179: Black Lives of UU
2017-04-20
Lena K. Gardner, executive director of the Black Lives of UU organizing collective, joins The VUU. Lena and the panel talk about the continual harm being done to Unitarian Universalists of color; how the use of covenant, right relationships and “safety” exemplify white fragility around racial discomfort; Rev. Don Southworth’s letter to the UUA Board of Trustees and Lena’s response; the upcoming UUA General Assembly; and so much more.
Show notes:
- Lena’s response to Don Southworth’s letter
- UUA Board of Trustees April 2017 meeting packet
- Getting Slammed: White Depictions of Race Discussions as Arenas of Violence – article by Robin DiAngelo
- White Supremacy Culture – excerpt from ChangeLink workbook
- How To Tell Someone They Sound Racist – video by Jay Smooth
- My Faith’s Crisis, My Faith Crisis – blog post by Mel Pine
- The Wilderness Journey – video of first-hand accounts of the historical struggle for black empowerment and racial justice within the UUA in the late 1960s
- Bystander intervention training – by Jess Banks
- Undoing Racism – conference by the People’s Institute offered in advance of General Assembly in New Orleans
The VUU is hosted by Meg Riley (currently on sabbatical), Michael Tino, Joanna Fontaine Crawford, Aisha Hauser, Hank Peirce, and Alicia Forde, with production support provided by Terri Burnor. The VUU streams live on Thursdays at 11 am ET.
Note: This audio has been slightly edited for a better listening experience, although there is some background noise as Lena was in an airport. View the live original recording on YouTube.