Racial Justice Ministry

Guiding Principles

The mission of the Racial Justice Ministry is to:
raise awareness and understanding of and engagement with race and racism. This includes our individual and collective opportunities to achieve racial justice.

We are also guided by the UU 8th Principle, which asks us 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.

Wake Up Coffee Circle

These unstructured conversations are open to all interested individuals and offer opportunities to talk about recent events or personal experiences, related to racial justice, and to support one another. Drop in any time, stay as long as you want.

• Day and time: Every Wednesday from 9:00-10:30 am Mountain time.
• Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85271927329?pwd=V3VkeXYrSzF5OVdkaEFOT29vV1dSUT09
• Meeting ID: 852 7192 7329
• Passcode: chalice

Coming events – Save the dates

• Indigenous Peoples Day 2023: Presentation by Wilson Wewa, storyteller for the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
  • Date and time: Monday October 9, 7:00-8:30 pm
  • Location: Zoom and in-person at Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
  • Click HERE for more information and the Zoom link.

First Unitarian of Portland Learning Circles

First Unitarian of Portland, OR is sponsoring a collection of learning circles beginning in FALL 2023 and is welcoming participation from UUs and other faiths. Learning circles are small (4-12 members) groups that meet for a series of facilitated Zoom discussions with the goal of building “multicultural, diverse, engaged, spiritual communities and work to dismantle racism and other oppressions.” Meeting dates and times vary. Groups typically meet weekly and participation in each session of a group is recommended. Click is HERE for full information about the learning circles, schedules, and registration.

Quick reads

Each item is a link to a short, interesting article.

• Nobody Taught You In School That These Were Invented By Black inventors, 2023. For Juneteenth, watch this short video (19:02) and learn about a collection of Black inventors you’ve probably never heard of. Article posted on June 16, 2023. Thanks to Tyrone Clarence for recommending this video.
• Remarks at the Cleveland City Club, Robert F. Kennedy, 1968. Speaking on May 5, 1968, the day after Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered, then presidential candidate Kennedy described the “mindless menace of violence” including the “violence of institutions” and the importance of “true justice among our fellow citizens. His message remains relevant in 2023. Article posted 5/5/2023.
• On Crazy We Built a Nation, Biewen, 2017. This is an audio podcast (36:30). Learn about the “dueling characters” that have existed throughout US history and the “Make America Great” connection between the Founders and the present day. Podcast posted 3/29/2023.
• How Neighborhoods Used Restrictive Housing Covenants to Block Nonwhite Families, Evans, 2022. Read how racially restrictive covenants began after the Great Migration of the early 20th century and continue to the present. Article posted 2/27/2023.
• From Jan 6 to Tyre Nichols, American Life is Still Defined by Caste, Wilkerson, 2023. Read how the author uses “caste” to understand recent events including book bans, abortion restrictions, the 1/6 insurrection, and police killings of you Black people. Article posted 2/27/2023.

Click HERE for the complete collection of quick reads.

People to know

Each of the following names is a link to a short biography, with additional resources, of someone who has made our world a better place.

• FLORENCE B. PRICE. African American composer working mostly during the 1930s and 1940s. Posted 9/18/2023.
• DOLORES HUERTA. labor activist and community organizer. Posted 3/6/2023.
• ETHEL LOIS PAYNE: Journalist. Posted 2/18/2023.
• FANNIE LOU HAMER: Voting rights and economic rights activist. Posted 12/11/2022.
• JAUNE QUICK-TO-SEE SMITH: Visual artist, arts advocate, art educator. Posted 11/28/2022.

Click HERE for the complete collection of people to know.

Events in US history

Each of the following items is a link to information about an event that is both relatively unknown and noteworthy because of its impact, then and now, on the history of the US.

• MINIDOKA 1942-1945. Posted 7/8/2023.
• CHICAGO 1919 / RED SUMMER. Posted 11/4/2022.
• TULSA 1921. Posted 9/12//2022.

Words and phrases

Each of the following terms is a link to information about a word or phrase about race and racial justice that is common in print materials, videos, and discussions.

• BELOVED COMMUNITY
• CRITICAL RACE THEORY
• GREAT REPLACEMENT THEORY
• INTERSECTIONALITY
• REPARATIONS

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 Archives

• Monthly program materials
• Race in Focus

The purpose of this website is to provide a variety of resources on race and racism. We invite you to be a regular visitor to the website. If we can make this website more