restricted from input or comments.) Additional Board Member discussion raised potential avenues to disseminate information on the proposed Article II to UU congregations, Religious Education professionals, and seminaries, through the preparation of videos, worship program aides, and materials geared for specific audiences.

We’ll have to wait and see what transpires before the voting on Article II begins at this summer’s GA. Stay tuned and stay informed! You need to let our yet-to-be-selected GA delegates know your opinion on this major change in our religious lives.

1/23/2023.

Wednesday, June 21 through Sunday, June 25, 2023, in Pittsburgh and online

General Assembly is the annual gathering of Unitarian Universalists, where we conduct business of the Association, explore the theological underpinnings of our faith, and lean fully into our mission and principles. Please join us Wednesday, June 21 through Sunday, June 25, 2023, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and/or online for this 5-day immersive experience where we participate in inspirational worship services and informative workshops, reconvene with friends and colleagues, and explore our bustling exhibit hall. GA is an unforgettable experience for the thousands of UUs who attend. Meet us online or in Pittsburgh and you’ll leave with renewed energy and innovative ideas to share with your congregation and community-at-large!

Registration and Housing

Registration is available at UUA.org/ga/registration. Register before March 1 for the lowest rate. Rates will increase on March 1 and again on May 1.

There are those who may find it more manageable to spread out their GA registration fee in smaller, periodic installments rather than one lump sum. When you register you many now choose to pay with a payment plan option to spread out your payments over several months. Registration can be paid in installments, with as little as $50 down.

The UUA General Assembly (GA) Housing Reservation System offers attendees premium amenities, discounted rates, and the best networking opportunities. Booking in the hotel block assists the UUA in effectively controlling meeting space, attrition, and penalty fees; all of which directly benefit you and the future of General Assembly. Additionally, the UUA is able to negotiate on behalf of our block of attendees for sustainability and accessibilities requirements. You can find housing information here: uua.org/ga/travel/general-assembly-hotels

FAITHIFY has a proven record of helping people get to General Assembly. Crowdfunding is a democratic, grass roots, and increasingly common tool to fund GA travel and registration expenses. When we contribute to a GA scholarship campaign, we welcome more people to be full participants in the largest gathering of our faith community. Get inspired at FAITHIFY.org.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh sits at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, and is home to some of the more beautiful American bridges. Pittsburgh is affordable, has temperate summers, and is known for its friendly and sincere residents. The city is home to many cultural attractions including the Carnegie Museums and Library, the Andy Warhol Museum, and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Once the epitome of American industrial power, Pittsburgh has recently seen new waves of changes that have turned it into a vibrant destination for visitors. Hop on the Duquesne Incline to get to the top of Mount Washington, or visit the Senator John Heinz History Center’s exhibitions on the city’s history, its baseball and football legacies, and Heinz products.

Excellent Programming

GA will offer dozens of outstanding programming selections (workshops, panel discussions, worship services, and other presentations) over the course of five days. Programs will provide attendees with concrete and usable tools to further the work, and the balance needed to explore multiple identity-based and theological perspectives. The theme for General Assembly 2023 is “Faithfully Becoming.”

Like Unitarian Universalism, GA offers a wealth of theological diversity. A variety of worship choices are offered throughout GA. The Service of the Living Tradition is where we commemorate fellowshipped and credentialed religious leaders, those who have died, those who have completed active service, and welcome those who have received fellowship or credentialed status in the past year. Sunday Morning Worship at GA is a powerful, communal worship experience and is the largest annual gathering of UUs in Worship.

Each year a distinguished guest speaker is invited to address the General Assembly as the Ware Lecturer. Recent lecturers have included Stacey Abrams, Bryan Stevenson, and Cornel West. The 2023 Ware Lecturer will be announced soon.

Financial Support Available

The UUA is committed to the goal of making GA accessible to as many attendees as possible. Go to UUA.org/GA to learn about scholarships to support delegates – particularly those from marginalized groups – and volunteer opportunities (work in exchange for registration).

Congregational Participation from Off-site

The votes that GA delegates cast have a huge impact on Unitarian Universalism. They determine our elected leaders, amend the bylaws and rules that govern our Association, and shape the justice work that we do as a movement. If you are interested in serving as a delegate from your congregation, talk to your minister or your congregation’s governing body.

Technology provides opportunities to connect on-site participants with those who participate from off-site. GA has transformed into a multiplatform meeting—incorporating off-site participation, live-streaming of events, and a dynamic event app to create an interactive experience for in-person and virtual attendees.

Accessibility

The UUA is committed to addressing the inclusion of all people, whatever their abilities might be, in all GA activities. Beyond the physical accessibility of the facilities, we use—ramps, captioning, seating cut-outs, etc.—we endeavor to take the next step: to truly welcome people with disabilities into every facet of GA.

Children

All children are welcome to attend GA events with their parents or guardians. Children who have not yet entered high school (or its equivalent) are welcome to attend GA events with their parents or guardians at no cost but are still required to register. For parents who need childcare, Children’s Programs are available Thursday, Friday and Saturday during GA. Register for Children’s Programs at UUA.org/GA.

Youth

Attending the annual General Assembly as a high school aged youth (grades 9-12 in the preceding school year, or the equivalent for home-schooled youth) is an incredible experience. Not only do you get to worship, witness, learn and connect in a multigenerational continental community, you can get to know hundreds of other youth and participate in making an impact on the Association through the democratic process.

Additional Materials

Click here for information for first-timers.

11/23/2022.

Representatives of the Unitarian Universalist Council of Greater Cincinnati participated in the Shared Planning Conference of the Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition of Cincinnati (MARCC) on November 15, 2022. The MARCC conference meets each year in the fall to select two social concerns for emphasis in the coming year.

This year the UU Council presented for consideration to the MARCC Shared Planning Conference a social concern related to building hope in our youth and young adults, with a focus on pursuing peaceful alternatives to gun violence.

The proposal was joined with a related proposal from another religious group, and the result was the adoption of Community Violence Intervention as one of the two MARCC social concerns for 2023. The other MARCC social concern will be a continuing one, Displacement/Affordable Housing/Homelessness.

To learn more about MARCC, visit the MARCC website. To get involved, please contact Carole Womeldorf, the UU Council Representative to MARCC:

Or contact Martha Walker, the Alternate UU Council Representative:

A key section of the bylaws of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is Article 2, which includes the Association’s Principles, Purposes, and Freedom of Belief clause. The UUA’s Board of Trustees established an Article II Study Commission to develop a proposed revision for Article 2.

In October 2022, the Commission issued a draft of its proposed revision. This draft will be presented to the UUA’s Board of Trustees in January 2023, possibly after having been revised further. Eventually, the new Article 2 will be up for a vote by General Assembly (GA) delegates in 2023 and 2024. (Because Article 2 is a “C” bylaw section, changing it requires votes at two successive GAs.)

In this article, what is provided immediately below is the draft of the proposed revised Article 2 issued in October 2022. After that, in a second section of this article, is the current Article 2.

For more information and to register for a feedback session, go to this Article II Study Commission page on the UUA website.

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Draft of the Proposed Revised Article 2

Article II Purposes and Covenant

Section C-2.1. Purposes.

The Unitarian Universalist Association shall devote its resources to and exercise its organizational powers for religious, educational, and humanitarian purposes. Its primary purposes are to equip congregations for vital ministry, to support and train leaders both lay and professional, to heal historic inequities, and to advance our Unitarian Universalist values in the world. We will transform the world by our liberating love.

Section C-2.2. Values and Covenant.

Love is the enduring force that holds us together.

As Unitarian Universalists in religious community, we covenant, congregation-to-congregation and through our association, to support and assist each other in engaging our ministries. We draw from our heritages of freedom and reason, hope and courage, building on the foundation of love.

Love inspires and powers the passion with which we embody our values. Inseparable from one another, these shared values are:

Justice. We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all people thrive.
We covenant to dismantle racism and all forms of oppression within individuals and our institutions. We are accountable to each other for this work.

Generosity. We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
We covenant to freely share our faith, presence, and resources. Compassionate generosity connects us one to another in relationships of mutuality.

Evolution. We adapt to the changing world.
We covenant to collectively transform and grow spiritually and ethically. Evolution is fundamental to life and to our Unitarian Universalist heritages, never complete and never perfect.

Pluralism. We celebrate that we are all sacred beings diverse in culture, theology, and experience.
We covenant to learn from one another and openly explore the depth and breadth of our many wisdoms. We embrace our differences and commonalities with love, curiosity, and respect.

Equity. We declare that every person has the right to flourish with dignity and worthiness.
We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain a fully inclusive and accessible community of communities.

Interdependence. We honor the sacred interdependent web of all existence. With humility we understand our place in the web.
We covenant to care for and respect the earth and all beings by fostering relationships of mutuality. We work to repair the bonds we have broken.

Section C-2.3. Inspirations.

As Unitarian Universalists, we draw upon, and are inspired by, the full depth and breadth of sacred understandings, as experienced by humanity. Grateful for the religious lineages we inherit and the pluralism which enriches our faith, we are called to ever deepen and expand our wisdom.

Section C-2.4. Inclusion.

Systems of power, privilege, and oppression have traditionally created barriers for persons and groups with particular identities, ages, abilities, and histories. We pledge to replace such barriers with ever-widening circles of solidarity and mutual respect. We strive to be an association of congregations that truly welcome all persons who share our values. We commit to structuring congregational and associational life in ways that empower and enhance everyone’s participation.

Section C-2.5. Freedom of belief.

Nothing herein shall be deemed to infringe upon the individual freedom of belief which is inherent in the Unitarian Universalist heritages or to conflict with any statement of purpose, covenant, or bond of union used by any congregation unless such is used as a creedal test. In expressing our beliefs, we do so in the spirit of love, in ways that further Beloved Community.

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Current Article 2

ARTICLE II Principles and Purposes

Section C-2.1. Principles.

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;

• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;

• The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all;

• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

The living tradition which we share draws from many sources:

• Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;

• Words and deeds of prophetic people which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion and the transforming power of love;

• Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;

• Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;

• Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;

• Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support.

Section C-2.2. Purposes.

The Unitarian Universalist Association shall devote its resources to and exercise its corporate powers for religious, educational and humanitarian purposes. The primary purpose of the Association is to serve the needs of its member congregations, organize new congregations, extend and strengthen Unitarian Universalist institutions and implement its principles.

Section C-2.3. Inclusion.

Systems of power, privilege, and oppression have traditionally created barriers for persons and groups with particular identities, ages, abilities, and histories. We pledge to replace such barriers with ever-widening circles of solidarity and mutual respect. We strive to be an association of congregations that truly welcome all persons and commit to structuring congregational and associational life in ways that empower and enhance everyone’s participation.

Section C-2.4. Freedom of Belief.

Nothing herein shall be deemed to infringe upon the individual freedom of belief which is inherent in the Universalist and Unitarian heritages or to conflict with any statement of purpose, covenant, or bond of union used by any congregation unless such is used as a creedal test.

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10/24/2022.