Blue Boat of Youth and Young Adult MinistriesSpiritual Practices for White Anxiety
Tomorrow some right wing extremists are planning to hold a rally in the city I live in and I’m planning to march against white supremacy. Like many folks, I have a lot of questions rattling around in my brain. I have petty selfish questions, logistical questions, and deep questions. I’m wondering “How much violence will there be?” and “Should I wear a love shirt over my clergy shirt?” and “What if the cell phone towers jam and what if it rains?” and “What if things start to escalate, should I leave? Should I try and protect my friends of color? Will I have the courage to do that?” and “What if white people in our march…
Reflections after Thrive Young Adult
Kaitlin Dey, Thrive Young Adult alumni 2016 and 2017, shared this reflection at her congregation last Sunday: I spent the last 10 days in New Orleans. I attended Thrive Young Adult. Thrive is part of Grow Racial Justice that is for UU young adults of color, we dove deep into complex questions about identity, power, spirituality and leadership. We got to explore our roles as young adults of color in our UU movement, build relationships with one another around intersecting identities, share practices for healing and resistance, and support each other on the path toward liberation. While I was at Thrive, I began dialogues about the beauty and the flaws of our faith. As the week continued and General Assembly began,…
LGBTQ+ Youth Survival Guide: Trump Edition
by Rev. Evin Carvill-Ziemer LGBTQ+ Youth Survival Guide: Trump Edition Dear beautiful, fabulous gender creative and sexually non-conforming youth and teens–all those who are queer, trans, non-binary, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and a hundred other wonderful self-proclaimed identities, My heart breaks for you. This is not the future I wanted for you. This is not the future I have been fighting for. But I also know you are strong and I want you to have the information you need to survive. Because I need you to survive! I haven’t seen a “this shit is real” missive to you yet, so here’s what I’ve got. I don’t think it’s helpful to sugar coat this. Yes, you and…
How Your Youth Group Can Support Standing Rock
by Jaidyn Bryant and the 2017 General Assembly Youth Caucus Staff So, Trump was elected president. Black, Latinx, Muslim, Native, LGBTQ communities are under continued attacks. What does that mean for Standing Rock? It means that the threat to Native sovereignty will continue. That degradation of our environment will escalate. Trump and many people in his cabinet will personally profit (because of their investments) if the Dakota Access Pipeline is successful. The Dakota Access Pipeline puts the already polluted Missouri River at a major risk for for even more pollution. In an effort to transport oil 1,200 miles east from North Dakota to central Illinois, the DAPL will disturb sacred lands and burial grounds,…
For Dealing With the Again and Again and Again
again. it happened again on Monday, news spreading on social media today. this time he was a therapist trying to help his autistic patient. this time the “gun” was a toy truck. this time he survived the shooting. again. beloveds it is all too much and has been too much. it was too much when George Zimmerman was acquitted of Trayvon Martin’s murder and the #blacklivesmatter hashtag came into being. it’s been hundreds of years of again and again and too much. so if you need something today, something to deal with the again, here are a few offerings, gathered with love. for those who need to just stay with the pain for now, here is “a…
Fiercely UU: Sitting in for Democracy
Fiercely UU is a blog series where Unitarian Universalist (UU) young adults tell stories about what our faith requires of us and how they follow that call. To be fiercely UU is to proclaim human worth and interdependence. In an individualist, greed-based, shame and fear fueled white supremacist patriarchy, we say no to isolation and oppression and yes to radical love and covenanted connection. – Ed. Our Fifth Principle and Sitting in for Democracy by Laura Williamson Last month I sat on the steps of the U.S. Capitol with 300 others singing, chanting, and eventually being arrested, to send a message to Congress: amend the Constitution to get big money out of politics and restore the right…
Hallowed Growth in NOLA
New Orleans Service Trip by Emily Parker On this small lot in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, organic vegetables grow in rows. Honey bees housed in hives on the lot buzz by, and a bench constructed between cinder blocks doubles as a flower planter. Inside a modest greenhouse, a hodgepodge of reclaimed bathtubs support an aquaculture, growing fish and fertilizing plants symbiotically. David Young, the man behind this and many other community gardens in the Lower Ninth Ward, is taking me and seventeen other Juniata College students on a tour. Spending our spring break in New Orleans for a week of interfaith service and learning, we have just finished our first day of…
UUs Bend the Arc at the United Nations
Living UU in Stereo Podcast Luminary Leader Martin Tomlinson, Co-Dean of the 2016 UU-UNO Intergenerational Spring Seminar, April 7-9 in New York City, interviews the Director of the Unitarian Universalist Association UU-UNO (Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office), Bruce Knotts. Hear about Bruce’s start in the Peace Corps, his rise to influence leaders at the United Nations, and the impact Unitarian Universalists have in creating justice and equity on the world stage. Finally, learn more about the 2016 seminar theme, “The Colors of Inequality: Costs and Consequences”, and register to attend this awesome event. Register online before March 18, 2016.
Eliot Unitarian Chapel Helps Youth Wake Up to Race
In honor of the Standing on the Side of Love 30 Days of Love 2016 campaign, Colleen Lee speaks up about her awakening to racial tensions close to home. Social justice is a core value of Unitarian Universalism (UU). Even though Unitarian Universalists’ beliefs can differ dramatically one common strand is social justice. As a white female youth who lives close to Ferguson, MO, I used to be uncomfortable discussing race. I feared that I would offend someone if I said anything about race. So I didn’t actively acknowledge and confront race as an issue because of how touchy of a subject it was. But all the injustices brought to light by the Michael Brown…
We Can’t Keep Our Children Safe
Fear, safety, protests, and supporting the movement for Black lives When my daughter Moira was born I expected to feel deep love. What I wasn’t expecting was how much that love hurt. I love her in this deeply protective way that was horrifying at first and I still find overwhelming. My partner and I strive to be non-panicky parents and, for the most part, I think we do a decent job. Still, I have double checked to make sure she was breathing in her sleep many more times than is rational. She’s only three months old and I know this is going to get so much worse once she can crawl, walk, go to school,…
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