Sometimes, freedom is a long time coming. It may take generations upon generations for justice to be won. Our Unitarian ancestor Reverend Theodore Parker said, "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe: the arc is a long one...

Adapted from The Family Finds Out by Edith Hunter (Boston: Beacon Press, 1966).Ellen was sitting up on a branch of the apple tree, swinging her legs. Her mother was looking over the vegetable garden. "Want to see a nice fat green worm?" her mother called. Ellen jumped down from the tree and ran...

Janeen K. Grohsmeyer, adapted from the story, “Circles of Light: The Flaming Chalice." In the dark nights and the darker days of World War II, guns blazed all over Europe and airplanes dropped death from the sky. Many people tried to escape from the war. These people were called refugees. Some...

There was an extraordinary range of personal beliefs among the participants in my 2003 small group workshop in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. They were the delegates, staff and visitors attending the annual meeting of the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists....

A wisdom tale from many cultures, including Buddhist.A wise woman, a teacher, was passing through a forest. There, among the leaves, was something shiny. She wiped away the leaves and dirt and beheld a beautiful, large gem. "My, this is pretty," the wise woman said. She put the jewel in her pouch...

When Joseph Jordan (pronounced Jerden) was born in Virginia in 1842, slavery was still legal. Most people of African descent were treated as property, like horses or dogs. They were bought and sold; they had no rights. Whether enslaved or free, people of color were not treated with respect....

On July 27, 2008, people gathered in the sanctuary of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville to watch the children and youth of the congregation present the musical Annie Jr. Suddenly, a shot rang out. At first, many thought the noise was part of the musical, but they...

Searle-White, Joshua. "… Side Mary" in M… Wanda's Travel Emporium: Tales of Love, Hate and Things in Between. Boston: Skinner House, 2006. Used with permission. In a medium-sized town not far from here, there was a middle school. It was just like any other middle school, except for two things.

Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 3, Freedom Preparation for Activity Read Handout 3 and copy for all participants. Arrange for two volunteers to read the handout aloud, alternating points. Give them the handout in advance. Description of Activity Distribute the Handout 3,...

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Timepiece (minutes) Bell or chime Preparation for Activity Write on newsprint, and post: Have there been times in your life when you felt pressured to support something you did not agree with? When? Where did this pressure come from (work, family,...

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 4, Testimony before HUAC Preparation for Activity Pre-arrange with four volunteers to read the four roles in the transcript. Give them copies of Handout 4 with their assignments. Arrange furniture to effectively present the story. In the...

Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Read the short b… of Donald Harrington on the Harvard Square Library website. Description of Activity Introduce the activity with these or similar words: Many Unitarians disagreed with Rev.

Activity time: 30 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 2, The California Loyalty Oath Handout 3, This Could Happen Here Leader Resource 2, The Levering Act Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Copy Handouts 2 and 3 for all participants. Read the short b… of Rev. Stephen...

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 1, Rev. Stephen Fritchman and the House Un-American Activities Committee Leader Resource 1, What Was It Like? A First-hand Account of HUAC Timepiece Bell or chime Preparation for Activity Read Handout 1 and copy for all participants. Read...

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...

Materials for Activity Optional: Newsprint list of unanswered questions, created in Activity 1 Preparation for Activity Speak with the social action committee, your minister, or others who can help you find examples of current congregational social justice activities that involve freedom of speec...

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Worship or centering table Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED battery-operated candle Time piece (minutes) Chime or bell Copies of Singing the Living Tradition, the UUA hymnbook, for all participants Optional: Cloth for worship/centering table...

Activity time: 20 minutes Preparation for Activity Read the Earl Morse Wilbur words quoted in the activity description. Discuss with your co-facilitator the ways you find these values are-and are not-the dominant values in our faith tradition. Description of Activity Read aloud these words of the...

Activity time: 30 minutes Materials for Activity Story, "The Cambridge Platform" Preparation for Activity Read the story "The Cambridge Platform" and copy it for all participants....

A covenant is not a contract, but rather a voluntary relationship. The idea of a covenant has biblical origins and traditionally includes the understanding that the relationship is sacred or blessed....