Tapestry of Faith: Building the World We Dream About: An Anti-racism Multicultural Program

Introduction

I believe that many Unitarian Universalists need to reconcile the moment in their lives when they first felt inferior to someone or something and how that moment has shaped and influenced their lives. — Rev. Monica Cummings, minister to Unitarian Universalist Youth and Young Adults of Color

Workshop 3 builds on the reflective storytelling of "marginalizing and mattering" experiences and establishes a foundation for future discussions about race. Individually and in small and large groups, participants will explore the concept of identity, defined as "something without which you'd 'miss what being human is for you.'" Participants will further explore how a person's perspective on a situation or event might be influenced by their experiences and by the various identities they claim.

Before leading this workshop, review the accessibility guidelines in the program Introduction under Integrating All Participants.

Goals

This workshop will:

  • Demonstrate how individuals can have common experiences that carry vastly different meanings
  • Explore the meaning of "identity"
  • Explore how individuals and groups shape and are shaped by their life experiences, or how life experiences shape "identity"
  • Introduce the idea that our perspectives on situations and events are shaped by identities we claim.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

  • Discover that different people bring different perspectives to the same experience
  • Become familiar with the concept of identity, and deepen their understanding of the concept through individual, small group, and large group exercises and reflection
  • Begin to understand how individuals and groups shape and are shaped by their life experiences, and how life experiences shape "identity"
  • Begin to explore how identity shapes perspective on events and experiences.