As we’ve shared here before, the MidAmerica staff has been setting one meeting a month to have a generative conversation about important issues in our Association. One of the first of those conversations was about the 2018 Ware Lecture presented by Brittany Packnett at the Kansas City General Assembly last June. As our UUA’s Commission on Institutional Change has noted, Packnett’s "talk offers much for us to reflect upon as we examine the impacts of racism and white supremacy culture within our faith.” To help us reflect on the lecture, the Commission has prepared some questions to get a conversation started, questions like:

• If you start with Packnett's statement, “Supremacy is so normative that you may not even be conscious that you are perpetuating it.” What does it reveal about the ways in which you move through the world? And,
• “What do you expect of me and how do I meet your expectations?” is the question Packnett suggest that we should ask. Whose expectations do we prioritize? What does such prioritization reveal about our commitment to justice, equity, and compassion in our relations?
• “It is not enough just to not to be a racist. We must expect ourselves and one another to be actively anti-racist. It is not enough just to not be sexist, we must expect ourselves to be intentionally and consistently interruptive of gender discrimination. It is not enough to not be a transphobe, we must expect ourselves to be as obsessed with justice for trans folks across the globe as we are with our own.” What actions does this suggest?

This Ware Lecture and the discussion guide are an excellent place to start or continue your congregation’s conversation around dismantling white supremacy.