Timeline
2015 Action of Immediate Witness at General Assembly
Support the Black Lives Matter Movement
2016 Responsive Resolution at General Assembly
Reaffirmation of Commitment to Racial Justice
2020 Action of Immediate Witness at General Assembly
Amen to Uprising: A Commitment and Call to Action
2021 Statement of Conscience at General Assembly
Undoing Systemic White Supremacy: A Call to Prophetic Action
June 2022: Chalice UUC adopts the 8th principle:
“We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”
June 2022: Chalice UUC approves a new mission statement:
With love at the center, the mission of this congregation is to…
INSPIRE, CONNECT, and ACT.
INSPIRE individual and communal spiritual growth,
CONNECT through worship, music, learning, and caring ministries, and
ACT to promote UU principles in ourselves and in the wider world.
March 2023: Chalice’s Board of Trustees updates the policy “Taking a Public Stand on a Social Justice Issue” to include displaying flags on Chalice’s campus
August 2023: Chalice Board approves the Black Lives Matter flag on the Chalice flagpole
October 14, 2023: Rev. Sharon emails the congregation on behalf of the Coordinating Team (CT) to report the decision to temporarily remove the Black Lives Matter flag from our flagpole in response to anonymous messages from a neighbor
April 3, 2024: The Board and CT receive a letter from six BIPOC congregants requesting the return of the flag to the flagpole. The letter notes:
“We feel that the public statement that Black Lives Matter is important in affirming our support for all marginalized peoples. In reflecting on what other flag or statement might send a similar message, we have found none that are as succinct and powerful.
We feel that flying the Black Lives Matter flag is a statement of belief, not an expression of support for an organization. The statement that Black Lives Matter precedes the formation of any organization with that name.
We also hope this is the last time that our congregation feels the need to respond to anonymous messages.”
June 23, 2024: Today! Communal discussion about the Black Lives Matter flag.
- Return it to the flagpole?
- Leave it off?
- Return it to the flagpole and add a statement to our website?
- Create a Black Lives Matter banner for our fence, with additional verbiage?
- Other ideas?
Possible statement re: the flag: We fly a Black Lives Matter flag because we are opposed to police brutality and we strive to support marginalized peoples.