Commission on Institutional Change at General Assembly 2018

The Commission on Institutional Change: Rev. Natalie Fenimore, Caitlin Breedlove, Mary Byron, Rev. Leslie Takahashi (chair), Dr. Elias Ortega Aponte, DeReau Farrar
an overhead view of the UUA booths in the GA exhibit hall

VISIT WITH COMMISSIONERS AND COMMISSION STAFF IN THE EXHIBIT HALL

Bring your questions!

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; 11-12 pm, 2-3 pm, 6-7 pm

DRUUMM Exhibit booth # 410

The year since the Commission on Institutional Change's formations the Commissioners have been engaged in meeting its charge. You are invited to join the Commission's various activities and panels at General Assembly 2018 to learn about its work and to share in it.

COMMISSION PROGRAMMING:

Ministry Days Collegial Conversation

Tuesday 2:00 pm - 3:15 pm, room 2502 B

Rev. Leslie Takahashi and Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore of the Commission on Institutional Change will be on hand at Ministry Days to host a Collegial Conversation about the work the Commission has done in the past year. This includes a dive into the Commission's report on the 2017 Southern Regional Lead hiring process.

Centering Theology: Conversation about Faith, Race and Liberation

Thursday 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm, room 2501 A 

Our Association is engaged in an on-going struggle to address the white, heteronormative, economically-privileged nature of the way we exercise our faith. How is our engagement in this dialogue and our engagement with new ways of being a mandate of our beliefs? Come and engage with this crucial issue.

Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt, Dr. Elias Ortega-Aponte, Rev. Sharon Welch, Dr. Daniel McKanan & Rev. Leslie Takahashi

WHY TRUTH COMES FIRST IN “TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION”

Saturday, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm, room 2215 A

The Commission on Institutional Change was appointed before the last General Assembly and charged in part to conduct a “truth and reconciliation process.” Though we are always eager to get to the reconciliation, what have we learned about the truth? This will be an interactive session.

Rev. Leslie Takahashi, Dereau Farrar, Dr. Elias Ortega-Apointe, Mary Byron & Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore

Leading at General Assembly

GENERALS SESSION AGENDA ITEMS

Report from the Commission on Institutional Change – General Session II 

Thursday; session begins at 9:15 am, Commission Report will occur approximately at 10:00 am, Hall C

Panel Discussion - Religious Professionals of Color – General Session V 

Saturday; session begins at 9:00 am, Panel Discussion will occur approximately at 10:00 am, Hall C

General Session Discussion - Together We are Called – General Session VI

Saturday; session begins at 4:30 pm, Hall C


SHARE YOUR STORIES WITH THE COMMISSION

Stories and Testimonials about Racism

The Commission continues to gather personal accounts and stories about how racism has affected individuals and groups within Unitarian Universalism at the personal, institutional, or systemic levels. We seek to document incidents that occurred between individual Unitarian Universalists, within a congregational or Associational setting, or as a result of white-centeredness embedded within the greater Unitarian Universalist culture.

  • Multi-racial space, allies welcome: Thursday, 1-2 pm, room 2215 B
  • Space specifically for Young Adults of Color: Thursday, 6-7 pm, room 2210
  • Space specifically for Religious Professionals of Color: Friday, 1-2 pm and Saturday, 4:30-5:30 pm, room 1501 A
  • Space for lay people of color: Friday, 3-4 pm, room 1501 A

Best Practices in Anti-Racism

Friday, 5-6 pm, and Saturday, 1-2 pm, room 2210

If you have been doing something in the field of anti-racism that you think is going well, we’d like to hear about it. This might include:

  • Justice work grounded in accountable relationships with organizations led by and serving people of color
  • Partnering with local grassroots campaigns
  • Multi-racial staff teams serving congregations effectively for more than 3 years
  • Family ministries and/or religious education programming especially targeted to and serving congregants of color, adults and children/youth