Summary of UUCLB AR/AO Work

Summary of UUCLB Anti-Racist/Anti-Oppression Work

  • Church hosted series of Black-White Discussion Groups in response to the racial conflicts of the late 1960s.
  • Starting in 1990s, church participated in UUA-sponsored Journey Toward Wholeness Sunday… Annual JTW Sundays every February, with special collection, continued into the next millennium.
  • Hosted an Intercultural Dialogue Program [March 1994], developed by the Rev. Ken Brown in response to the Los Angeles Riots/Civil Uprising following acquittal of police officers who beat Rodney King.
  • Formed the Anti-Racism Task Force [February 1997] to respond to the 1996 General Assembly’s resolution requesting that congregations engage in a one-year reflection and action process around anti-racism.
    • Presented a worship service on April 13, 1997 entitled “The Journey Toward Wholeness”
    • Presented the UUA Journey Toward Wholeness workshop, event known as Jubilee I [April 18-19, 26, 1997].
    • Prepared the “Resolution to Become an Anti-Racist Institution.”
  • Large group representing church, led by Rev. Marguerite Lovett, marched in Long Beach’s Martin Luther King Day parade [February 1998] and attended festival. Church continues to participate with some interruptions into the present.
  • Confronting Racism Task Force [1998-2003]
    • Organized various all-church events
    • Organized and hosted a second Jubilee I [November 1999]. Presenters were members of UUA JTW staff.
    • Held a church-wide convocation [September 2001] on anti-racism
    • Self-selected delegation of church members traveled to Journey Toward Wholeness conference at First UU Church San Diego [January 2002], organized by PSWD Anti-Racism Committee
    • Members of committee included Marti Evans, Sandy Kroll, Ginny Monahan, and JoRae Zuckerman
  • Founding member of Greater Long Beach – Interfaith Community Organization [1999-present]
    • Partnership that draws on the diverse population of our community, including congregations that are predominantly African American, Latino/a, Cambodian and Samoan.
  • Anti-Racism Transformation Team [2003-2010]
    • Anti-Racism Design Team selected original members of ARTT: Denise Allen, Shellynne Allen, Diana Braun, Jessica Castro, Paula Castro, Sarah Castro, Matthew McHale, Jeni Rodriguez, Michael Sallwasser, Elmer Taylor, and Pamela Wood-Browne
    • UUCLB ARTT organized and participated in Jubilee II – weekend training seminar at church.
    • Instrumental in AR/AO language in current church mission statement [2004]
    • Led multiple worship services on inclusion and cultural appropriation
    • Provided AR/AO small group training for Board, Worship, Music and Arts, and Religious Education committees, and staff
    • Provided AR/AO activities for church leadership at a Town Hall Council
    • Compiled 64-page JTW & Anti-Racism Team Handbook that is given to new ARTT members and has been shared with other congregation ARTTs
    • Prepared materials for Small Group Ministry that were used by all SGM groups
    • Instituted practice of (L)DRE regularly evaluating Religious Education curriculum with AR/AO lens and incorporating AR/AO analysis into teacher training.
    • Conducted and presented two annual AR/AO Church Audits
    • Developed (with others) an event in response to presidential candidate Barack Obama’s speech on race (our workshop design was subsequently distributed by UUA)
    • Hosted third Jubilee I. Many congregations were represented.
    • Created independent task group to consider Diversity of Ministry Initiative
  • Established the Jack and Helen Graham Social Justice Award [September 1, 2005]
    • The Social Justice Award is named after Jack and Helen Graham, to honor their decades of work toward creating a more just, equitable and compassionate world. Jack worked tirelessly for social justice and racial Justice he served many years on the Social Action Committee and the Anti-Racism Transformation Team.
  • Church hosted Allies for Racial Equity national conference [March 2010].
  • People of Color affinity group formed [2013–2016]
  • “The New Jim Crow” Study Groups [2014] led by Phyllis Daniel and Grace Lorentzen met over a few weeks to read and discuss Michelle Alexander’s book.
  • Interfaith Protest of Eric Garner’s Death from police chokehold. Public witness event. Protest was specifically about the death of Eric Garner (“I Can’t Breathe”), but also the disproportionate number of Black men who are killed by police every year.
  • Racial Justice Strategic Planning Group [September 2015-present] – a minister’s task force, convened by Rev. Mitra Rahnema, which reconfigured as Racial Justice Team
    • Support for Black Lives Matter locally and nationally
    • Identify and confront racism in the congregation and community
    • Created worship service and community forum [November 22, 2015]
    • Congregation unanimously adopted “Resolution in Support of Black Lives Matter Movement” [May 1, 2016]
    • Organized Ad hoc Congregational Speak-out and Reflection in wake of the murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile [July 10, 2016]
    • Co-hosted Faith Community Forum with BLM-Long Beach that attracted 40 clergy and lay faith leaders from Long Beach area [August 4, 2016]
    • Unfurled Black Lives Matter banner (with Black Trans Lives Matter inset) before gathered members of neighboring faith communities and congregation. [August 21, 2016] Vinyl banner was stolen just days before it was scheduled to be displayed (it was furled at the time), and a temporary paper banner was created.
  • Hosted Environmental Racism Forum open to the community and attended by 100 members of the community and the congregation. [January 26, 2017]
  • Hosted White Supremacy Teach-In in response to request by Black Lives of UU [June 11, 2017]
  • Participated in launch of Long Beach Sacred Resistance – an Interfaith Coalition [July 2017]
  • Hosted Race and Racism Workshop presented by Celia Young [May 5, 2018]
  • Members of UUCLB attend and speak at civic events to find answers in unsolved hate crime, Murder of Fred Taft in Long Beach [July/August 2018]
  • Hosted Community event to Reform Los Angeles County Jails [October 4. 2018]
  • Black Lives Matter Banner was re-dedicated, and congregation re-committed our support for Black Lives [November 18, 2018]
  • Arranged Deepening Racial Justice Workshop, presented by California Council for Equality and Justice [September 21, 2019]
  • The UUCLB Board of Trustees commissions an 8th Principle Task Force. The Task Force work’s with and through the Racial Justic Team. [September 15th 2020]
  • The UUCLB Board of Trustees commissions a “Widened the Circle of Concern, Report of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change” Task Force. It is charged with studying the report and recommend how to implement its findings and suggestions in our congregation. [October 20, 2020]
  • The UUCLB congregation adopts the 8th Principle [May 23, 2021]
  • The Racial Justice Team facilitates the start of the WTCoC Report Task Force. The Task Force works through the Racial Justice Team, (it was the RJT and their chair Jan Seymour-Ford who brought the need for this Task Force to the Board’s attention). The Task force was eventually scheduled to begin their work after the adoption of the 8th Principle, as the report functions as a roadmap to getting the work of the 8th Principle done. [June 2021]