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After a very powerful and illuminating talk on March 12 given by Martin Henson from Black Lives Matter-Boston we are eager to continue the conversation on March 19 in our Sanctuary during Fellowship Hour.

The Social Justice Ministry Council invites you to a discussion about hanging our new banner on the facade of the church. Whether you are excited about the prospect of raising the banner or have concerns, please come talk with the members of the SJMC and the HUUC Board.

Soon after this gathering, it is our goal to bring the proposed resolution stated below to the Board and request that they vote to approve the hanging of the banner on the outside of our church.

WHEREAS, Unitarian Universalists strive for justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

WHEREAS, Unitarian Universalists have a goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;

WHEREAS, our Unitarian Universalist principles call us as individuals and as a congregation to challenge injustice;

WHEREAS, the Black Lives Matter movement has gained powerful traction in conjunction with recent tragic events involving, in particular, police brutality and institutionalized racism that target the black community;

WHEREAS, people of all ages and races are killed by law enforcement, yet black people ages 20-24 are seven times more likely to be killed by law enforcement than any other group;

WHEREAS, mass incarceration fueled by for-profit prisons and racially biased police practices drive the disproportionate imprisonment of black and brown Americans;

WHEREAS, the school-to-prison pipeline is an urgent concern because 40% of students expelled from U.S. public schools are black and one out of three black men is incarcerated during his lifetime;

WHEREAS, the Unitarian Universalist Associations 2015 General Assembly passed a resolution in support of the Back Lives Matter movement; and

WHEREAS, the Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism organization and other Unitarian Universalist People of Color organizations and leaders have asked Unitarian Universalist congregations to support the Black Lives Matter movement and black-led racial justice organizations.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Board of the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church, vote to raise our Black Lives Matter banner which states All Lives Wont Matter Until Black Lives Matter and display it on the facade of our church until the end of the church year in 2018. In doing so, we mean

To affirm our commitment to the inherent worth and dignity of every person;

To affirm our commitment to justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

To affirm our commitment to racial justice;

To affirm our commitment, as a predominantly white congregation to study and reflect on white privilege and our own complicity in institutionalized racism;

To raise the consciousness of the broader community, our Town government, and the leaders of our public schools on issues of racial justice and to encourage appropriate policy changes to address institutionalized racism in our community;

To remain 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.

Beyond the Banner

We want to raise the banner to show that our church stands on the side of racial justice because of our Unitarian Universalist principles. However, we see the banner as only the beginning. In the comingmonths, we plan to expand on this one actionin multiple ways:

Additional Resources

Michelle Alexander The Future of Race in America TED TalkxColumbus

Bruce Western on Mass Incarceration

13thOfficial Documentary Trailer

The Talk: Race in America (PBS)

The Kalief Browder Story

For more information please contactSJMC ChairSteve Farough.

Continue reading here:
Black Lives Matter - Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church