Information Concerning a General Assembly 2006 Responsive Resolution on Racism and Classism

A letter to UUA congregational leaders from the Secretary of the Association

UU Congregational Leaders:

In my role as a member of the Board of Trustees and Secretary of the UUA, I am writing to notify congregational ministers and leadership of a resolution passed on June 25, 2006, by the delegates at the General Assembly in St. Louis. The text of this resolution is the following:

"Resolved, that the Delegates to General Assembly are charged to work with their congregations to hold at least one program over the next year to address racism or classism, and to report on that program at next year's General Assembly."

The bylaws of the UUA provide for responsive resolutions in response to a substantive portion of a report delivered at the GA either by an officer of the Association or a committee. The resolution above was moved and passed in response to reports presented by officers at the 2006 GA and the report of the Special Review Commission appointed by the UUA President and Moderator to review the events surrounding the 2005 General Assembly in Fort Worth, Texas. Both the relevant 2006 officers' reports and the Special Review Commission report concerned events at the General Assemblies that affected Unitarian Universalist communities of color, especially youth of color.

Some of our member congregations have done significant work on issues of racism, classism, and multiculturalism using resources provided by both the UUA and other sources of expertise. If your congregation has done such work, this resolution provides an opportunity to share your efforts and accomplishments with other congregations in your cluster or district so they can benefit from your experience. Resources and suggestions for programs provided by the UUA can be found online.

This resolution was not on the GA agenda. It was written by a GA delegate, offered as a responsive resolution, and overwhelmingly supported by the delegates from over 600 UU congregations. I urge you to use this resolution as an opportunity to reflect on how your congregation is engaging with the issues of anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multiculturalism. When delegates representing our congregations gather at 2007 General Assembly in Portland, Oregon, we will have an opportunity to share our experiences in congregationally-based programs on issues of racism and classism.

As we approach the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we are reminded that racism and classism remain problems in our society that we, as people of faith, are called to address. Our experiences together in community show that we have much work to do to live our UU principles more fully.

In Faith,

Paul Rickter
UUA Secretary