THE NEW UU
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Adults
WORKSHOP 4: SOCIAL JUSTICE PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE
BY JONALU JOHNSTONE
© Copyright 2010 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 9/29/2014 9:33:12 PM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
You must answer this question:
What will you do with your gifts?
Choose to bless the world.
— Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker, from the poem "Benediction"
The workshop provides an introduction to social justice work in a Unitarian Universalist context. Because the focus of Unitarian Universalists is on this life, and because we embrace such principles as justice and compassion, we feel compelled to live out our values by working for social justice. Participants will have a chance to hear about some of the experiences of a panel of social justice activists from your congregation, who will reflect on how that work relates to their religious path. The workshop explores the value of both action and reflection on that action as integral parts of social justice work as a religious and spiritual practice.
If your congregation has a commitment to a particular type of social justice ministry, consider devoting workshop time to that approach, rather than presenting a panel of social justice activists. Recognizing that each of our congregations proceeds on social justice issues a bit differently, alternate activities are provided to highlight ways your particular congregation does justice work in the world. If your congregation works actively with anti-racism, consider Alternate Activity 1. If your congregation has been involved with the Standing on the Side of Love initiative, consider using Alternate Activity 2. You may wish to invite guests with special expertise for these Alternate Activities.
Before leading this workshop, review Accessibility Guidelines for Workshop Presenters (at www.uua.org/re/tapestry/adults/newuu/introduction/160181.shtml) found in the program Introduction and make any preparations needed to accommodate your group.
If you only have an hour for the workshop, omit Activity 3 and shorten Activity 4 by 15 minutes.
GOALS
This workshop will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
WORKSHOP-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Welcoming and Entering | 0 |
Opening | 2 |
Activity 1: Introductions through Social Justice History | 15 |
Activity 2: Theodore Parker and the Crafts | 25 |
Activity 3: Action-Reflection Model | 15 |
Activity 4: Social Justice Panel | 30 |
Closing | 3 |
Alternate Activity 1: Privilege and Oppression | 30 |
Alternate Activity 2: Standing on the Side of Love | 30 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
Consider the work you have done to make the world a better place. Do you consider yourself an activist? Why or why not? How do you live out your Unitarian Universalist values in the world? How do your efforts receive support? How is it challenging? Discuss with your co-facilitator(s).
WORKSHOP PLAN
WELCOMING AND ENTERING
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
As people arrive, introduce yourself and invite them to make or find their name tag. If anyone new attends, introduce yourself and invite them to write their contact information on the sign-up sheet. Point out rest rooms and refreshments and direct people to the child care space if you are providing child care.
OPENING (2 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
At the designated starting time, bring participants together. Invite a volunteer to light the chalice. Introduce the opening reading with these or similar words:
Mark Morrison-Reed is a retired UU minister. An African American, he has documented much of the history of the African American experience in Unitarianism and Universalism—both the positive and negative aspects. He has prompted us toward becoming a more anti-racist Association. Let's read his words, Reading 580 in the hymnbook, in unison.
Lead the reading.
ACTIVITY 1: INTRODUCTIONS THROUGH SOCIAL JUSTICE HISTORY (15 MINUTES)
Description of Activity
Invite participants to introduce themselves and present a brief description of their own work with social justice using words such as:
In this workshop, we are talking about social justice. You may or may not think of yourself as an activist, but we have all done something to make a difference in the world. Making the world a better place is fundamental for Unitarian Universalists, because our focus is on this world, rather than the next. Our introductory question for this workshop is: "Tell us about a time you made a difference in the world. This may be an act you did independently or with a group; it could be any way—large or small—that helped to bring into being your vision of a better world."
Model the process for participants, encouraging brevity. Continue around the circle. Pauses for thinking are fine. Participants may pass. If a participant strays from the theme or is talking too long, remind them to focus their answer on the question.
Relate the work of Unitarian Universalists in social justice to the stories that participants have shared. Continue to introduce the theme by sharing these words from "Inspired Faith, Effective Action: A Social Justice Workbook for Unitarian Universalist Congregations" on the UUA website (at www.uua.org/social%20justice):
Ours is a theology of engagement. We draw inspiration and truth from experiencing each other and the world around us. In doing so, we necessarily witness both the beauty and the brokenness of our larger community and environment. We are here because we want to help heal the brokenness...
ACTIVITY 2: THEODORE PARKER AND THE CRAFTS (25 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Participants will consider a story of social justice and the complexity of motives behind people's actions. Introduce the activity with these or similar words:
You may recall from our discussion of Unitarian Universalist history in Workshop 2 that Unitarian Universalists have actively worked to change the world. Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists have been leaders in abolition, women's rights, educational reform, civil rights, and other movements. There are also times in our history when the choices made and actions taken did not as clearly support the goal of justice, equity, and compassion in human relations, at least when those actions and choices are viewed with a twenty-first century lens. We'll consider a nineteenth-century story to reflect on the challenge and complexities of social activism within our movement.
Distribute copies of the story "Theodore Parker and the Crafts" and invite volunteers to read the story aloud. Invite participants to move into three smaller groups. Invite one group to consider the Crafts; the second group, Theodore Parker; and the third group, Millard Fillmore.
Display the questions written on newsprint. Ask each group to address these questions about their assigned person/s, allowing ten minutes for this discussion. Then, invite each group to present key points from their conversation.
After each group has had a chance to present, continue the discussion with this question, "How could the same faith lead to such different responses to the situation in the story?"
Conclude the activity with a summary such as:
Since Unitarian Universalists do not subscribe to a particular theology or view of truth, none of us can dictate a particular stance on an issue. However, we do trust in the process of ongoing revelation and in the ability of people to use reason and compassion to guide their work in the world. Thus, we embrace democratic process and encourage all to work within that process. Sometimes, this means that we move more slowly than some activists would like. Other times, we may find Unitarian Universalists on different sides of a complex issue. We may find that in time we change our position on an issue we felt so sure of. Often, though, building support slowly within a faith community with a focus on hearing all voices (democratic process) results in a deep level of congregational commitment to a particular course of action.
Parker is often quoted as saying, "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice. Things refuse to be mismanaged long."
Good words to keep in mind as we struggle toward a more just world in the long run.
ACTIVITY 3: ACTION-REFLECTION MODEL (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Introduce the concept of the Action-Reflection model, as described in liberation theology by Gustavo Gutierrez. In your own words, explain:
Unitarian Universalists take action in the world based on our ideas, beliefs and values. As a people of faith, we continually examine how our actions are guided by our beliefs and values. And because we are committed to developing ourselves as human beings, our faith calls us to consider how the results from our actions—both within ourselves and in the larger world—affect and deepen our understanding and our expression of values. Each time we act, we learn from that action. We may learn from how we feel about an action, from its effectiveness or ineffectiveness, or from our interactions with other people during the action. The more we intentionally reflect on the action and its results, the more we learn. Thus, our ideas, values, and theology evolve. For example, you might serve food at a shelter for homeless people. There, you might meet someone who can't find work because she lacks transportation. That might change your perception of the causes of homelessness and lead you to invite others to serve food with you. It might deepen your commitment to act and speak in ways that uphold the worth and dignity of all people. It might motivate you to become involved in advocacy for mass transit. The action leads to reflection, which leads to further action.
Distribute Handout 1, Action-Reflection Model and invite participants to follow the instructions, allowing three minutes for them to do so. If they are having trouble thinking of an "action," remind them of the stories they shared at the beginning of the workshop. After participants have completed the handout, invite them to move into pairs and share what they have written, allowing six minutes for sharing.
Invite participants to turn their attention to the larger group. Invite comments, observations, and reflections about the action-reflection model.
ACTIVITY 4: SOCIAL JUSTICE PANEL (30 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Participants will hear stories from social justice activists in the congregation that illustrate the Action-Reflection Model. Introduce the activity using these or similar words:
We have learned something about how our actions inform our theology and how our theology informs our actions. Now we have a group of panelists who will help us understand how that plays out in their lives in the work they do in the world. We'll all introduce ourselves — panelists, please give us an idea of how long you've been involved with the congregation. Then, each panelist will tell us how Unitarian Universalism has informed their social justice work, and how their work has informed their faith.
After the introductions, monitor the time so each panelist has an equal amount. If necessary, prompt panelists to wrap up. Presentations should be complete in about 20 minutes. Then, invite workshop participants to ask questions. If participants are reluctant, have panelists ask one another any questions that came up for them. At the end of the time, thank the panelists.
CLOSING (3 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite participants to sing together Hymn 170, "We Are a Gentle, Angry People," or read responsively Reading 464, "And Then." Extinguish the chalice.
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: PRIVILEGE AND OPPRESSION (30 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity provides a brief introduction to concepts that underlie Unitarian Universalist work toward becoming an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, multicultural organization. Explain that the UUA and, if this is the case, your own congregation, are formally committed to the goal of anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multiculturalism. Distribute Handout 2, Privilege and Oppression. Invite three volunteers to read the three paragraphs aloud. Explain that people may be privileged in one way and oppressed in another, so many of us have experienced both sides of this paradigm. Ask participants to silently review the table on the handout. After a minute, lead a discussion based on these questions:
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 2: STANDING ON THE SIDE OF LOVE (30 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity introduces Standing on the Side of Love, a new model for public witness ministry. Read Leader Resource 2, Standing on the Side of Love, aloud or present the information in your own words. If you have Standing on the Side of Love items, display them.
Lead a discussion, asking participants these questions:
If you have invited a guest, invite them to tell how your congregation has been involved in this initiative.
THE NEW UU: WORKSHOP 4:
STORY: THEODORE PARKER AND THE CRAFTS
By Polly Peterson.
This is the story of Theodore Parker, a Unitarian minister who was determined to do whatever he could to end slavery in the United States. His powerful sermons were legendary. This is also the story of Millard Fillmore, whose actions earned him the contempt of Theodore Parker and abolitionists everywhere. He became the President of the United States in 1850.
But the story begins with two runaway slaves, a married couple from Macon, Georgia, who planned a daring escape from slavery. Ellen Craft had skin so light that she could easily pass for white. She decided to disguise herself as an ailing Southern gentleman traveling to Philadelphia for medical care. Her husband, William Craft, whose skin was dark, would pretend to be the "master's" doting slave. Together they would travel 1,000 miles to freedom in the North.
On December 21, 1848, they both obtained passes to travel to the next town for Christmas. But their real destination was the North. They bought train tickets to Savannah, Georgia. From there, in their disguises, they traveled by train and steamboat up the coasts of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland. By Christmas Day, they had arrived in Philadelphia, a Northern city. After spending three weeks with a Quaker farmer and his family, the Crafts traveled to Boston, where they found a home. William worked as a cabinetmaker, and Ellen worked as a seamstress. They lived with Lewis Hayden, a free black, whose boarding house often served as a safe house for fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad. The Crafts became members of Theodore Parker's Unitarian congregation.
In September, 1850, the U.S. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law. The law not only provided for the return of fugitive slaves to their masters in the South, but also required private citizens in the North to assist in their capture. Abolitionists in Boston immediately began organizing resistance to the law. Theodore Parker was one of the founders of a Vigilance Committee designed to protect "the colored inhabitants of Boston from any invasion of their rights." The Vigilance Committee included blacks as well as whites. Lewis Hayden and William Craft were members.
On October 20, 1850, two agents arrived in Boston, sent by the Crafts' former owners to catch the fugitives. The agents took for granted that Boston officials would assist them, but in this they were disappointed. Vigilance Committee members protected the Crafts and relentlessly harassed the two slave-catchers. The coordinated actions of the abolitionist community and African Americans throughout the city thwarted the agents at every turn. The slave-catchers stayed in Boston for more than a month, trying to waylay the Crafts, but in the end, they had to return to Georgia empty-handed. The Crafts went hurriedly overseas to England, where they would be safe.
Theodore Parker wrote an angry letter to President Fillmore, telling him the story of the Craft escape and challenging him to enforce his monstrous law. "Suppose I had taken the woman to my own house, and sheltered her there till the storm had passed by: should you think I did a thing worthy of fine and imprisonment?" he asked. He made it clear that he would obey the laws of God, even if it meant breaking the laws of men.
Strange to say, Millard Fillmore, the President who had signed the Fugitive Slave Law, was also a Unitarian who hated slavery. How could his beliefs concerning the law be so different from Parker's?
"God knows I detest slavery," he wrote to Daniel Webster, his Secretary of State, "but... we must endure it and give it such protection as is guaranteed by the Constitution till we can get rid of it without destroying the last hope of free government in the world."
President Fillmore had sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution allowed rights to slaveholders. He had promised to abide by the decisions of the Congress, and they had passed a Fugitive Slave Law. He threw the weight of his influence onto enforcing the Fugitive Slave Law because he believed it was the only way to keep the Union together, and he believed that safeguarding the Union was his sworn duty as President.
Those who supported the Fugitive Slave Law often stated that the purpose of government was to protect property. They argued that, since slaves were property, no one, including the slaves themselves, had any right to deprive the slaveholder of rightful ownership. A runaway slave was nothing more than a thief, in this view. They also fooled themselves into believing all sorts of falsehoods about the natural inferiority of black people. Many even convinced themselves that black people were happier in slavery than they would be if left to fend for themselves in the world.
Theodore Parker was incensed. How could the United States have strayed so far from the Revolutionary ideals of its founders? His own grandfather, Captain John Parker, had fought in Lexington, Massachusetts, in one of the very first skirmishes of the Revolutionary War. In those days, Americans had not been afraid to stand up for liberty, though it meant breaking the unjust laws imposed on them by their government in Britain. Now, this very country, founded on a principle of liberty and justice for all, was enforcing laws designed specifically to deny liberty and justice.
"There hangs in my study... the gun my grandfather fought with at the battle of Lexington... and also the musket he captured from a British soldier on that day," Parker wrote in his letter to President Fillmore. "If I would not peril my property, my liberty, nay my life to keep my parishioners out of slavery, then I should throw away these trophies, and should think I was the son of some coward and not a brave man's child."
Many other abolitionists were against using violence, but after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law, Parker did not agree with them. He often used the proud history of the Revolution as a way of bringing people to his point of view. He also saw that over the years there had been a practice of erasing the memory of black participation in the Revolution, and he was dedicated to reminding his fellow Americans of the historic role blacks had played.
Conflict between the northern and southern states was reaching a boiling point. Theodore Parker believed that the North must stand up against a government dominated by the interests of the Southern slaveholders. He hadn't wanted to put the abolition of slavery into the center of his life and ministry, but he felt he had no choice. Millard Fillmore hadn't wanted to support the institution of slavery, but he also felt he had no choice. He did not want his country to divide in two.
In the end, Fillmore's signing of the Fugitive Slave Law probably did keep the country together for another ten years. And, in the end, that law probably strengthened the resolve of people in the North, making it possible for them to win the Civil War. Up to that point, it was easy for Northerners to see slavery as none of their business. Whether they hated slavery or not, few Northerners considered themselves personally responsible until they were forced to participate in the capture of fugitives and to witness the kidnapping of innocent free blacks by slave-catchers.
Until the time of the Fugitive Slave Law, abolitionists had been very unpopular, even in Massachusetts. Now, Theodore Parker, who had been despised by many for his radical views, suddenly became enormously popular. Every week, his sermons and speeches were heard by thousands of people and read by many more. One person who read everything by Theodore Parker that he could get his hands on was William Herndon of Illinois, Abraham Lincoln's law partner. Herndon often passed along Parker's writings to Lincoln, who expressed his admiration. In one sermon, Herndon had underlined the following words that he thought would interest Lincoln: "Democracy is direct self-government, over all the people, for all the people, by all the people."
Ten years later, Abraham Lincoln became the President of the United States, and the Civil War began. By then, Theodore Parker had died. He did not live to see the abolition of slavery in the United States. Yet, he had helped to lay the groundwork by convincing many people that they must not blindly follow unjust laws. His words had the power to persuade many people to join the fight to end slavery.
THE NEW UU: WORKSHOP 4:
HANDOUT 1: ACTION-REFLECTION MODEL
Under the word "ACTION", write a word or phrase that represents something you have done to make the world a better place. Then, consider what you learned from that action. Write a word or phrase about what you learned above the word "REFLECTION." Then consider whether that reflection led to a subsequent action. If so, add that action to the chart above the first.
THE NEW UU: WORKSHOP 4:
HANDOUT 2: PRIVILEGE AND OPPRESSION
From Safe Congregation Handbook, Patricia Hoertdoerfer and Frederic Muir, eds. (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2005).
Privilege operates on personal, cultural, and institutional levels to give advantages, favors, and benefits to those who have the greatest access to resources in our society. For persons with privilege, it is characteristically invisible, the advantages it gives are unearned, individuals who have it are unconscious of it, and the advantage it gives is the direct result of the oppression of others.
Oppression exists when one social group knowingly or unconsciously exploits another social group for its own benefit. Social oppression is an interlocking system that involves ideological control as well as domination and control of the social institutions and resources of society, resulting in a condition of privilege for the dominant social group relative to the disenfranchisement and exploitation of the subordinate social group.
Privilege and oppression and power and vulnerability are relative and contextual. A person has power or is vulnerable in relation to another person in a given context. Power is a measure of one person's or one's group's resources. Those who have greater resources than others have power relative to them; those who have fewer resources are vulnerable relative to them.
Sources of Power | Sources of Vulnerability | |
Ability | Ability, large physical size, strength | Disability; small size, lack of strength |
Age | Status as adults or middle-aged people | Youth or old age |
Class | Wealth, job skills, credentials | Poverty, lack of skills and credentials |
Education | Knowledge and information | Lack of knowledge and information, lack of access to these |
Ethnicity/Race | Status as white (Caucasian) | Status as people of color (African American, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino/a, Native American, and so on) |
Gender/Sex | Status as male | Status as female |
Gender Identity | Conformity of gender identity with biological sex characteristics | Nonconformity of gender identity with biological sex characteristics |
Psychological resources | Life experience, stability | Inexperience, lack of coping skills |
Role | Status as professional, leader, clergy | Status as client, congregant, student |
Sexual orientation | Status as heterosexual people | Status as gay, lesbian, or bisexual people |
Social | Support, community, contacts | Isolation |
THE NEW UU: WORKSHOP 4:
LEADER RESOURCE 1: LETTER TO PANELISTS
Personalize and adapt this letter to fit your context. To determine the length of time each participant will have to speak, assume that twenty minutes of the panel's time will be presentation. For example, if you have 5 panelists, each will have 4 minutes.
Dear Panelist,
Thank you for agreeing to meet with The New UU workshop on [date] in [place]. We anticipate that the panel portion of the workshop will begin about [time], and last approximately 35 minutes. Our purpose is to introduce people who have been visiting our congregation to social justice activists within our congregation and the important work that each of you has done. Although the particulars of your work are important, it is even more important that participants hear you explain the link between your work and your faith. [List the specific panelists and the perspective each brings.]
We are asking panelists to talk about how their social justice work has informed their Unitarian Universalist faith and vice versa. Each panelist will have [amount of time] minutes to describe their experience. Following the presentations, the workshop participants will have fifteen minutes to ask questions of the panel. We encourage you to focus on your personal experience and to share what you wish you had known as a newcomer to a Unitarian Universalist congregation. You may learn something, too, from hearing the perspectives of others.
Again, we're very grateful for your participation. It helps to provide potential new members with a deeper and more developed understanding of our congregation. And you may even find folks who want to work with you!
Sincerely,
[Facilitators of the Workshop]
THE NEW UU: WORKSHOP 4:
LEADER RESOURCE 2: STANDING ON THE SIDE OF LOVE
Imagine being in church on a Sunday morning when a group of children are about to present a musical. They have learned songs and lines and rehearsed and are ready to go. Excitement fills the air. Suddenly, all the celebratory spirit comes to a crashing halt as a stranger opens fire in the sanctuary. This is the situation that confronted church-goers at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church on July 27, 2008. Some of them responded quickly, tackling the shooter, though one of them—Greg McKendry—died in the process.
Hatred of liberal religion and gay and lesbian people motivated the shooting. During the aftermath members and friends of the congregation experienced not only private grief, pain, and mourning but also national attention which called for a response to the media. Unitarian Universalist Association leaders saw a need to find a way for Unitarian Universalists to take action not only when tragedy strikes our own congregations, but also when our values call for a response to events and challenges in the broader community and world. The UUA adopted the phrase "Standing on the Side of Love," which was already associated with activism related to equal marriage, as an umbrella slogan to name all the ways in which Unitarian Universalists support justice for all people, including responding to hate crimes, advocating for immigrants and their families, and supporting full equality for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people. The Standing on the Side of Love public advocacy campaign, sponsored by the UUA, seeks to harness love's power to stop oppression.
FIND OUT MORE
Visit the Social Justice Pages (at www.uua.org/socialjustice/) on the UUA website.
Read the brochure, "Engagement with the World: A Personal Perspective of Faith in Action (at www.uuabookstore.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=539)," by William Schulz. The text of the brochure is available online.
Learn about the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee at their website (at www.uusc.org).
The UUA's Standing on the Side of Love (at www.standingonthesideoflove.org) public advocacy campaign has its own website.