Anti-Oppression Resources: A Drive Time Essay
Interested in engaging your congregation in anti-racism and anti-oppression work, but not sure where to start?
The Unitarian Universalist Association honors and supports the anti-oppression work that congregations are already doing, and is ready to work with them in identifying their next steps.
JUUST Change consultants can assist congregations with the process of anti-racist, anti-oppressive, multicultural transformation by meeting congregations where they are on the anti-oppression path. JUUST Change consultants work with professional and lay leaders to transform congregations and the communities of which they are a part. JUUST Change consultants are currently working with numerous congregations throughout the United States.
The Creating a Jubilee World workshop is an excellent way to begin exploring issues of racism. This weekend-long workshop is designed to help Unitarian Universalist congregations dismantle racism by allowing participants to examine both personal and institutional racism, and by empowering them to develop a realistic plan to move the congregation forward in working for racial justice.
The Jubilee Two training can be a follow-up to Creating a Jubilee World and is designed to equip participants with an historical and institutional analysis of racism in the United States. Exercises in the workshop explore the historical development and power dynamics of racism, the social construction of racial identity, and an analysis of three manifestations of racism: individual, institutional, and cultural.
Many congregations have already embarked on an older program, the Journey Toward Wholeness Anti-racism Program. The Unitarian Universalist Association continues to support the Journey Toward Wholeness process and the existing Transformation Teams with leadership development, strategic planning, and educational resources.
Congregations can also hold a Journey Toward Wholeness Sunday Program. This is an annual worship, education, and stewardship event. The Journey Toward Wholeness Sunday Program is usually celebrated in the winter or spring and involves four aspects: holding an anti-racism/anti-oppression worship service, talking about those topics in religious education classes on that Sunday, taking an offering to support anti-racism/anti-oppression work, and an invitation to the congregation to engage in further anti-racism and anti-oppression work.
The Office of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Concerns also has anti-oppression resources, including the Welcoming Congregation workshop to confront homophobia and heterosexism. The second step in that program is the new curriculum Living the Welcoming Congregation, which helps congregations go into greater depth in reducing oppression toward bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people.
Another anti-oppression resource is the Beyond Categorical Thinking workshop, which helps prevent unfair discrimination in the ministerial search process.
A resolution passed by delegates at the 2006 General Assembly invites every congregation to hold at least one program over the next year to address racism or class-ism and to report on that program at next year’s General Assembly.
About this Essay
Audio Essay Series: Volume 2: The Best of InterConnections, Track 10 (MP3, 3:47 minutes)
Author: Don Skinner
Read By: Karen McCarthy
Date of Release: 2006
About the Drive Time Essay Series
This Audio Essay series was created by the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, for the purpose of supporting its valued lay leaders. Copying and sharing these essay texts, downloadable audio files, and the companion Lay Leader Drive Time Essays compact disc is welcomed and encouraged.
Comments or suggestions? We welcome your ideas about this Audio Essay series and your lay leader questions. Please send them to Don Skinner, the editor of InterConnections, a resource for lay leaders: interconnections @ uua.org.
For more information contact distservices @ uua.org.
This work is made possible by the generosity of individual donors. Please consider making a donation today.
Last updated on Thursday, April 28, 2011.
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