Helping Chalice Respond to White Supremacy and
Support the Black Lives Matter Movement
In response to a call to work on white supremacy culture from Rev. Sharon, the UUA Commission on Institutional Change, Black Lives UU, and many members of color in our faith, four Chalice members began the formation of the Transformation Team in December of last year.
Although our work was suspended by the pandemic in March, in light of the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent and continuing social justice marches, we felt our team could be of service to the congregation more immediately.
Our mission statement is “Through education, self-reflection and social action, the Transformation Team will assist the congregation to identify and dismantle white supremacy culture and racism at Chalice and the world.”
Is there white supremacy in our faith? It may surprise you to know that in 2017, a woman of color was denied an executive position in the UUA because she was “…not a good fit for the team she would lead.” This led to the resignation of our UUA President and the creation of the Commission on Institutional Change.
Are there examples of white supremacy here at Chalice? We don’t know. Like you, we are beginning the learning process too. But we think we can agree that we live in a white supremacy culture and it has influenced our country, our institutions, our religion, and indeed, our daily lives, and it deserves examination if we hope to have the world more closely aligned with our principles and the Beloved Community.
We are excited to introduce the congregation to a new Chalice Facebook page available to Chalice congregants. The TT (Transformation Team) will initially load references to resources—films, books, articles—for your exploration. We will recommend a congregational read. The group is called The Chalice UUC Transformation Study Group and Information Page. Please join us!
And we will soon invite the congregation into a process to decide how we might respond to the murder of George Floyd and the call to “Defund the Police” as many of you are already doing.
This is just the beginning of our work. If you are interested in contributing to this vital and important work at Chalice, in Escondido, San Diego and the wider world, please join our team.