Multicultural Leadership School, is an annual gathering of soul-renewal and leadership development for UU youth and young adults of color from July 10-14th, 2015 at the Walker Center outside of Boston, MA. Apply by April 15th, 2015. Registration fee is $275 (includes transportation) and there are many scholarships available!

In this second guest blog from a Multicultural Leadership School alum, Aisha Pierre shares about her MLS experience! Ed.

Before enrolling to the Multicultural Leadership School (MLS), I was very uncomfortable about the topic of race. MLS gave me the confidence to talk about race and culture with others. Growing up in a predominately single race community, I was often referred to as the incorrect ethnicity. I always felt uncertain if I should correct the mistake, but after my summer with MLS I gained the confidence to respectfully correct the mistake. I no longer shy away from the issues of racial and cultural identity.

Through Multicultural Leadership School, I discovered that there was a community of Unitarian Universalist (UU) young adults of color. I was able to speak my mind and in return was met with compassion and respect. I learned to be non-judgmental toward another person’s culture and it is something that I have continued to display in my life today. MLS introduced me to a community that I belonged to and never knew about. This supportive community showed me that I was not the only one - that there were others who identified as Unitarian Universalists of color!

I can not imagine my life without my UU faith. During our time in Boston, we were given the opportunity to take a tour of the Unitarian Universalist Association headquarters. I remember learning even more about my faith. Multicultural Leadership School was a great experience, and I recommend this school to anybody who wishes to expand their knowledge in racial and cultural topics, or to anybody who wishes to deepen their faith with others within a supportive community.

Aisha Pierre is a student at the Community College of Rhode Island where she is working on her degree in History and Museum Studies. Her hobbies include visiting every museum on the East Coast and teaching herself to knit and crochet. She attends services at the Westminster Unitarian Church in East Greenwich, RI, but in the summertime she can be found in the dinning hall at Ferry Beach Park Association in Saco, ME where she works as one of the shift leaders.