Beloved Community Communications Team 
​
Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. — Rumi

​“Authentic relationships … personal practice … an ever-widening circle of belonging for all people … brave space for racial healing,” are what “we the people of Unity Church-Unitarian” pledge to create and sustain, as outlined in our Ends Statements. Racial equity and diversity inclusion work isn’t a program, but a lifestyle, according to Trina Olson, co-founder of Team Dynamics.* Inherent in our pledge is a commitment to build from what’s been started, maintain momentum, and as Trina said, to “create a container where the assets from our mixed team are showing up … to make a really meaningful impact.” 

The Unity Church Board of Trustees is passionately committed to working toward our promises/ends and in 2021, plans to build on the important efforts already begun. Trustee Jackie Smith reflected on this work: 

Indigenous Justice Team
A new team is forming at Unity Church around indigenous justice and reparations. Last fall, a Wellspring Wednesday program, “Repairing Broken Trust: Congregational Approached to Reparations with Indigenous Peoples” with Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs, inspired a small group of congregants to continue the conversation. For more information, contact Jess Landgraf.

Native American author Diane Wilson to Read at Unity Church
Wednesday, March 31, at 7:00 p.m., Online
Register here: https://bit.ly/DianeWilson

​Diane Wilson (Dakota) is the author of a memoir, Spirit Car: Journey to a Dakota Past, which won a Minnesota Book Award, as well as a nonfiction book, Beloved Child: A Dakota Way of Life.

Diane appeared at the 2020 Women’s Retreat and we are honored to welcome her back to read from her new book, The Seed Keeper. A haunting novel spanning several generations, The Seed Keeper follows a Dakota family’s struggle to preserve their way of life, and their sacrifices to protect what matters most. Registration is required to attend the event on Zoom. 

Unworthy Republic and The Seed Keeper are available to purchase in the Unity Online Bookstall and at your favorite local bookstore. Or contact the Library-Bookstall Team for mail order library service; a limited number of library copies are available. Look for more useful antiracism resources in Unity’s Justice Database.  ​

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

Breathe is full of stories, lessons, prayers, hopes, dreams, poetry, warnings, guidance, the terrible truth of racism in America, and above all, love. Beacon Press describes the book as “an unflinching challenge to society to see Black children as deserving of humanity.” Written as a letter to her two sons, the book is organized into three sections:

1. Fear. The recognition that she cannot guarantee the safety of her sons; that along with the everyday business of life, there is “the daily work of beating back the ugliness. And reconciliation with the irreconcilable.”
2. Fly. In a “world bent on you not being and becoming,” there are ways to use your wings. She is not advocating for “making it,” but “what I hope for you is nothing as small as prestige. I hope for a living passion, profound human intimacy, and connection, beauty and excellence.” And freedom to fly. 
3. Fortune. The basic elements of a good life, of building yourself, is “a stripping down to fundamental lessons for one’s life. And it is a meditation between the lives and love that have gone and the ones right here with us…and give meaning to our lives today.” 

You will find that Breathe has received many accolades, prize nominations, and good reviews, and deservedly so. Stacey Abrams describes it as “a lyrical meditation that connects a painful, proud history of African American struggle with a clarion call for present-day action.”

There is much to talk about here. Please join the online book discussion on February 24, at 7:00 p.m.. Registration is available here: http://bit.ly/bookreadbreathe. ​Discussion will include a BIPOC group, led by congregant Russel Balenger, for readers and parents who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color.

The book is available in the Unity Online Bookstall at unitybookstall.square.site and at your favorite local bookstore. Or contact the Library & Bookstall Team for mail order library service — a limited number of copies are available. 

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 karen@unityunitarian.org.

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 beckygc83@gmail.com. 

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.
​

​The Beloved Community Staff Team (BCST), like many of us, thought that the pandemic was our biggest challenge in 2020 but everything seemingly changed on May 25, 2020, with the killing of George Floyd. Not only did the world explode with anger and action, so did Unity Church. Within days of Mr. Floyd’s death, the BCST delivered a video statement and organized a two-night event, “#WeCantBreathe” and “Next Right Action.” With this, the team began what BCST member Erika Sanders called “the most impactful change in the past year” in establishing the Next Right Action framework. 

Determined not just to hold one or two meetings and then go back to “normal,” the BCST expressed determination to continue efforts to include antiracism and multicultural work in every area of the church. Members of the BCST, the Racial and Restorative Justice Team, the Sustainability Living Team, and many other teams and congregants showed up to continue Next Right Action work. 

In August, Rob and Janne followed up with a “Reflecting on the Journey” session. The Racial and Restorative Justice Team created new objectives, inspired the Justice Database, and held a series of “Reimagining Public Safety: A Circle of Peace” sessions. Next, the “Finding Our Next Right Action” forum brought together representatives of many of the teams and initiatives of Unity Church and offered opportunities for members to sign up for specific work. One of the new offerings was Antiracism Literacy Partners; the team and interested congregants met again in September and November, and will meet again in February. 

Perhaps we, as a congregation, were able to jump into “Justice for George” because Unity has been involved in antiracism work for many years, acknowledging that we have a long way to go. Our engagement with Team Dynamics to grow our individual and collective ability to bridge the “differences that make a difference” continued in 2020, culminating in the excellent seven-part “Equity + Justice” series in the fall, in which some 200 people participated. 

In 2020, many individuals and key ministry teams took advantage of the opportunity to take the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and receive coaching on both the results of their inventory and their Individual Development Plan (IDP). Also, the Racial Justice Film series and the Artist in Residency program continued. With the pending departure of Lisa Friedman in spring 2020, Karen Hering and Laura Park joined the Beloved Community Staff Team and strengthened it, jumping into the work feet first. There is more but we’re out of space to list it all. 

Moving into its fifth year, it’s clear to see that the BCST has made great strides in strengthening and coordinating antiracism and multicultural initiatives at Unity Church, now with the ongoing support of the Helener Currier Endowment for Racial Justice. Aspirations for this year include opportunities for us to deepen involvement with our IDP, but check in next month when the BCST looks forward to the work of 2021 in greater detail. 

Pauline Eichten, on behalf of the Beloved Community Staff Team

​Every Tuesday night over the course of seven weeks in September and October, some 200 people participated in at least one of a series of workshops led by Team Dynamics. This is part of Unity’s work toward realizing our Ends — to create a multicultural spiritual home and space for racial healing and dismantling dominant culture. In last month’s newsletter, we shared an overview of the first four workshops. Here we’ll offer a brief overview of the last three, as well as some reflections from participants.

The fifth workshop, Social Change + Social Movements, described social movements as a contest of values and ideas. Unity’s movement toward an antiracist multicultural spiritual community rises out of three values: intersectionality and complexity of identities; interconnection, not alienation; and interdependence, not extreme individuality. The workshop also introduced the need to lead with a positive vision, a “Wow” statement that expresses the desired outcome that motivates us — or as presenter Alfonso Wenker said, “gives us goose bumps.”

Workshop six, Organizing + Action, defined organizing as people casting a vision, building relationships, amassing resources and then using those to effect a transformation. It also identified a feedback loop as critical, asking, “Are we willing to be changed by what we learn? Who are our messages for? Is what we’re doing working?”

The final workshop reviewed the tools and content from previous sessions and included a call to accountability. Each participant was asked to consider one area of focus and examine what they might do differently given what they had learned. As in every workshop, there was an opportunity to share with others in a smaller breakout group.

We took the need for feedback to heart, wondering how participants felt about these workshops and what we might learn from them. We sent out a survey to everyone who had registered. Our return rate was about 11%. Using the format modeled by Team Dynamics, we asked people to identify one thing they were grateful for and one commitment they had made. 

Expressions of gratitude included:

• the opportunity to learn with other church members,
• the quality of engagement by participants, and
• learning that mistakes are part of growth.

Among the stated commitments were to:

• continue learning about my culture and identities, 
• improve my understanding of the complex issues related to racial justice, and 
• move from learning to action.

One person wants to become “ever mindful of my white culture, the characteristics … I manifest in social situations, and to ‘tame’ the manifestations so they don’t interfere with relationship building.”

We asked workshop participants, did the series help you connect to Unity’s work toward racial justice?

Overall, survey respondents reported a greater appreciation and understanding of the work Unity has been doing. As one participant put it, “I knew that Unity’s investment in this work was a proper priority. This series helped illuminate ‘why’ and explain some of the internal work that we need to be doing.” Another respondent said framing the Ends as a social movement was “a whole different way to understand both what the goal is and how to get there as a congregation.” One participant wanted to hear more about how to apply the ideas presented within the church, building on what currently exists, and looks forward to ongoing conversations.
​
Next, we asked participants what might be your “next right action”? Responses to this question included:

• supporting leadership transition at Unity Church with multicultural and racial justice Ends in mind, 
• doing volunteer work with organizations led by people of color, and 
• building relationships across racial and cultural differences. 

​Participants were also asked, was there something you discovered about yourself during the series? 

One participant discovered that, “I don’t know very much, but I can get through the discomfort and learn.” In the same vein, another person noted “how bereft all my formal education has been, and how, without even knowing it, I allowed my white privilege to protect me from knowing.”

Identifying one’s conflict style and mode of cultural expression was an “a-ha” moment for some. One direct and expressive communicator learned they were in the minority. Another recognized that their conflict style could be alienating to those with different styles.

These were rich sessions with much to learn and understand about ourselves and how white dominant culture affects our thinking and behavior. Please stay tuned as the Beloved Community Staff Team coordinates next steps in the ongoing work of becoming an antiracist multicultural spiritual community.
​
*Thanks to Shelley Butler for creating the survey form and the report of responses.

UPDATE
This fall, in worship, programming, and Sacred Sites Tours, Unity Church has sought to better understand the history experienced by indigenous people in Minnesota and how it lives on in the present day. We have been called into a “season of lament” over the deep suffering in those stories. Two brief video messages from the Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs, shared in our October 18 worship service, “Moving at the Speed of Trust,” are now available online: 

• Bdote Stories of First Creation
• Wrestling with Stories of Trauma in the Land Beneath Our Feet

If you are interested in joining the continuing conversation about how we stay present to this lament while deepening our congregational commitment to Indigenous justice and reparations, contact Karen Hering at karen@unityunitarian.org. 

Imagine stepping into a story. Maybe telling it, maybe listening to it, but definitely being surrounded by the story, in a physical sense, so that it is fully alive to your senses.
 
This was the experience of two Sacred Sites tours led by Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs, Director of Racial Justice for the MN Council of Churches, for Unity congregants this autumn. We visited three local sites sacred to Dakota people and listened to the stories embedded there. Rev. Jacobs explained that Dakota stories are not linked to a distant time, but to a place. Dakota stories are alive in the present moment, because they live in the physical spaces around us.
 
As groups stood on a bluff above Bdote, the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, we heard a genesis story about the origin of the Dakota people. When we visited Fort Snelling State Park at Bdote, the site of the first sacred land stolen from the Dakota and of an internment camp following the Dakota-U.S. War, we heard the voices of the more than 1600 men, women and children who were imprisoned there, sick and starving. At Pilot Knob Hill, once a traditional burial ground before its desecration, we felt the sacred power of land imbued with the essence of honored human spirits. The storytelling experience at each site also included time for silence and contemplation; in these moments, the listener was granted the opportunity to integrate the story into their own freshened understanding of the land on which we live.
 
Rev. Jacobs tells us that despite—and because of—the trauma experienced by Native people, stories have the power to heal both teller and listener because they “make invisible pain visible,” and because with the “sharing and retelling of old traumatic stories, we can create new positive ones.”
 
The stories of the Dakota may sometimes hold terrible pain, but the telling of them may lead to repair, as well. As our congregation works for racial healing and liberation within, among and beyond our walls, these are stories we must hear.

To participate in considering Unity’s next steps in beginning this journey, you are invited to join us online, Tuesday, November 17, 7:00-8:30 p.m., for “Indigenous Justice and Reparations Conversation” ​
 
Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs created Healing Minnesota Stories in 2011. Learn more about Healing Minnesota Stories on the MN Council of Churches website here: https://www.mnchurches.org/what-we-do/healing-minnesota-stories
 
The worship service on October 18, 2020, Moving at the Speed of Trust, explores the broken trust between indigenous peoples and white settlers who claimed the land, and includes reflections from Rev. Jacobs shared during the tour. View the service on the Unity Church-Unitarian You Tube Channel here: https://youtu.be/vCzs9T0zUV0
 
Read or sign up to follow the Healing Minnesota Stories blog by email here: https://healingmnstories.wordpress.com/

​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? The Antiracism Literacy Partners (ALP) program at Unity Church is for anyone looking to answer those questions by delving into a choice of books, podcasts, videos, and more. Participants choose a resource and are then matched up with partners or small groups to discuss that title over the next two months.

Peer-to-peer learning research tells us that we tend to learn more and are more likely to put that learning into practice when discussing, reflecting, and gaining new points of view with a partner or in a group. Also, while we are not able to worship together in the same space, this is another way to connect in a meaningful way.

The program was launched on Wellspring Wednesday, September 2, 2020, but grew out of ideas generated from the “Finding Our Next Right Action” event in June, following the killing of George Floyd. Using UUA Small Group Ministry principles, the ALP team prepared guidelines, a set of covenants, a suggested format for discussions, and a reading/discussion guide for each particular resource. Partners create their own schedules and are responsible to each other to follow through. Each participant promises to listen from the heart, honor diversity of thought, and respect the commitment to their learning partners, among other covenants. The first sets of partners have already expressed appreciation for the program and report that things are going well.

The next opportunity to sign up for Antiracism Learning Partners is on Wednesday, November 18, at 7:00 p.m. Come hear from participants in the first round, find out about the resources from which to choose, and sign up for a partner. Some new resources will be added to the choices and these from the first set of antiracism resources will be offered again:

• How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
• “The Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture” From Dismantling Racism: A Workbook for Social Change Groups, by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun
• “Seeing White,” a podcast series from Scene on Radio
• “1619,” an audio series by the New York Times
• TED Talks on Race, a series of four short videos

Registration is required for Antiracism Learning Partners on Wednesday, November 18, at 7:00 p.m.
CLICK HERE to register!