From your Minister of Education and Outreach

Greetings Friends,

With all the recent news coverage about the marches for ending gun violence, I was touched and impressed that the students of Parkland, FL thought to lift up their friends of color who have long been struggling with this issue in their communities. It is a great reminder that no matter the issue or place we find ourselves, we all have the chance to lift up our friends of color whose history, lives, and communities are so often overlooked.

As we know, our denomination has newly recommitted to studying issues of racial diversity and, fortunately for us, our ADORE group (A Dialogue on Race and Ethnicity) also brings to us ongoing opportunities for awareness and learning.

So, on behalf of ADORE, I want to personally invite you to attend the April 8 University service at which ADORE will host Dr. Damon Silas, clinical psychologist at Tipping Point Wellness, LLC, as he shares his thoughts as an African American man. The service is an invitation to us all at Piedmont UU Church to recommit our support to the Black Lives Matter movement. The service will be followed by a soul food potluck. Please feel free to interpret “soul food” as your comfort food and bring a favorite dish to share!

I want to add a few more words to the work that ADORE does because I do not see this so much as a ministry on behalf of Piedmont UU Church, but rather a lifelong learning opportunity for us all. I am currently participating in a training at my daughter’s school through the organization Brownicity (Brownicity.com). At the end of the month, I will attend an RE training on Multiculturalism designed especially for UU religious educators. I hope I can bring some of this learning to Piedmont UU Church very soon.

I share all this because despite more than 20 years of studying the issue of race, racism, and multiculturalism, I find I am still learning all the time. What I love about the work is the great people I meet, many of whom are different from me. This adds such a richness to my life; while the work is hard, at times painful, it seems worth it to me. We UUs have a long history of attending to issues of race and diversity. Although at times we may stumble, I am confident that we will continue to turn our hearts and minds to this sacred work that calls us.

Yours in faith and service,

Rev. Amy