Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Resistance and Transformation: An Adult Program on Unitarian Universalist Social Justice History

Alternate Activity 1: Small Acts of Great Courage

Activity time: 25 minutes

Materials for Activity

Preparation for Activity

  • Read Handout 3 and copy it for all participants.
  • Optional: If possible, distribute Handout 3 in advance of the workshop. Encourage participants to read the handout and underline, make notes, and write down questions.

Description of Activity

If participants do not already have Handout 3, distribute it and invite them to read it. Encourage them to underline, make notes, and write down questions.

Invite initial questions or comments. Then ask participants for their reactions to this quotation from the handout:

These stories do not mean, "Unitarian Universalists led the civil rights movement." The Movement was a movement of, by, and for African Americans, only some of whom were Unitarian Universalist. An accurate history of the Movement could be written without using the words "Unitarian Universalist." I think it would be missing some of the details, because there were small but crucial contributions by individuals and congregations which were Unitarian Universalist, but it could be done.

Lead a discussion:

  • Do the stories from Southern Unitarian Universalist congregations surprise you? How do they change your understanding of the events of the Civil Rights era?
  • Why do you think these stories are less well known than some other stories of Unitarian Universalists in the Civil Rights era?