Building Beloved Community Obligation by Obligation

2024 will be a critical election year for our nation and provide us each with the privilege of voting our values—based on the principles that guide our WInchester Unitarian Society. These principles include a democratic process, dismantling racism and other forms of oppression, and supporting justice, equity, and pluralism.

Richard Hauss, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, argues that the right to vote alone cannot create a healthy democracy. Obligations, things that should happen, but that the law cannot require, are the key. His ten obligations are:
     *Be informed.                                    *Get involved.
     *Stay open to compromise.         *Remain civil.
     *Reject violence.                               *Value norms.
     *Promote the common good.       *Respect government service.
     *Support the teaching of civics.  *Put country first.

These “obligations” we can begin to work on now, right now, using our conscience, values, and personal efforts to better our world through deep participation in democracy.


—Gloria Legvold, for the Racial Justice Team Planning Group