Tapestry of Faith: Resistance and Transformation: An Adult Program on Unitarian Universalist Social Justice History

Activity 1: Prophetic, Parallel, and Institutional

Activity time: 20 minutes

Materials for Activity

Preparation for Activity

  • On a sheet of newsprint, label four quadrants: Prophetic, Parallel, Institutional, and Combination/Other.
  • Re-read Workshop 2, Handout 1 so you are familiar with its contents. Copy the handout for all participants.

Description of Activity

Distribute the handout. Lead a conversation to reacquaint participants with the three models for social justice work that were introduced in Workshop 2. Ask:

  • Do these models help you better understand movements for social justice? Why, or why not?
  • Is there a particular model that best reflects your personal style?
  • Do you think one model has greater utility than the others?

Post the newsprint on which you have sketched the four quadrants. Lead the group to brainstorm social justice leaders, actions, and movements from past workshops. As each is named, invite participants to suggest the quadrant into which each one's leadership style fits. If there is not consensus, enter the name in more than one place. Invite observations and discussion, using these questions to guide the discussion:

  • Do you see any patterns emerging?
  • Does considering the approach of various leaders and movements cause you to re-evaluate which model might be most useful for social justice work?
  • To which model are you most attracted? Does identifying the model which most speaks to you help you better understand which Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists you might draw on for inspiration?