Racial Justice Ministry

The mission of the Racial Justice Ministry is to

raise awareness and understanding of and engagement with racial identity and racism, including our individual and collective opportunities to achieve racial justice.

The Racial Justice Ministry is also guided by the UU 8th Principle, adopted by the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship during 2019, which states that we 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.

We believe it is more important than ever to have resources for educating ourselves about racism and actions we can take, both individually and collectively, to dismantle the many oppressions that Black, Indigenous and People of Color face. The purpose of the Racial Justice Ministry (RJM) website is to provide these resources. We invite you to be a regular visitor to the website. If we can make this website more useful to you in some way, please let us know. You can contact us at  racialjustice@boiseuu.org.

Announcements

Race in Focus — September 2021

The latest in the “Race in Focus” video/discussion series is: Slavery By Another Name (1:24:41).

This PBS documentary is based on a Pulitzer Prize winning book of the same name (written in 2008 by journalist Douglas Blackmon) about the system of convict labor that at least partially replaced slavery and existed in the South from the 1870’s to the 1940s.  

Click on this SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME VIDEO link to view the video. And click on this SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME DOCUMENT link for a PDF with more information and several questions to consider.

Also, watch for information about an opportunity to discuss this video in a Zoom meeting on Monday, September 13, from 7:00 to 8:30. All are invited to participate.

What can you do?

As a person concerned about racial justice, you may be asking what you can do. Click here IMPORTANT ACTIONS WE CAN TAKE NOW for a short list of things you can do, beginning now, to work toward racial justice.

Racial Justice Vocabulary

Click here VOCABULARY for a list of terms that are frequently used in discussions and materials related to racial justice.

Learn more about …

This list is a “table of contents” for information that can be found on other website pages. It is periodically updated with new topics, information, and resources. We invite you to visit frequently and explore the available information.

  • BLACK AMERICANS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT. Click HERE for this page.
  • CRITICAL RACE THEORY. Click HERE for this page. NEW PAGE.
  • DEFUNDING THE POLICE. Click HERE for this page.
  • INDIGENOUS PEOPLE. Click HERE for this page.
  • INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF IDAHO. Click for HERE this page.
  • INDIGENOUS PEOPLE WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT. Click HERE for this page.
  • INTERSECTIONALITY. Click HERE for this page.
  • MOVIES AND BOOKS ABOUT RACE AND RACISM. Click HERE for this page.
  • ORGANIZATIONS WORKING FOR RACIAL JUSTICE IN THE US. Click HERE for this page.
  • PEOPLE OF COLOR AND MILITARY SERVICE. Click HERE for this page.
  • REPARATIONS. Click HERE for this page.
  • SHORT LIST OF PRINT AND VIDEO RESOURCES. Click HERE for this list.
  • SYSTEMIC RACISM: DEFINITION AND HISTORY. Click HERE this page.
  • SYSTEMIC RACISM: EFFECTS. Click HERE for this page.

Racial Justice Ministry Programs

The Racial Justice Ministry offers a variety of programs intended to help anyone learn more about racism and become more engaged with racial justice activities. These programs are briefly described below.

Racial Justice Education

During the fall of 2019 and winter of 2020, the RJM held monthly in-person programs using videos and group discussions to increase awareness and understanding of topics related to race and racism. The programs were discontinued during March of 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic but will resume during the fall of 2020 using Zoom. Handout materials from each of the past programs can be found at Monthly program materials. RJ Education also posts links to short suggested videos with suggested questions or activities. Posted videos can be found at Suggested videos of the month

Racial Justice Action

Meets twice a month via Zoom. Meetings are open to the community and focus taking positive steps to end racism based on a list of 75 Things White People Can Do.

Wake Up Coffee Circle

Every Wednesday, 9:00-10:30 AM Wednesdays via Zoom. These unstructured conversations are open to all interested individuals and offer opportunities to talk about recent events or whatever else might be on our minds, related to racial justice, and to support one another. Drop in any time, stay as long as you want. Information about the Coffee Circle, including the Zoom link can be found in each week’s BUUF “Weekly Gazette.”

Racial Justice Community Google Group

The Racial Justice Community is a group of BUUF and community members who share information, announcements, resources and support as we work toward racial justice. To join the group simply send your name and email address to racialjustice@boiseuu.org and ask to join.

RJM Archive