FAITHFUL JOURNEYS
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Children
SESSION 4: BE FAIR
BY BY ALICE ANACHEKA-NASEMANN AND LYNN UNGAR SUSAN DANA LAWRENCE, DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR JUDITH A. FREDIANI, DIRECTOR OF LIFESPAN FAITH DEVELOPMENT
© Copyright 2009 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 11/7/2014 2:13:13 PM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
SESSION OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
What becomes of the colored girl? The muses of song, poetry and art do not woo and exalt her. She has inspired no novels. Those who write ... seldom think of this dark-skinned girl who is persistently breaking through the petty tyrannies of cast into the light of recognition. – Fannie Barrier Williams
He drew a circle that shut me out
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout
But love and I had the wit to win;
We drew a circle that took him in. – Edwin Markham
In this session, participants explore the second Unitarian Universalist Principle: justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. They hear about Fannie Barrier Williams (1855-1944), a Unitarian who was active in the club movement and in creating clubs for African American women. Participants will discuss what it means to belong and how it feels to be excluded, and explore how organizing a group to fight injustice can be effective. They create their own inclusive Faithful Journeys Action Club. The signpost "Be Fair" is added to the Faithful Journeys Path.
NOTE: The Faithful Journeys Action Club will need a purpose and projects for the children to work on. Children should participate in planning the club, but this will be easier if you are ready with realistic choices. Confer with your social action committee, minister, and/or director of religious education to determine ideas for local action or ways the club could dovetail with congregational projects. Good projects for children this age are concrete, have a personal connection and can be broken down into smaller goals with measurable progress. Leader Resource 3 offers some ideas.
GOALS
This session will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
SESSION-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Opening | 2 |
Activity 1: Faithful Footprints | 5 |
Activity 2: Move It! Part I — A Circle That Kept Me Out | 8 |
Activity 3: Move It! Part II — A Circle That Took Me In (Amoeba Tag) | 5 |
Activity 4: Story Basket and Centering | 5 |
Activity 5: Story — Belonging: Fannie Barrier Williams | 8 |
Activity 6: Faithful Journeys Action Club Project Selection | 8 |
Activity 7: Faithful Journeys Action Club Activities | 12 |
Faith in Action: Learn about Area Clubs | 45 |
Closing | 7 |
Alternate Activity 1: Building and Decorating a More Permanent Clubhouse | |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
If it would be helpful in creating sacred space, light a candle or chalice. Read the story "Belonging" about Unitarian Fannie Barrier Williams. Recall any times when you have been part of a group that has worked together for positive change in a local institution, in your wider community, or at a global level.
Reflect on these questions:
Recall, as well, times when you were excluded from such a group.
SESSION PLAN
OPENING (2 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the children in a circle. Light the chalice. Point out the chalice-lighting words on the newsprint and invite the group to read together:
We light this flame for the light of truth, the warmth of love, and the energy of action.
Indicate the poster(s) of the Unitarian Universalist Principles. Or, give each child a copy of the handout. Ask a volunteer to read the second Principle in the adult language. Ask a second volunteer to read the children's version of the second Principle. Then, say:
Today we will learn about this Unitarian Universalist Principle — what it means, and what kinds of actions show it. Let's get started.
Collect handouts for reuse.
Including All Participants
If not all participants are fluent readers, take the time to teach the group to say the opening words from memory.
If the group has children who are sensitive to perfumes or other chemicals, use unscented candles or an electric or battery-operated flame. An electric flame is also recommended if you may not use open flames or if any participants are afraid of fire.
ACTIVITY 1: FAITHFUL FOOTPRINTS (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity reinforces children's learning as they model translating faith into action for one another. To strengthen children's Unitarian Universalist identity, help participants see how their own behavior demonstrates specific Principles.
Gather in a circle. Point to the Faithful Journeys Path and say:
Together we are taking a journey to learn what it means to live as Unitarian Universalists. Each time we meet, we have a chance to talk about ways our actions show our beliefs about what is right and good. This is called "putting our faith into action."
When you share about something you have done that shows what you believe, you can choose a footprint or tracks for us to put on our Faithful Journeys Path.
Hold up the footprint you made of your own faithful action. Tell what you did and how it represents your Unitarian Universalist beliefs. If you can connect your action to a Principle, briefly explain. For example:
Ask the children to think of an act they have done, since you met last, that reflects Unitarian Universalism. You may wish to prompt:
As participants name their actions, write a word or phrase describing the action on a footprint or wheelchair tracks cutout. Invite children to write their names on their cutouts and post them along the edge of the Faithful Journeys Path. While in early sessions you posted cutouts near the start of the path, have participants post cutouts so that they continue to make progress along the path over the course of the program.
To stay within the time frame for this activity, use these guidelines:
It is very important to avoid judging participants, either with criticism or praise. Avoid phrases like "Great job!" or "You're fantastic!" which might suggest that acts of faith vary in their value or encourage children to compete to share the "best" act.
You should, however, respond to each child's contribution. Listen carefully to what a child tells you. After each child shares, say something like, "Thank you for sharing," followed by a summarizing sentence, such as:
Identify the Unitarian Universalist Principles each act represents; refer to the Principles poster if the room has one or indicate a relevant signpost on the Faithful Journeys Path. By responding specifically to each child's faithful actions, you will help them feel pride, a sense of accomplishment, and their own empowerment as agents whose actions and choices reflect Unitarian Universalist beliefs and values.
Including All Participants
Along with cut-out footprints (Session 1, Handout 3, Faithful Footprints), provide wheelchairs (Session 1, Handout 4, Making Tracks for Faith) in the same colors of paper. Encourage all the children — not just those who use wheelchairs for mobility — to sometimes use a wheelchair instead of footprints to represent their faithful actions.
ACTIVITY 2: MOVE IT! PART I — A CIRCLE THAT KEPT ME OUT (8 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Have group stand in a circle without chairs. Read aloud this poem by Universalist Edwin Markham:
He drew a circle that shut me out
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout
But love and I had the wit to win;
We drew a circle that took him in.
Ask what the children think this poem means. Allow some responses. Affirm that the poem is about a person who told the writer he could not belong; he was not allowed to join in the circle. Point out that, by being smart (“wit”) and loving, the writer of the poem drew a new circle to include everyone.
Say something like:
We are going to play two games about this poem. First we are going to draw a circle that shuts someone out.
Ask for a volunteer to be the first person who gets shut out. Have the person leave the circle and tell them their task is to try to get back into the circle using any means except harm to achieve this goal. IMPORTANT: Do not give the people in the circle instructions on how to behave. Part of the learning is allowing participants to decide for themselves how they will respond to the situation. The only rule in the game is that physical harm and destruction of property are not allowed.
Give the person on the outside no more than a minute to try to get into the circle. When that person has successfully gotten into the circle or is unable to do so after a minute of trying, ask for a second volunteer to try it.
After a few rounds have everyone rejoin the circle and sit down. Ask the group:
Remind everyone that this was just a game and that the parts they may have played were part of a game.
Including All Participants
If someone in the group is often excluded by other children, do not place that child on the outside of the circle. Do not create a situation that might promote real, hurtful exclusion.
ACTIVITY 3: MOVE IT! PART II — A CIRCLE THAT TOOK ME IN (5 MINUTES)
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the group in a circle and reread the poem by Edwin Markham:
He drew a circle that shut me out
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout
But love and I had the wit to win;
We drew a circle that took him in.
Point out that you have just heard about a circle that shut someone out and now you are going to play a game where you take people in: amoeba tag. In this game one person starts as the "amoeba" and tries to catch other people. Once they are tagged, they become part of the amoeba. Holding hands, they continue to chase the other participants until everyone has been caught and is a part of the amoeba.
When you have finished playing, ask the children which game they think is more like Unitarian Universalism: a circle that shuts people out, or a circle that takes people in. Ask them to explain their answer(s). Say, in your own words:
As Unitarian Universalists, we want to include people and make them welcome. We include everyone.
Including All Participants
Participants with limited mobility can still be tagged and become part of the amoeba. However, encourage the entire group to be sensitive to the other people in the amoeba and avoid moving too quickly or roughly for others. You may want to give the group the challenge of figuring out how to be an amoeba that is safe for everyone, including someone who is differently mobile.
If you observe uncontrolled mob movement that may result in children getting yanked around, pause the game. Invite children to resume it, taking more care to play safely.
ACTIVITY 4: STORY BASKET AND CENTERING (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the children in a circle in your storytelling area. Show them the storytelling basket. Say something like, "Let's see what's in our story basket this week."
Tell the group the items in the story basket will be placed on this altar or table after the children have passed them around the circle. Take the story-related items from the basket, one at a time, and pass them around. Objects that are fragile or should not be passed around for any reason can be held up for all to see and then placed directly on the altar.
Briefly name the various objects. Show the picture of Fannie Barrier Williams and explain that she was a Unitarian a long time ago.
As the items come back to you, display them on the altar for children to look at as they listen to the story.
Now remove the sound instrument from the story basket. Tell the children that every time you tell a story in Faithful Journeys, you will first use the instrument to help them get their ears, minds, and bodies ready to listen. Invite them to sit comfortably and close their eyes (if they are comfortable doing so). You may tell them that closing their eyes can help them focus on just listening.
In a calm voice, say:
As you breathe in, feel your body opening up with air. As you breathe out, feel yourself relaxing.
Repeat this once or twice. Then, say:
Now you are ready to listen. When I hit the chime (turn the rain stick over), listen as carefully as you can. See how long you can hear its sound. When you can no longer hear it, open your eyes and you will know it is time for the story to begin.
Sound the chime or other instrument. When the sound has gone, begin telling the story.
Including All Participants
If anyone in the group is unable to hold or pass items, or cannot see the items, make sure you or a child in the group offers the person a chance to see and touch each object, as needed.
Some people do not feel safe closing their eyes when they are in a group. If any children resist, respect their resistance and suggest that they find a single point of focus to look at instead.
If you have a basket of fidget objects for children who may listen and learn more effectively with something in their hands, make the fidget object basket available during this activity. Remind children where it is before you begin the "centering" part of this activity. For a full description of fidget objects and guidance on using them, see Session 2, Leader Resource 2, Fidget Objects.
ACTIVITY 5: STORY — BELONGING — FANNIE BARRIER WILLIAMS (8 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
The story about Fannie Barrier Williams, who devoted her life to working against injustice and exclusion by organizing and founding clubs, is an example of our second Unitarian Universalist Principle: justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.
Before you begin, look around the room and make eye contact with each person. Read or tell the story.
Sound the instrument to indicate that the story is over. Take a few minutes to guide the children in a brief discussion, using these questions:
ACTIVITY 6: FAITHFUL JOURNEYS ACTION CLUB PROJECT SELECTION (8 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Sit in a circle. Tell participants you are going to create an action club, like the clubs that Fannie Barrier Williams helped to form. Show the children the list of possible projects on the newsprint and describe them briefly. Invite the children to add projects to the list. Once the list is complete, ask if any children wish to speak briefly in favor of a particular project. Ask also if any children strongly dislike any of the project possibilities, and remove those from the list. Then, vote for the favorite project.
Now ask the children if there should be any special rules for being part of the club. Tell the children the first rule is that anyone can belong to the club if they want to and if they agree to follow the Faithful Journeys group covenant. List all appropriate suggestions on the newsprint. You may want to ask the group if they think there might be any reasons to keep someone out or to ask them to leave; affirm that any member who breaks the Faithful Journeys covenant or acts as if they do not want to be in the club could be asked to leave. Excluding rules are only appropriate if their purpose is to keep the club — like the group meeting space — safe for everyone.
ACTIVITY 7: FAITHFUL JOURNEYS ACTION CLUB ACTIVITIES (12 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Tell participants that this is free time to enjoy club activities. They can choose to spend their time on one activity or move around between the activities. At the tables they can make posters advertising the club. In the open area they can create a temporary clubhouse. Emphasize that the clubhouse needs to be big enough for everyone who might wish to join.
Including All Participants
As children make a clubhouse, encourage them to think about the accessibility of the physical space and create a welcoming atmosphere for everyone who might want to join.
CLOSING (7 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity helps children get used to practicing a closing ritual as a way of affirming their belonging in the faith community.
Gather the group in a circle. Thank the children for participating and sharing their stories and ideas in this session. Tell them something you liked about the way they worked together as a community.
Point out the Faithful Journeys Path. Say, in your own words:
Our Faithful Journeys Path shows our journey to live our lives and act in ways that reflect our Unitarian Universalist beliefs and faith. The signposts direct us by reminding us about our Principles.
Today's signpost is "Be Fair." It stands for our second Unitarian Universalist Principle, justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. It means we believe we should always be fair.
Attach the signpost to the Faithful Journeys Path.
Remind the children that the next time they meet they will have a chance to add Faithful Footprints to the Faithful Journeys Path. Encourage them to do an action during the week that shows fairness or justice. Take a few minutes to brainstorm some actions together. You might suggest sharing something, playing games with fair rules, giving away some of your belongings to someone who doesn't have very many things, starting a club at school that includes everyone, or speaking out against an unfair rule.
Point out the words to the UU Principles Song. Tell the children it is sung to the tune of "Old McDonald Had a Farm." Lead the children in singing the verse about the second Principle. Then, sing the entire song together. Explain that you will learn about all of the Principles during your time together in Faithful Journeys.
Distribute the Taking It Home handout. Thank the children, tell them you look forward to seeing them next time, and dismiss the group.
FAITH IN ACTION: LEARN ABOUT AREA CLUBS (45 MINUTES)
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
During coffee hour, or at some other convenient time, have a brief presentation with questions and answers about the clubs, focusing on ways that they use the power of a group in action to work for justice or offer service in your local community. Invite guest speakers to share why it has been important to them to be part of the club. If desired, arrange for the Faithful Journeys Action Club and/or other members of your congregation to work with them on a future community service or charitable event.
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
Take a few minutes to evaluate the session with your co-leader immediately afterward, while it is fresh. Share your thoughts with any other team co-leaders and your director of religious education. You might find it helpful to consider these questions:
TAKING IT HOME
What becomes of the colored girl? The muses of song, poetry and art do not woo and exalt her. She has inspired no novels. Those who write ... seldom think of this dark-skinned girl who is persistently breaking through the petty tyrannies of cast into the light of recognition. – Fannie Barrier Williams
He drew a circle that shut me out
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout
But love and I had the wit to win;
We drew a circle that took him in. – Edwin Markham
IN TODAY'S SESSION... We learned about the power of working together in a group by hearing the story of Unitarian Fannie Barrier Williams (1855-1944), who was active in establishing the African American women's club movement as an agency for justice and social change. We began to put into action the second Unitarian Universalist Principle, which states that we affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations, by forming a Faithful Journeys Action Club that welcomes all to join and will take on a justice or service project. Our signpost to help guide us in faithful action was "Be Fair."
EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about... Ask your child about the Faithful Journeys Action Club that was formed today and what justice issue the group has chosen to address. Affirm why that justice issue is important. Tell your child about a justice issue that is important to you and explain how any groups you belong to – such as your congregation, a committee within it, or a local advocacy or social justice group – explicitly act on it.
EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try... Pay extra attention to times when your child acts fairly or works for justice. Point out instances of your child acting faithfully in a way that reflects the second Unitarian Universalist Principle of justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. Your child will have the opportunity to share these actions with the Faithful Journeys group next time we meet.
To work more with this session's theme of exclusion/inclusion, read together Best Friends for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban (New York: HarperCollins, 1969). The picture-book hedgehog learns how it feels to be excluded and uses her learning to be more inclusive of her little sister, Gloria. While the text may be easy for your second- or third-grader to read, the message is timeless.
FAMILY ADVENTURE
Create a Family Faithful Journeys Action Club. Give it a name and a logo. Find a justice issue that everyone in the family is concerned about and brainstorm ways that your family club can take action. For example, you could write a family letter to the school superintendent to protest an unfair policy, or donate some of your belongings to a charitable organization. Set aside a regular meeting time for your club when you can discuss and study your issue or take action together. Make it a point to invite other people to join your family club from time to time, such as neighbors, extended family or friends.
A FAMILY RITUAL
Create a family ritual for the beginning of your club meetings or to use whenever a member of your family acts for justice. To tie in with your Unitarian Universalist identity, light a chalice. Find or make up a song or dance together that you can use to express your commitment to justice, or perhaps as celebration for accomplishments. Take turns sharing a reading or story related to your justice issue or working for justice in general. Bring ritual to your club to emphasize the link between spiritual practices and justice, while reinforcing the Faithful Journeys idea that faith leads to action.
A FAMILY GAME
For a good rainy day activity, make a clubhouse together for your Family Faithful Journeys Action Club. Be creative with blankets, large cardboard boxes, sheets, tables, pillows, overturned chairs, sleeping bags, or tents. For something more permanent, build a tree house or small shed out of wood. Then paint, put up curtains, and otherwise decorate the clubhouse with artwork and materials that reflect your club's purpose.
FAMILY DISCOVERY
Learn about service clubs that are active in your area, such as Lions (at www.lionsclubs.org/), Kiwanis (at www.kiwanis.org/)or Boys & Girls Club (at www.bgca.org/). Find out what they do for the community and volunteer to help at a charitable event.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: BUILDING AND DECORATING A MORE PERMANENT CLUBHOUSE
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Using your selected materials, build a very large permanent structure in the space you have selected in consultation with your director of religious education and building committee. Children can help hammer, paint, create curtains, hang artwork, and otherwise decorate the clubhouse.
If building a structure is not an option, consider decorating a corner of a room that can be dedicated for the duration of the Faithful Journeys program. If the room they meet in has enough space, the club might "nest" for a few weeks using large cardboard boxes.
FAITHFUL JOURNEYS: SESSION 4:
STORY: BELONGING – FANNIE BARRIER WILLIAMS
Written by Janeen K. Grohsmeyer.
Our hearts should be too warm and too large for hatred.
More than one hundred fifty years ago, back when trains were new and airplanes and cars hadn't been invented, back when women always wore long skirts and everyone wore hats, a girl named Fannie Barrier lived in a town in New York State.
Fannie lived with her older brother, George, and her older sister, Ella, and their parents. During the week, Fannie and George and Ella would get up and get dressed and eat breakfast, and then go to school. In the afternoon, they would play in the woods or maybe go sledding in the snow with their friends, then do their chores, eat dinner, do their homework, and go to bed.
On Sundays, the whole Barrier family would go to church. Fannie's father was a deacon, a leader at the church. Her mother taught Bible school. When Fannie was old enough, she played the piano while people sang hymns. She sang, too, and painted pictures. Maybe some of you like to do those things, too.
Maybe Fannie's life sounds a lot like your life, even if she did wear long skirts instead of pants and use kerosene lamps instead of electric lights and cook food on a wood stove instead of in a microwave oven. Going to school and to church, doing homework and chores, making music and playing with friends – these are all things we still do today.
But Fannie's life was different. Very different. Because back then, one hundred fifty years ago in the United States of America, most people didn't believe that everyone was equal. Most people believed that some groups of people were better than other groups. They believed that men were better than women. They believed that Protestants were better than Catholics or Jews. And they believed that people with light skin were better than people with dark skin.
Fannie Barrier had dark skin.
When she was a teenager, she went to the city of Boston to study music. Some of the other students said, “We don't want her here. She's dark, so she doesn't belong. If she stays, we'll all go.” The school asked Fannie to leave.
So, Fannie went to Washington DC to study painting. She had to hide behind a screen so no one could see her. “If the other students know you're here,” the teacher told Fannie, “they'll want you to leave.”
Over and over again, all through her life, Fannie was told she wasn't wanted and couldn't belong, just because she had dark skin.
When she was forty years old and living in the city of Chicago, some women invited her to join a women's club. But some other women in the club said, “We don't want her here. She's dark, so she can't belong. If she stays, we'll all go.” The people in the club argued about it for more than a year. Finally, they voted to let Fannie in. But when she joined, those other women left.
Now, Fannie didn't like that. It hurts when people won't let you belong. It hurts when people don't want you around. Some days Fannie felt angry about it. Some days she felt sad.
But most days, Fannie had no time to feel angry or sad, because she was busy making groups of her own. Fannie knew how much it hurt to be left out. And she knew it would be a lot easier, and more fun, to get things done together with others, than by yourself. She and her husband, the lawyer S. Laing Williams, joined the All Souls Unitarian Church in Chicago. They helped start a hospital, where everyone was welcome, no matter the color of their skin. They created a group to study art and music.
Fannie Barrier Williams helped start a home for girls in Chicago, and she started a center where people could live together, no matter the color of their skin. She was part of the group that started the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (the NAACP), along with Frederick Douglass, Ida Wells Barnett, Frances Watkins Harper, and W.E.B. DuBois.
Fannie also worked with suffragists like Susan B. Anthony, helping women get the chance to vote. Because back then, remember, people thought that men were better than women. Women couldn't own property or have a bank account or vote in elections.
In 1920, when Fannie was sixty-five years old, women were finally allowed to vote. And about fifty years after that, people starting letting everyone vote and everyone belong to groups, no matter the color of their skin.
Fannie Barrier Williams didn't live to see that. She didn't live long enough to see the United States of America become a place where most of the people believe that everyone is equal.
But she helped make it happen. When some groups kept people out, Fannie Barrier Williams started groups that let everyone in. When the laws of our country said she and thousands of others couldn't belong because of the color of their skin or the church they went to or because they were girls instead of boys, Fannie Barrier Williams worked to change the laws so that everyone could belong – and would belong – no matter what.
FAITHFUL JOURNEYS: SESSION 4:
LEADER RESOURCE 1: PICTURE OF FANNIE BARRIER WILLIAMS FOR STORY BASKET
Cut out the picture and place it in the story basket.
FAITHFUL JOURNEYS: SESSION 4:
LEADER RESOURCE 2: SIGNPOST FOR SESSION 4
Cut out the signpost. During your closing circle, show it to the children and attach it to your Faithful Journeys Path.
FAITHFUL JOURNEYS: SESSION 4:
LEADER RESOURCE 3: FAITHFUL JOURNEYS ACTION CLUB PROJECT IDEAS
Organizations and causes a club could support
Activities and projects to do in support of your cause
FIND OUT MORE
Find these and other quotations from Fannie Barrier Williams in The New Woman of Color: The Collected Writings of Fannie Barrier Williams, 1893-1918, edited by Mary Jo Deegan (Northern Illinois University Press, 2002).
We believe that the world always needs the influence of every good and capable woman, and this rule recognizes no exceptions based on complexion.
... [It] may be stated that the contentions of colored women are in kind like those of other American women for greater freedom of development. Liberty to be all that we can be, without artificial hindrances, is a thing no less precious to us than to women generally.
[T]he inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is a maxim that will become more blessed when the hand of woman shall take it from its sepulture in books and make it the gospel of everyday life and the unerring guide in the relations of all men, women, and children.
Colored women organized have succeeded in touching the heart of the race, and for the first time the thrill of unity has been felt.
The Club movement is well purposed. There is in it a strong faith, an enthusiasm born of love and sympathy, and an ever increasing intelligence in the ways and means of effecting noble results. It is not a fad. It is not an imitation. It is not a passing sentiment. It is not an expedient or an experiment. It is rather the force of a new intelligence against the old ignorance. The struggle of an enlightened conscience against the whole brood of social miseries born out of the stress and pain of a hated past.
A book about women in Unitarian Universalist history that includes a biographical sketch and excerpted writings from Fannie Barrier Williams is Standing Before Us: Unitarian Universalist Women and Social Reform 1776-1936, edited by Dorothy May Emerson (Boston: Skinner House Books, 2000).
See an article about Fannie Barrier Williams (at www25-temp.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/fanniebarrierwilliams.html), by June Edwards, in the online Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography.