From the Unitarian Universalist Association archives.

From the Unitarian Universalist Association archives.

From the Unitarian Universalist Association archives.

From the Unitarian Universalist Association archives.

Adin Ballou (1803-1890) was in varying turns both a Unitarian and a Universalist minister. He was actively involved in the movement to abolish slavery beginning in the late 1830s, until the abolition of slavery following the Civil War. He was also a leading theorist for the New England...

The passage of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 caused considerable conflict among the Unitarians of Boston. The Fugitive Slave Law required that runaway slaves be returned to their so-called masters. It also criminalized anyone who aided or harbored runaways....

Slavery has often been called America's original sin. Yet, white American Unitarians, like most white Americans, were slow to speak out against slavery as an immoral institution. The Unitarian minister William Ellery Channing (1780-1842) was no exception. Channing was a major voice for American...

Activity time: 30 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 5, Imagining a Parker/Gannett Debate Preparation for Activity Assign roles in advance of the workshop. Co-facilitators may want to play Parker and Gannett, or especially enthusiastic group members may be invited to take on this...

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Participant journals (Workshop 1) Writing paper and pens/pencils Alternate writing materials such as color pencils or markers Preparation for Activity Write these questions on newsprint, and post: Were there surprises in today's workshop? Is your...

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 2, Adin Ballou and Christian Non-Resistance Leader Resource 4, Adin Ballou, Portrait Optional: Computer and digital projector Preparation for Activity Review Handout 2. Make copies for participants. Prepare to project Leader Resource 4 or...

Activity time: 30 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 1, Collaboration or Confrontation? Leader Resource 2, Theodore Parker, Portrait Leader Resource 3, Ezra Stiles Gannett, Portrait Optional: Computer and digital projector Preparation for Activity Review Handout 1. Make copies for participants.

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Story, "Channing and the Response to Slavery" Leader Resource 1, William Ellery Channing, Portrait Optional: Computer and digital projector Preparation for Activity Read the story. Make copies for participants....

Find brief biographies online, in the Unitarian Universalist Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography: Adin Ballou William Ellery Channing Ezra Stiles Gannett Theodore Parker Learn more about Ballou on the Friends of Adin Ballou website....

Take a few moments right after the workshop to ask each other: What went well? What did not? Why? What do you think was the best moment of the workshop? Why? Did anything surprise you? Review the next workshop. Are there any questions to research or logistics to arrange between workshops? Make a...

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Worship or centering table and chalice Participant journals Writing materials, including paper, pens, pencils, color pencils, and markers Taking It Home handout Preparation for Activity Customize the Taking It Home section of this workshop and copy...

Description of Activity Form groups of three. Invite each group to choose a contemporary social justice issue. You might suggest equal marriage, peacemaking, ethical eating, fair housing, or another issue important to your community and congregation....

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Worship or centering table Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED battery-operated candle Timepiece (minutes) Chime or bell Copies of Singing the Living Tradition, the UUA hymnbook, for all participants Optional: Cloth for worship/centering table...

Materials for Activity Sign-in sheet and pen or pencil Name tags for participants (durable or single-use), and bold markers Workshop 1, Handout 1, Schedule Optional: Refreshments Preparation for Activity Have copies of Workshop 1, Handout 1, Schedule on hand for those who need one. Using the...

After you read the workshop plan, return to Handout 1, Collaboration or Confrontation? Are you comfortable with the different responses Unitarians and Universalists had toward slavery? Why or why not?...

Activity Minutes Welcoming and Entering 0 Opening 10 Activity 1: The Response to Slavery 15 Activity 2: Values in Conflict 30 Activity 3: Nonviolent Resistance to Slavery 15 Activity 4: Journaling 10 Faith in Action: Multiple Strategies Closing 10 Alternate Activity 1: Imaginary Debate between...