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
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
You are a generous people. You donated almost $700 towards supplies for Boston’s unhoused residents. You baked more than 20 dozen cookies for the care kits. You assembled 100 care kits for distribution, each including sanitizer, winter wear, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb and cookies. Some kits even included a handmade card. Special thanks to the Cookie … Continue reading Thank You for Putting Our Love in Action!
“In order to empathize with someone’s experience, you must be willing to believe them as they see it, not how you imagine the experience to be.” Brene Brown Join us on Zoom Sunday afternoon at 4 pm for a second opportunity to talk about micro-aggressions. Please email Patty Shepard to request a link. If you joined us … Continue reading Building Beloved Community Quote By Quote 1/18/24
And the work remains unfinished, ongoing, and vital for humankind. We are a part of that inescapable mutuality, our destinies linked. A community acting in love. Today. —Gloria Legvold, for the Racial Justice Team Planning Group
In the parlor starting at 12pm, after the coffee hour hubbub has died down: Deepen your connections with your fellow congregants after church with a discussion of On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World, led by Lee Barton. Lee says, “People hurt one another. We all do. We may not mean to, but it … Continue reading Discuss the UUA Common Read Feb. 11 after Worship
