Tools for Reflection and Action

Last May, we participated along with 600 other congregations in a UU wide Teach-in on White Supremacy. (See the transcript of our worship service at http://www.a2u2.org/services/resisting-white-supremacy/) From the teach-in website, [https://www.uuteachin.org] we read: “White supremacy” is a provocative phrase, as it conjures up images of hoods and mobs. Yet in 2017, actual “white supremacists” are not required in order to uphold white supremacist culture. Building a faith full of people who understand that key distinction is essential as we work toward a more just society in difficult political times. 

This past year, we have seen all too many blatant white supremacists in the news. Perhaps you've wondered how to respond or to challenge such hate and racism. While it may seem counter-intuitive, one of the most important ways is to better understand the underlying structures of our society that are rooted in and support white supremacy. White supremacy has been defined as a set of institutional assumptions and practices, often operating unconsciously, that tend to benefit white people and exclude people of color. If we can begin to understand these assumptions and practices, we have the possibility of making changes.

This fall, a call came out for a Teach-In Part II, and Carolyn Barschow (our fantastic DRE!) and I have been talking about how we can participate here at A2U2. We decided to offer a film and discussion on October 15th following the services. The film is a lecture by Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, President of Starr King School for the Ministry, and African-American UU minister. She shares the personal story of her family's long history with UU Community Church of New York, and reflects on the challenges for our faith going into the future. She wonders what it might take to truly make changes that would enable her sons and other people of color to feel fully at home in our UU movement.

Her lecture was part of this spring's Minn Lecture Series in Boston & Cambridge, on the topic: “Historical and Future Trajectories of Black Lives Matter and Unitarian Universalism.” By the way, the other lecture was given by Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed, and you can read an article based on his talk, entitled “The Black Hole in the White UU Psyche” in the September issue of the UU World magazine. http://www.uuworld.org/articles/black-hole-white-uu-psyche.

In this time of transitions in our congregation and in our wider movement, we have a chance to stretch ourselves—to let go of the comfortable and familiar and risk new ideas and possibilities that might make a big difference in our world. I hope that many of you will join us for the film and discussion.

And in a related vein, you may remember when Sherri Mitchell, a Penobscot activist, preached so eloquently at our church last November. Sherri will be returning to A2U2 on October 28th for a day-long workshop entitled, From Traumatic Paralysis to Unified Action. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and stuck with the bad news we face every day—Here is a chance to go deeper, to acknowledge our wounds and create ways to move beyond them.

I hope to see many of you there. If you are interested, but can't afford the registration, talk to me.

Affectionately,
Rev. Myke

Healing the World

I am writing this on the day following the eclipse of the sun—Margy and I didn't travel to see the totality—but it was exciting to see millions of people in our country gazing at the mysteries of the universe. Astrologer friends of mine say the time between the lunar and solar eclipses was good for introspection and reflection. I've been taking that solitary time during these last few weeks to prepare for this upcoming church year—thinking about sermons, thinking about teaching, thinking about what has been happening in our world, and how we can respond to it.

Two events stand out for me this summer. In July, I participated in a gathering led by Penobscot Sherri Mitchell, entitled Healing the Wounds of Turtle Island. Indigenous elders from across the continent came together in Passadumkeag Maine, for ceremonies to heal the violence in the history of our country. The gathering was open to anyone, and we learned that, actually, this was the beginning of a twenty-one year ritual for the healing of our country. There will be three more gatherings here in the East, then four gatherings in the South, four in the West, four in the North, four in the center of the country, and then one more back in the East. A big vision! On the first day, Sherri reminded us that all of us carry wounds from the violent history of our country, whether our ancestors were part of the oppression, were oppressed, or were witnesses to what occurred.

In August, the wound of white supremacy in our country showed itself overtly. A white nationalist rally in Charlottesville turned deadly, when a neo-Nazi man plowed his car into a group of anti-racist counter-protesters, killing a young activist woman, Heather Heyer, and injuring many others. One of the many clergy present there to counter-protest was Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, new president of the Unitarian Universalist Association. I was proud to be UU on that day, even as my heart was broken. Since then, many other protests have sprung up across the nation, calling for cities and towns and universities to take down Confederate statues and plaques, and inviting us to affirm a nation that welcomes all, despite our violent beginnings.

Can we heal our nation? There are many Indigenous prophecies that speak of today as a time for healing. We need it so much! I believe we need to acknowledge the violence of our nation's past before we can heal the violence of the present moment. Perhaps we are beginning to do that. The ceremonies at Passadumkeag reminded me that often what is most powerful is not what we see in the news, but what is hidden close to the earth, in small gatherings, in communities of love and vision. I am looking forward to being with all of you again, as together we wrestle with the struggles of our times, and seek healing in the light of the larger mysteries.

Affectionately, Rev. Myke