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These offerings are opportunities for taking the next right action in your antiracism and multicultural work. For those who have completed the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), these offerings can help you meet your personal growth goals.
Antiracism Literacy Partners Wednesday, February 3 • 7:00-8:30 p.m. Register: http://bit.ly/Feb3ALP What does it take to be racially literate and engaged in antiracism in a day-to-day way? Where do we find resources and support in our ongoing learning about systemic racism and the work of dismantling it? This program is an easy entry into finding antiracism books, podcasts, and videos, as well as discussion partners for talking about them. Come to choose a resource, sign up for a buddy or small group, and receive discussion guidelines. Reflection & Readiness: Minnesota Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance Racial Justice Summit Tuesdays and Thursdays, February 16, 18, 23, 25 • 6:30-8:00 p.m. CT Saturday, February 20 • 10:00-noon CT Register Here Reflection & Readiness is an opportunity to reflect, convene, and connect across UU congregations in Minnesota and North & South Dakota, to share how we've been learning and taking action towards thriving multicultural democracy, and discern next steps for collective liberation. Toward a Culture of Accountability and Care Wednesday, February 17 • 7:00-8:30 p.m. Register: http://bit.ly/accountabilitycare At this program, developed from the work of Unity’s Racial and Restorative Justice Team, you will meet representatives of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence and Root and Restore Saint Paul, two local groups working on divestment from policing, investment in alternatives, and justice and healing for victims of police violence. You will learn why these groups do what they do, have an opportunity to ask questions, and discover how you can join the work. Black Film Canon Series Friday Evenings • February 19–May 21 • 7:00 p.m. Register: http://bit.ly/ucublackfilmcanon A new online film series invites you to view and discuss films written, produced, and created by Black people. Black Film Canon 101 (BFC 101) will meet on Zoom, beginning Friday, February 19, and continuing bi-weekly (mostly) through May (February 19 and 26; March 5 and 19; April 2, 16, 30; May 7 and 21). Congregation Book Read Discussion of Imani Perry’s Breathe Wednesday, February 24 • 7:00-8:30 p.m. Register: http://bit.ly/bookreadbreathe Join us for an online discussion of this year’s Congregation Book Read, Imani Perry’s Breathe: A Letter to My Sons (Beacon Press, 2019). The discussion will be facilitated by Rev. Karen Hering and members of the Racial and Restorative Justice Team. Discussion will include a BIPOC group, led by congregant Russel Balenger, for readers and parents who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. Reading guide: bit.ly/breathereadguide
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Lia Rivamonte, Artist-in-Residence Team Tonight in the dark kitchen only the stainless steel holds the moon On the sidewalk in front of my house I am invited to see the moon on the stainless steel surfaces in the dark of my kitchen. I do not have a stainless steel sink; the moon does not enter my kitchen through the window above it. No matter, I am grateful to have this invitation impressed into the concrete that evokes such delight. I hope that all who pass my house will look down and notice, read the words, and experience the wonder of the conjured image. There is much to admire in these four simple lines by the writer, @grumbles_mccoy, and credit must be given to Marcus Young, Unity’s current artist-in-residence, who initiated the project, “Everyday Poems for City Sidewalks.” It is Marcus who envisioned the sidewalks of St. Paul as pages in a book of wildly diverse poems and who worked with the city’s sidewalk maintenance program to make it happen. What crosses your mind as you glimpse a pleasant looking man dressed in flowing robes walking calmly in silence through the galleries of the large museum you are visiting? Or, perhaps you’re in a hurry, making your way to the bus stop. In the corner of your eye you catch a person dancing in an open space on the other side of the street. You stop to watch. Neither person asks you for anything yet you are drawn in. Each appears to be fully absorbed, moving through the space with intention. Each encounter throws you off, disrupts your routine in a subtle, but insistent way.  “Marcus Young brings an openness, curiosity and deep listening to his approach working within government agencies,” says Jessica Oh, Highway Sponsorship Director with MnDOT’s Office of Land Management where Marcus is serving as the Community Vitality Fellow. “He is interested in how art can create a more equitable world, both representational and lived, and his artistic practice considers those that are not at the table…”
Marcus’s work is rooted in curiosity. It is playful and nonthreatening, and invites questions. Marcus was gently queried by patrons at MiA, during his 10-day live-in residency titled, “With Nothing To Give I Give Myself.” He meditated, cleaned the chrome framework at the museum’s entrance, and walked through the corridors in flowing robes. Who are you? What are you doing? Why are you doing it? People asked. One of the truly wonderful things about Marcus’ art practice is how it seems to exist in the world with no agenda other than to spark curiosity. Those who are open to receiving it will experience whatever they are ripe for at that moment of encounter. His work challenges us, if we are willing, to imagine the possibilities, to begin honing a practice of seeing one another with no agenda, without prejudgment. Can we let curiosity point the way? CLICK HERE for information about Marcus' "Don't You Feel It Too?" program.  Photo illustration by Lisa Larson-Walker Black Film Canon series explores Black perspective behind and in front of the camera.
Friday Evenings • February 19–May 21 • 7:00 p.m. Register: http://bit.ly/ucublackfilmcanon A new online film series invites you to view and discuss films written, produced, and created by Black people. Black Film Canon 101 (BFC 101) will meet on Zoom, beginning Friday, February 19, and continuing bi-weekly (mostly) through May (February 19 and 26; March 5 and 19; April 2, 16, 30; May 7 and 21). The eight films will cover almost a full century, beginning with Oscar Michaeux’s silent film Within Our Gates, including Spike Lee’s 1979 film Do the Right Thing, and Gina Prince-Blythewood’s Love and Basketball, and ending with Ryan Couglar’s Fruitvale Station. It does not include recently released films from the last five years. Participants are asked to commit to the full series to build a deepening understanding and rapport with one another. The series begins with an introductory session and each session thereafter discusses one of eight films selected from the a list of 50 that Slate magazine has dubbed the “Black Film Canon.” The movies to be discussed bring to life not only Black suffering, slavery, and trauma, but also joy, love, and humor. Rev. Jack Gaede, from White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church and developer of BFC 101, notes: “...this isn't just a film study group, but also a chance to dig deeper into [ourselves] in the context of antiracism work. We are watching these movies … to explore and examine the concepts of race, of whiteness, of racism. We are asking people to look at the films through certain lenses, to notice whiteness and blackness and the way that those concepts are portrayed on screen. And we are especially curious about the way those portrayals have changed through time, which is why we are utilizing a chronological approach to the films that we are watching.” Becky Gonzalez-Campoy, member of Unity Church and student of social transformation at United Theological Seminary, will lead the series at Unity. Participants will view each movie on their own prior to the Zoom meeting. Class materials will include information about where to find these films (online) for viewing before each session as well as discussion questions and related resources. Films chosen in the series are available online for free or a minimal cost. If financial assistance is needed, please email [email protected]. BFC 101 is a great learning opportunity for anyone just starting their antiracism journey as well as for those who are already seasoned in this work. For those who have completed the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), this series can be a useful tool to help meet your personal growth goals. For more information please contact Becky Gonzalez-Campoy at [email protected]. |
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Beloved Community ResourcesUnity Justice Database
Team Dynamics House of Intersectionality Anti-Racism Resources in the Unity Libraries Collection Creative Writers of Color in Unity Libraries The History of Race Relations and Unity Church, 1850-2005 Archives
September 2024
Beloved Community Staff TeamThe Beloved Community Staff Team (BCST) strengthens and coordinates Unity’s antiracism and multicultural work, and provides opportunities for congregants and the church to grow into greater intercultural competency. We help the congregation ground itself in the understanding of antiracism and multiculturalism as a core part of faith formation. We support Unity’s efforts to expand our collective capacity to imagine and build the Beloved Community. Here, we share the stories of this journey — the struggles, the questions, and the collaborations — both at Unity and in the wider world.
The current members of the Beloved Community Staff Team include Rev. Kathleen Rolenz, Rev. KP Hong, Rev. Lara Cowtan, Drew Danielson, Laura Park, Lia Rivamonte and Angela Wilcox. |
