Activity 1: Story - W.H.G. Carter and a Step Toward Racial Reconciliation
Part of Toolbox of Faith
Activity time: 10 minutes
Materials for Activity
- A copy of the story, "W.H.G. Carter and a Step Toward Racial Reconciliation"
Preparation for Activity
- Read the story and prepare to tell or read it to the group.
Description of Activity
Participants will hear a true story illustrating how some Unitarians made a mistake and how, decades later, members of a Unitarian Universalist congregation tried to restore balance, to atone.
Gather participants to hear a story. You may say:
This is a true story about Unitarian Universalists who sought to atone for a wrong that had been committed against an African American Unitarian minister.
Read the story, or, if you prefer, tell the story dramatically.
After the story, invite participants to share their reflections and initial thoughts. Have they heard about Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement) or the Catholic Sacrament of Penance (Confession) or Sacrament of Reconciliation? The Jewish and Catholic faiths each have rituals for atonement, of restoring balance, at-one-ness. Tell the group they may continue the discussion in further depth in Council Circle.