Frequently Asked Questions About the Racial Equity Task Force

• What is the Racial Equity Task Force of First Unitarian Church of Dallas?

The Racial Equity Task Force (RETF) of First Unitarian Church exists to transform our church culture from one steeped in the white supremacy system to one that is actively engaged in justice-making and liberation.

The Racial Equity Task Force was convened in July 2018 by Senior Minister Daniel Kanter in part to prepare for Ingathering Sunday and support “The Promise and The Practice” campaign supporting Black Lives of UU. The group, comprised of both black and white members, engages in racial equity work in the congregation.

• How does the work of the Racial Equity Task Force fit in the broader context of the work of First Unitarian Church of Dallas?

Our church’s mission statement is that Love inspires us to nurture souls, deepen connection, and advance compassion and justice in the world. Church members have also identified specific “Ends Statements” to make specific, measurable differences in the lives of our congregation and our communities. Among these Ends Statements is the commitment to “Widen the circle of inclusivity, commit to racial equity, and ensure that our human diversity in all its many dimensions is reflected in worship, leadership, and the work of our church.” The work of the RETF marches in lockstep with this church-wide commitment.

• Does the Board of Trustees support the work of the RETF?

Our Board has formally committed to racial equity work in general, and the Racial Equity Task Force specifically.

At the meeting of the Board of Trustees of The First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Texas on April 25, 2019, the following resolution was proposed and unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees:

WHEREAS, the purpose of The First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Texas is expressed in its affirmation:

WHEREAS, The First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Texas creates and nurtures an enduring, liberal, religious community where all souls shall grow in harmony with the divine through worship, education, service, and fellowship; and

WHEREAS, since its founding in 1899, members of The First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Texas have unflinchingly added their voices to the cry for a more just and compassionate world; and

WHEREAS, in our current age, we are witness to a local and national crisis of systemic racism and oppression manifested in individual, institutional and structural forms; and

WHEREAS, the impacts and outcomes of systemic racism are fundamentally at odds with our beliefs, and confronting racial inequity and oppression is inherently consistent with our purpose, values and beliefs; and

WHEREAS, The First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Texas has been moved by this inequality and oppression to create a Racial Equity Task Force to help us understand and address these issues; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees supports the mission of the Racial Equity Task Force “to affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person; to support justice, equity and compassion in human relations; to affirm that white privilege is unfair and harmful to those who have it as well as those who do not; to affirm that white privilege and the culture of white supremacy in which our nation and our church were founded and developed must be dismantled; and to support racial equity, justice, and liberation for every person.”

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Trustees of The First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Texas that:

Section 1: We commit to this work of love and justice so that all souls may grow in harmony with the divine;

Section 2: We commit to intentionally and actively engaging The First Unitarian Church of Dallas in the pursuit of racial justice and equity for every person;

Section 3: We commit to acting with courage as we work to change the impacts of race, racism and whiteness on individual and institutional structures and experiences; and

Section 4: We commit to pursue understanding of white privilege and white supremacy and how their existence impacts The First Unitarian Church of Dallas, our city, our state, our nation and our world.

• Do our ministers support the work of the RETF?

In March 2019, the ministers of First Unitarian Church of Dallas published the following endorsement of the Racial Equity Task Force:

---

MINISTERS’ STATEMENT

We each grew up in different settings when it came to race and racism and have been learning and reflecting about how that shapes who we are as people and as ministers.  Your three ministers are white and privileged.  We do not share the same level of privilege that comes from socioeconomic status, sexual orientation or gender. Yet we all carry privilege because of who we are perceived to be.

“White privilege” are words that might stop a reader we know, especially a white reader.  But what we aren’t saying is that we are somehow bad because of it.  White privilege talk isn’t a moral assessment claim at all. It points to a systemic imbalance in our society that some get to lean on and some have to respond to based on the color of their skin.

In his article, “What Riding My Bike Has Taught Me About White Privilege,” Jeremy Dowsett says,“It is about injustices that have arisen because of the history of racism that birthed the way things are now. It’s not saying, “You’re a bad person because you’re white.” It’s saying, “The system is skewed in ways that you maybe haven’t realized or had to think about precisely because it’s skewed in your favor.”

As Unitarian Universalists and as your ministers, we know that we cannot sit by any longer as the effects of a skewed system that discriminates against and hurts, in some cases kills, people of color continues.  We feel that it is our responsibility to place the dismantling of this system at the core of our mission to co-create with you a church that is free, inclusive, loving, and just.  That commitment includes diving deeply both personally and as leaders of the church into racial equity.

We understand the impact this work will have as a net positive on us all if we go about it honestly and openly, ready to be vulnerable and to change how we move through life.  Our church will change.  It will be more genuinely inclusive than it has ever imagined.  And it will be hard work for us all as we climb the mountain to the goal of the eradication of racial injustice.  We also know we may never see the Promised Land together, but we will see glimmers of it in this journey.

That is why we helped start and whole heartedly endorse the work of the Racial Equity Task Force to lead the church toward honest and open dialogue and change.  We look forward to making our Racial Equity pledge a reality in our day to day lives and in our reflections about how we lead the church.  We invite you to journey deeper into this work with us as the months and years go by.  We are at the very beginning of this journey. Let us venture forth.

Love,

Revs. Dana, Kanter, and White

---

• How can I get involved with the work of the Racial Equity Task Force?

1. 1. Sign and adhere to the Racial Equity Pledge. You can find a copy of the Pledge online HERE.
   2. Educational and Discussion Opportunities. Several times a year, the RETF coordinates discussion groups on various racial equity issues. These include book studies, discussions of movies and documentary series focusing on racial issues, and small group discussions. The RETF highly recommends that all members of First Unitarian Church, along with interested visitors and community members, join an Introductory Small Group Discussion on Race. Participants in these introductory groups attend four discussion sessions, over the course of four consecutive weeks. The sessions invite members to contemplate and discuss the impact of white supremacy on our culture, and the collective and individual roles we play in white supremacy culture. Participants also explore and discuss examples of systemic racism, and what we can do as individuals to help combat it.
   3. Opportunities for Activism.
      1. Mothers Against Police Brutality. Currently, the RETF is partnering with Mothers Against Police Brutality (MAPB), a Dallas-based multi-racial and multi-ethnic support and advocacy group formed by mothers of victims of police violence. The group fights for civil rights, police accountability, and policy reform. MAPB often needs help from volunteers in a variety of ways, and the RETF hope that you will reach out to help them.
      2. Advocacy to Legislatures and Other Groups.  RETF is working to organize and coordinate with the Social Action Council to provide First Church members with recommendations for action on various policy issues. Your letters, phone calls, and emails can make a difference.

• Why is the Racial Equity Task Force focused on anti-blackness?

The Racial Equity Task Force is focused on anti-blackness and black-white relations while acknowledging that white supremacy also has led and continues to lead to racism against other people of color. Our desire for justice-making and liberation seeks to uproot all manifestations of white supremacy culture, including its wide-reaching effects on ALL people of color. We highly value the voices, perspectives and experiences of all non-black people of color who are willing to share them with us on this journey.

We start, however, with the premise that all lives will not matter until black lives matter. In deciding to focus on anti-blackness, we pay close attention to the historical centrality of anti-black racism and the 17th century creation of whiteness in opposition to and as “better than” blackness which strengthened the spread of white supremacy.

If all the black, Indigenous, and other people of color as well as the white people in our congregation direct our collective will toward racial equity, we will be living our UU values and getting closer to our goal of dismantling white supremacy culture. Everyone’s partnership and participation is welcome and needed.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kt2QCfp2Z0[/embedyt]

Small Group Discussions on Race

Definitions

Our Pledge

Our Agreements

Resources

Join our Racial Equity Task Force Facebook Group HERE