By Rev. Heather Janules, Parish Minister and Donna Reed The theme for April is Interdependence. As we recognize the importance of interdependence every month, we thought this would be a perfect time to launch a regular feature in The Mystic Messenger – an interview with a member of the WUS community. Our connections with each … Continue reading An Interview with Jo Morgan
The Racial Justice Team’s Planning Group hosted a discussion of the word “privilege” last Sunday, with another one scheduled for March 7 on zoom from 7 to 8 pm. (registration required) The focus is on Peggy McIntosh’s ground-breaking article in 1988: “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” Take a few minutes to google the article and … Continue reading Building Beloved Community Book by Book 2/29/24
This past Sunday for First Reflection, we talked about how important it is to remember that we all belong to one another, even though it can be hard sometimes when someone seems very different from ourselves. In our RE time, we had our second February Vacation collective fun time. We played “Freeze” Dance, did winter … Continue reading RE update 2/29/24
Our Winchester Unitarian Society proudly flies three flags to underscore our shared UU values. Perhaps you have seen the Pan-African flag with its broad horizontal bars of red, black, and green, giving a voice to the Black diaspora spread across the world far too often against their will, including right here in our United States. … Continue reading Building Beloved Community Flag by Flag 2/22/24
“How Resistance Works” A number of people asked for the resources I referenced in my Second Reflection: Jason Stanley, How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, and Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny. If at least 4 people let me know that they are interested in reading and discussing On Tyranny by March 3rd, I will organize and facilitate a … Continue reading Follow Up from February 18th Service
Two separate but important thoughts to share this week. We are a little more than halfway through the church’s program year. Our leaders have already begun to look toward next year. The Nominations, Leadership and Development Committee has been working to fill our committees for the next term as people complete their terms. The Treasurer … Continue reading A Message from the Chair Gordy McIntosh 2/22/24
Resource By Resource If you like your information in manageable amounts, try subscribing to the Anti-Racism Daily (www.the-ard.com) newsletter. Black History Month is a great time to expand your understanding of racism in all its forms. A recent article discussed discrimination in housing appraisals and another explained why we capitalize B in Black when referring … Continue reading Building Beloved Community 2/15/24
Learning By Learning More than a century after the 13th Amendment abolished slavey, President Gerald Ford recognized February as BLACK HISTORY MONTH in 1976. This declaration was long coming, with many earlier manifestations such as the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) in 1926 sponsoring Negro History Week on the second week … Continue reading Building Beloved Community 2/8/24
A reminder for Black History Month of our continued commitment to Racial Justice:
In our recent Connecting Conversations we explored, together, microaggressions and their grievous harm. A possible counter strategy to their cumulative burden is small, affirming declarations. In a 2023 Harvard Business Review article, authors Roberts, Grayson, and Rosser presented several microvalidations to incorporate into interactions. Each can begin subtly to move a marginalized “outsider” into a sense of inclusion as an “insider.” Here, … Continue reading Building Beloved Community with Microvalidations
