Our Mission

We dedicate ourselves to moving forward in transforming our Beloved Community, Winchester Unitarian Society, from a Multiculturally-aware Congregation Committed to Racial Justice, to an Intentionally Pro-active, Radically Inclusive Multicultural Anti-racist Congregation. We proclaim social justice and racial equity as a natural outgrowth of our Unitarian Universalist religious values. We envision this goal as being integrated into everything we do together: our spiritual growth, worship services, committee work, discussions, decisions, and internal and public actions. We promise an annual review process to assess and adjust our efforts on this journey.

How to Get Involved

Join our Racial Justice Team Planning Group (RJTPG)! Our group works to educate the congregation through workshops, book discussions, and community conversations. We also develop ways our congregation can take action for racial justice. We often carry out tasks in smaller groupings, so there are various ways to be involved. Contact Gloria Legvold at glegvold@comcast.net to learn more!

We are Committed to…

• Being an intentionally and proactively anti-racist congregation
• Publicly displaying on church property a sign or banner that includes the words “BLACK LIVES MATTER” and communicating to the wider community the meaning of the sign or banner
• Providing ongoing, intentional learning spaces for our members, friends, and the wider community to deepen understanding of systemic racism and possible ways to change it
• Raising anti-racist children
• Acknowledging the need to continue to reflect on our own individual and collective roles in perpetuating systemic racism
• Studying and reflecting on white privilege and our own complicity in institutionalized racism as a predominantly white congregation 
• Remaining mindful of the interconnected nature of racism and other systems of oppression that impact people based on class, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, age, culture, religion, and language

Winchester Unitarian Society’s Commitment to Racial Justice Statement

Additional Information

Educational Resources on Anti-Racism:

• Visit here for the Racial Justice Book Group’s list of recommended books
• Teaching for Change provides social justice book lists for children
• Social Justice Books provides a guide for choosing anti-bias children’s books

Unitarian Universalist Groups for BIPOC Congregants:

• BLUU (Black Lives of UU Organizing Collective)
• DRUUM (Diverse & Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries)
• Taproot (A National BIPOC Space)