Image by Image For centuries European artists have portrayed Jesus of Nazareth as a man who mirrors their own ethnicity. Is this an example of cultural appropriation? A recent NPR article features an historic 150 year old Rhode Island stained glass window with dark- skinned Galilean Jesus interacting with sisters Mary and Martha, but as … Continue reading Building Beloved Community 4/25/24
Month By Month In 2022 President Joe Biden issued a proclamation designating April as Arab-American Heritage Month, a culmination of many years of work by volunteers in the Arab-American community. It is an opportunity to highlight the numerous contributions to our culture by United States citizens from 22 diverse Arabic-speaking countries. Moreover, it is an occasion to … Continue reading Building Beloved Community 4/11/24
Feminist by Feminist In celebration of Women’s Herstory Month, renowned feminist figures like Gloria Steinem (who recently turned 90!) are often spotlighted. As a white woman, Steinem brought an inclusive lens to the work, believing that race, gender, age, and ethnicity must be addressed together. In addition to well-known white feminists, it’s also important to recognize … Continue reading Building Beloved Community 3/28/24
Term By Term In the midst of Women’s Herstory Month, it’s a good time to highlight legal scholar and civil rights advocate Kimberle Crenshaw who coined the term “intersectionality” in 1989. Her own definition: “Intersectionality is a metaphor for understanding the ways that multiple forms of inequality or disadvantage sometimes compound themselves and create obstacles that … Continue reading Building Beloved Community
Transformation By Transformation Winchester UU’s March theme is “Transformation,” which neatly converges with our butterflies logo. Butterflies provide a metaphor for individual change and ultimately for societal change. Imaginal cells hold transformative, potential power driving the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly, although there is no visible similarity between the two creatures. What if we too … Continue reading Building Beloved Community 3/14/24
The Racial Justice Team’s Planning Group hosted a discussion of the word “privilege” last Sunday, with another one scheduled for March 7 on zoom from 7 to 8 pm. (registration required) The focus is on Peggy McIntosh’s ground-breaking article in 1988: “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” Take a few minutes to google the article and … Continue reading Building Beloved Community Book by Book 2/29/24
Our Winchester Unitarian Society proudly flies three flags to underscore our shared UU values. Perhaps you have seen the Pan-African flag with its broad horizontal bars of red, black, and green, giving a voice to the Black diaspora spread across the world far too often against their will, including right here in our United States. … Continue reading Building Beloved Community Flag by Flag 2/22/24
Resource By Resource If you like your information in manageable amounts, try subscribing to the Anti-Racism Daily (www.the-ard.com) newsletter. Black History Month is a great time to expand your understanding of racism in all its forms. A recent article discussed discrimination in housing appraisals and another explained why we capitalize B in Black when referring … Continue reading Building Beloved Community 2/15/24
Learning By Learning More than a century after the 13th Amendment abolished slavey, President Gerald Ford recognized February as BLACK HISTORY MONTH in 1976. This declaration was long coming, with many earlier manifestations such as the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) in 1926 sponsoring Negro History Week on the second week … Continue reading Building Beloved Community 2/8/24
