Unfolding yet again in Oregon is an epic struggle of White Americans fighting for their soul.  Unsurprisingly the media shares little of the white supremacist and xenophobic ideologies at the root of the prime activists in the Harney County occupation.  The mostly armed White men have a track record of violent rhetoric and extremist views that go beyond simple anti-government goals.  

Nativism, exploitation of the land, and the meaning of Whiteness are at play.  Oregon has long faced this struggle as militia and hate groups have dominated and flourished in Oregon politics and shaping the general social order.  While many Whites may dismiss their fellow White militants, no Person of Color is.  We know too well and too often how fear mongering by a few translates into paralysis to address racial inequities and a culture of white fragility particularly among Oregon’s liberal white elite.  

The contradictions abound, sharpened by the acquittal of officer Tim Loehmann in the shooting of 12 year old Tamir Rice, and the general law enforcement response to community protests in Ferguson, Baltimore and yes…Portland.  

Growing up solidly middle class in an American mid size town, imperialism was not something that was very evident.  As a mixed race person of color, racism and classism seemed more salient.  

Naturally these systems are all nicely interlocking, and sometimes in a way that makes getting to the route quite confusing.  Academically like many intellectual leftists I gained a good dose of theory from university, teach-ins and considerable reading.  I greatly appreciated the privileges of the 1990s when so much new literature became accessible from smaller printing houses and eventually the Internet.  Getting to read first hand accounts of people around the world created a global context brought which I could more easily identify patterns of imperialism.  

I am still only on the verge of identifying as an anti imperialist, still needing to do more intentional personal work to consider my values and political orientation.  While my work has many marking of countering capitalism, I still struggle with bourgeois attitudes and behaviors.  I am greatly impressed with so many peers, youth and elders who live with such intentionality.  

I’m trying to discern more clearly what economic system at the root is effective enough to realize a more just and equitable world.  Pragmatically it requires persistent redistribution of resources and capable leadership to help us aspire to a better future and to fight corruption.  

The forces of fear and ignorance are alive in Portland.  The Portland State University Board has authorized arming security forces with weapons that can kill.  Check out Rebel Metropolis.  As our children of color face persistently experience threats of violence and disproportionately pay the ultimate price of #whitesupremacy, the choice to put more guns into our education learning environment demonstrates the corruption of leadership.

We are blessed by the #BlackLivesMatters movement and efforts of Don’t Shoot Portland and communities of color working for a world where all people have the rights, recognition and resources to thrive.  It is notable that the activists are directing the growing energy towards concrete systemic change and we should be thrilled to see young people of color and allies organizing direct action at PSU, the Capitol, and other places of power and influence.  Not for a minute can we buy into the mythology that the status quo will serve all of our communities fairly.  It is a ruse to believe such nonsense, but one that will have ample resources and influence behind it.

Our leadership must be in the spotlight and we must organize for the long-term if we expect any significant change.  There are many roles to play, and no individual can know or play them all.  As we muster ourselves to the goal, let us not only call out the evil, but to expect that those who we are in relationship with are doing the same.  And then to ask “why” when there is silence.  We can all benefit when we take time to reflect, not just be the first to share something on social media, or to tweet or like, but to more deeply contemplate from the inside out the meaning of what is happening around us.  Share that seed with the world, and let it flourish.

On a related note, from what I consider my liberationist, progressive, justice-centered viewpoint, and to quote a colleague, “we cannot just be the left, we must build the left”.  We cannot just be individuals in the fight, we must continually build working relationships, trust, respect.  At the center of this is the value of accountability, to the values we share, and to one another.  We have work to do to address our own internal strife, where we sharp elbow and blindside one another, seeking to be hard, righteous, and to lift ourselves up at the expense of others.  We have difficultly giving feedback, engaging in process, bringing others up with us, building structures, asking and receiving support, and continually clarifying and renewing the values that bind us.

In America’s largest city, the judicial branch declined to pursue charges against a security officer who was videotaped in broad daylight choking a man to death. This came less than two weeks after courts in the nation’s often overlooked central region reached a similar decision in the shooting of an unarmed teenager. Both victims were members of the country’s largest minority group, and the killings have set off nationwide protests that have often escalated into clashes between dissidents and the security forces.

You’ve got to love being overseas, and reading about what is happening in America.  You really get a whole new perspective.  This quote comes actually from an American writer Joshua Keating at Slate who writes columns about US events using the same tone & tropes US media does about foreign events.

There has been a lot of really good writing, reporting, reflecting and analyzing coming out of the violent events of #Ferguson and #EricGarner and more.  I’ve had time to read more than I normally do on my mini-sabbatical here in the Philippines.  I still find it difficult to react as quickly as I’d like to, but I’m sending out a deep appreciation to the people who have taken time to do so.  I am particularly drawn to the landscape analysis given my long-term interests in social change, but also have found several very influential portrait posts.  Without must annotation, here are some very good posts worth reading or reading again:

White America’s Scary Delusion: Why Violence Is At The Core Of Whiteness by Dr. Brittany Cooper

Ferguson Solidarity Protests by Deepa Iyer (keynote at APANO Convention 2014)

#CrimingWhileWhite Confessions by Noam Cohen and a response #AliveWhileBlack by Zachary Goldfarb

I find it valuable to have a trove of White folks naming the privilege they’ve received in #CrimingWhileWhite, as a window into Whiteness.  I think this increases the likelihood of reaching other White folks, and comes out of the context of our current US racial context.  This aspect of the twitterverse provides a level of reality check for White America.  I see #AliveWhileBlack less as a “response”, because I don’t think we’re debating right/wrong here, but more as an important continuation of our dialogue on race.

Encounter at Protest Leads To Hug by Gosia Wozniacki

Gosia, who is a friend,  shares this followup personal reflection, particularly in light of the critiques of the photo:

After the photo of a 12-year-old African American boy hugging a white police officer in Portland went viral, it generated a lot of interesting responses on all sides. I’d like to add my thoughts to the discussion, because I’m a photographer and lover of photography. Please note these are my personal views, not those of the AP. I fought hard for the AP to print this photo, secured the rights from the freelancer to publish it, and got in touch with both the officer and the mom of the boy to write the back story of the photo. Many people reacted very positively to the image – they said it was a sign of hope, of much needed healing, and it left them weeping. But some have also criticized the photograph, saying it has shifted the attention away from the problems of racism and police brutality facing our nation. Critics also have said white people grabbed onto the image as an easy excuse that all is well after all. And they’ve accused the photographer of cropping the photo to distort reality and the officer and the boy’s mom of staging the photograph and using it as PR tool for the police. First, let me say that I’m glad this image is generating big emotions and discussion from all sides about race relations and about the meaning of photography. Did this photograph tell the truth, or not? Every photograph in existence is “cropped”. Photographers frame photos in the field by choosing a certain piece of reality and excluding everything around it. They also crop shots using editing software. These are the basic ways photography works. Every piece of photo out there is subjective and selective, because the moment and the frame are chosen by the photographer. Every photo is just a small piece of a much bigger reality and we all know and expect that. But good photographs also have the power to stop time and focus on tiny moments that we might have missed. The placement of photos in newspapers and online is important, and editors need to weigh the importance of what is newsworthy and why – but clearly, this wasn’t the only Ferguson-related photograph published last week. Also, there are circumstances I can imagine where the framing can be deceiving, when key pieces of information are missing. I don’t personally think this is the case here. One of the criticisms is that a lot of people were shooting photos of “the hug”, making the police and the boy’s reactions inauthentic. If you’ve attended any recent street protests, you know that every other activist is holding a cell phone or digital camera and taking photos or video or everything and everybody. Photography and shooting video have become ubiquitous, esp. in times of public chaos. This was a noteworthy moment, and the fact that people were paying attention with their cameras doesn’t surprise me. I wasn’t there to see the hug, and don’t know what the true motivations were, but let me offer this: When it comes to the boy, he was crying before he ever approached the cop, so I believe his emotions were sincere. When it comes to the policeman, we’ll never really know what was going through his head other than what he tells us. In the end, here’s why this photo was so compelling: on the surface, it was a positive image during a week of negative images, the element of surprise. But it wasn’t just a normal hug. What made the image a standout was the expression on the boy’s face and the story behind it. According to his mom, the boy has been struggling with the issue of police brutality and racism against black teens. He was there at the protest, bravely facing the police barricade, tears streaming down his face. And when he was hugging the officer, his face was anguished. That face said everything – it said how hard a black teen’s life is and how difficult and complicated it is to hug (read: to trust) a policeman who should be there to protect you. The struggle on this boy’s face expressed the relationship between black teens and cops. And it’s that face that should lead us all to ask why, in a country where police should work for all citizens, a black boy has to cry when hugging a white officer — and why this is even newsworthy.

Check out these great photos from Darlene Huntress of Oregon Action from the Oregon Health Equity Alliance (OHEA) Legislative Kickoff this week.  They are beautiful!

Really proud of our growing alliance for communities of color, immigrants and refugees fighting for a better Oregon. These photos kickoff our story for the next year for health equity, strong families and racial justice.

Our work is becoming increasingly organized, with great trust, discipline and care for each other’s work. As we continue to raise and share resources equitably, we expand our capacity to win on issues that affect our communities.

Another word for this level of discipline is militant! While perhaps loaded for some, it has important meaning in our work to confront generations of inequities and is key to achieving lasting change.

I am dedicating a portion of my sabbatical to learning how to play the Ukulele.  I’ve played guitar since college, self-taught and follow along student (with a big hat tip to my old college mates Benno & Josh).  I never progressed all that much in the guitar, but can hold the basic chords together.  Tomorrow morning is my first lesson, at home thanks to Wames Music Tutorial Center and Teacher Tep.

Haven’t yet committed to buying a Uke, but found a great little Uke Store/Coffee Shop that is very nice in Cubao near where we are living in Quezon City.  The Four Strings feels like a good old fashioned cooperative and startup entrepreneurial millennial project.  I love it.

I’ve been all talk and no action for months now on restarting my blog.  After a week of decompressing in the Philippines, I’ve decided I need to set some goals.  Like a good organizer  I’m not talking a workplan mind you…

#2015Goals

• Post at least 3x weekly
• Write about spirit at the intersections of identity
• Focus on the Oregon experience
• Have fun!

Ok, now that I set goals, time to get to work!

Attached media: https://radicalhapa.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/2015worldwewant.jpg

Not too long ago humankind made decisions rooted in violent power. Those with the most power got their way by force. Those with the most power still wield incredible influence and try hard to suppress the less powerful, yet it is not as absolute.

Tomorrow is Election Day and voting is not only making decisions on who will lead for your family and community and what issues will be supported or defeated. It is also a spiritual practice of peace making. So many people lack the ability to vote and suffer at the hands of political violence. We remind ourselves of our humanity and human rights when we choose to cast our ballots.

Attached media: https://radicalhapa.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/img_5566.png

I loved legos as a kid.  I had this huge tub of those classic multi-colored blocks in my bedroom.  I’d pull them out and root around with my hands as the legos made that crashing sound that only small little pieces of plastic can make.  My two best friends would come over and together we would build epic castles and towns complete with colorful streets, schools, fire stations, and homes.  We’d mix in little green army guys, a transformer here and there, and build towers with poker chips for good measure.  At the end we had our masterpiece.  We spent hours, even days, putting it all together.  Then it was time for the real fun.  Breaking it down!

We would gather up all my stuffed animals, balls and other poor toys, and hide around the corner from my bedroom floor.  Then we would take turns without looking and lob the toys at our masterpiece.  We could hear the crashes, and excitedly guessed what we may have toppled.  Was it the castle?  Did we knock down the invading green army guys?  After a few rounds, we’d all swoop back in making ambulance siren sounds, and go to work on repairing the broken buildings and caring for the casualties.  This cycle repeated for days.

I have three kids, and I’ve watched each of them break a lot of toys.  Sometimes it is on purpose, sometimes it is purely accidental.  It seems though that there are a lot of lessons.

When I first learned of the terrible injustices inflicted by people upon people I felt very helpless.  I think a part of my life has been spent trying understand these realities in part to sustain my ministry in a more holistic way.

One of the rituals I formed as a young adult was to do my best to always consider my physical place and ask about the people who called it their home in the present and past.  I always learn something new.  Another ethos I developed is around only traveling to places where I have a relationship and invitation.  I can’t say I honored this all the time, but it is one that I feel has grown stronger as I have aged and have more class privilege to visit places of my choosing.

Lastly, I have sought to intentionally be present in places where there have been terrible injustices and great transformations.  I make it a point to bring myself to locations that have meaning for social justice – both in terms of remembering our history and to feel my body in the same spot where others have struggled.

Once I stepped out onto the country roadside to look upon the lightly wooded ravine in South Dakota and upon a simple billboard that honored the Massacre at Wounded Knee.  I can still feel the sight of the beautiful murals at San Francisco State University and the sharp edges of the buildings where 1960s students of color went on strike for equity in education.  My partner and I stayed a month in one of the Zapatista Caracols in Chiapas after engaging for years in solidarity work.  Our family took a tour into the Old City of Manila where thousands were killed during World War II.

This winter we may visit Tule Lake Internment Camp where thousands of Japanese Americans were imprisoned in America’s WWII concentration camp.  A place that continued on as dilapidated farmworker housing.  And we will continue to make visits to meet people who are the hearts and souls in our movement building work, from young people in East Portland to elders who share their stories with us around the campfire.

Photo credit – Alex Haas

Saltwater and bits of seaweed stick to my glasses
Close up an ax is raised over a barnacled rock
You can hear the rapid babel of Chinese and feel the Old Men across the jetty look up at the back of your head
A crack rings out, everyone relaxes, senses go calm
Another delicacy of the sea is gathered while youngsters strut across the beach
The fog horn rings out protecting this place
Where land and rock and sea and sky meet

I can not trust a system that is not willing to protect people of color.  – From a friend and organizing colleague in Portland, Oregon

My communities of pastors, human rights activists and neighbors are reeling from the news this evening that Zimmerman was found not guilty for the killing of young teenager Travyon Martin in Florida.  A culture clash of values at work, wrapped in a racialized media blanket and a desensitized American public that persistently dehumanizes people of color while fueling fear and militant individualism.  Why we need to keep coming together.  From those I love —

…SHOCKED and STUNNED! United States of America as a nation that prides itself on the fairness and equality this is yet another wake up call. Outcomes like this “NOT GUILTY” verdict is YET another reminder of the wounds people of color are asked to heal every minute and every day of their life in America. Do you understand why we question each and every interaction? The justice system has yet to prove to be fair? Do you see the division? HOW in GOD’s name is this a NOT GUILTY case. Post racial America is a myth – despite the outcome I KNOW and believe WITHOUT a doubt that the life of a young Black man in America is priceless. I refuse to accept the injustice you choose to present as a reality! Holding on to these words by Dr. Martin Luther King “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” My heart, prayers and unyielding love are with your family/friends -but especially your mother/father/siblings! We are FOREVER united and connected – the bond has been sealed – The Trayvon Martin Foundation Trayvon Martin your spirit lives one – the world knows your name and have bared witness to this injustice! We must continue to fight for all the Trayvon Martin’s of the world.
– Charlene McGee Past Chair, African Womens Coalition

May we send Trayvon’s family & friends love and compassion.
May we send Zimmerman and his legal team & family love and compassion, and some hope of eventual redemption.
May we remember that white supremacy is so much bigger than this one case that shines such a bright light on the racism of our judicial system.
May we find ways to expand love over hate and fear.
May we rededicate ourselves to eradicating white supremacy from our lives and our systems and our communities everywhere.
May we find the strength to do that work with love.
May it be so.
– Rev. Cathy Rion Starr, All Souls Church DC

Also, no the system is not broken. No there should not be patience. This is what the system does and how it works. Patience only leads to more death of people of color, more colonization of land, more cages built and more wars. We need impatience with this system and we need stronger organizing to fight.
– Rev. Jason Lydon, Black and Pink

NOT GUILTY of ANY CHARGES??? REALLY!!!???!!!
My heart breaks…. No! My heart is broken.
Something is seriously wrong with this picture.
I wish that the Jury would follow the route of the Civil Rights Movement to better understand what just happened. This is an updated version of Emmett Till’s story. Shame. Shame. Shame.
-Rev. Hope Johnson, UU Congregation of Central Nassau

Who will cry for the little boy?
Lost and all alone.
Who will cry for the little boy?
Abandoned without his own?
-Jerome Brooks, Former Urban League Organizer

Follow detailed coverage and analysis at Colorlines.com

A core part of APANO’s Model of Change is grassroots organizing, which comes in many shapes and colors.  I think its important for every community to go through a process to define what they mean by grassroots organizing, and its probably a good thing to update it periodically.

APANO developed language around this in 2012, and we’re revisiting, visualizing (see path to social change infographic) and refining through conversations among members at our Statewide Convention, staff and board.  I’ve had the opportunity to consider many approaches over the last 25 years, and am always enjoying new illustrations and deeper analysis on the subject.

I’ve been recently studying this model from grassrootschange.net with a public health frame.  It was shared as part of a discussion around countering bad “preemption” policies that ALEC and big industry have been utilizing to fend off health equity initiatives around the country.

Have you ever heard the term movement activist?  It isn’t something I was very familiar with until a few years ago.  With the help of my colleagues at the Western States Center and friends who continue to organize post-Seattle WTO for convenings such as the US Social Forum, I’ve found myself thinking, feeling and acting out of a deeper “movement building” framework.

I appreciate how the idea of a “movement activist” links us to the historical struggle for social justice.  How the concept of movement binds us in solidarity with the oppression that communities beyond our communities experience, and calls us to find common ground.  In fostering this common ground, I recognize that there is an ongoing effort to establish consensus around the roots of the problems our communities face.  As one of my wise mentor-colleagues said, diagnosis determines therapy (thanks to the late Rev. Dr. Bill Jones).

A final note is on the being an activist, and how in this context of movement building, we are called to find ways to continue the work for a lifetime.  How are we able to sustain ourselves?  What is our support system?  In working to change the social order, with institutional forces aligned to protect themselves and undermine efforts at transformation, how do we grow and adapt?

Over the last 5 years I’ve been working with community organizations that are more deeply grounded in organizing as a model of change.  I’ve always believed that everyone is an organizer, to a certain degree.  Parents are amazing at getting their kids to where they need to go.  Young adults plan big parties.  My friends who have “retired” are busier than ever.

Working as an organizer in a professional setting is different, and is probably one of the toughest jobs.  There isn’t a simple model, and there are many intangibles.  I’ve worked in a range of organizing jobs, or jobs where I brought an social justice organizing framework: campus, electoral, neighborhood, faith, multiracial and culturally specific.  They’ve been some of the toughest and rewarding jobs.

Organizing for social justice is hard because the work is at the intersection of the worlds suffering and the deep aspirations of humanity.  Each of these are precarious in the sense that they are both very complex and rarely do a group of people agree.  Yet when they do, great things can happen.

I think there are many incarnations of a good organizer, and no monolith.  There are important hard skills like being able to set goals, manage your time, and have the technical know-how to bring people together.  There are soft skills such as genuinely liking people, being energized by cooperation, and having a strong internal practice of reflection.  There are many other components such as analysis, history, networks, language skills, and more.  

Recently I’ve been contemplating the attitude of a good organizer.  What is the ethical nature of an organizer? How do they adapt to the change they create?  Why do they keep moving forward in the face of opposition, changing situations and limited capacity?  One of my colleagues reminds me about how important it is to cultivate peoples passion.

What is your passion?

As a parent, Earth Day is a chance to bring out the environmentalist in my kids. I love all the people caring for the earth, improving their individual habits, and drawing special attention to the interconnectedness of humankind and the world we live in. This is also a day that perpetuates the misconception that communities of color aren’t engaged in environmental issues. For the record, folks of color do care about the environment, and are critical spokespeople on climate change and the health impacts precisely because as a community we are disproportionately affected here in the US and globally.

Check out my full post on BlueOregon.com

I love the vibrant spring and great opportunities to be out in the community.  Several community organizers have started Umajaa Farm Project, and are selling garden starts and seeds Sat Apr 21 starting at 930am at the beautiful June Key Delta Community Center, built on a reclaimed brownfield across from Peninsula Rose Gardens.  Amazing intersections of food sustainability, green building and Black/African-diaspora activism.

I’m also hoping to check out the Love & Struggle NW Tour that comes to the Reflections Cafe (446 NE Killingsworth) on Sun Apr 29 3pm to hear local organizers Walidah Imarisha and Mic Crenshew discuss the 60’s, Weatherman, SDS along with author Terry Bisson.  These events really surface our shared history of resistance and how we continue to bless the world with vision and social change.

Check it out, one of the most wonderful weeks of truly engaging and honestly authentic community advocates are being brought together by the Bus Project for a damn fun, critically real and pretty inspirational Festival of Democracy.  Something for everyone, from newbies looking to educate themselves about the upcoming elections to seasoned vets seeking something new in their toolbox.  Rebooting Democracy runs through Sunday April 22nd.

I’ll be a part of Sunday’s workshop The Equity Equation: Working to Solve Oregon’s Racial Disparities, along with Kalpana Krishnamurthy of Western States Center and the Oregon Racial Equity Report Card.  Shout out to all the great APANO volunteers helping out, and the continued effort of the organizers to prioritize the issues of communities of color and communities experiencing inequities.

I’m thrilled to share this recently published poetry from one of my oldest friends.  We’ve been through a lot of our social, political and economic intellectual growth together over the last 20+ years.  Here is an excerpt, read the rest in the Grey Sparrow Journal and see her bio after the jump.

when you wake up this morning they have already abolished unions

then

the earth

lifts

and lays her head back down slightly to the left

soon

the sea

sings across that island

pressing our hopes between backup plans

their promises melting down below deck

Finish reading the poem at Grey Sparrow Journal.

Laurel Albina is a Canadian born Palestinian-American writer and organizer. She is a 2011 Hedgebrook Alumnae and a five-year student of Bent Writing Institute in Seattle, WA. Laurel is scheduled to have her poetry published in Prairie Fire Magazine in 2012. She is employed as a union negotiator and lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and four-year old daughter.

Tomorrow at PCC Cascade around 6pm, Winona LaDuke is speaking to kick off Earth Week in Portland.  She was one of the first keynote speakers for the Coalition Against Environmental Racism (CAER) conference I co-organized in the early 90’s.

It made me reflect on several other meetings of great activists.  I spoke on a panel last week at Portland State about community partnerships for the Social Determinants of Health symposium alongside Bob Bullard (a grandfather of Environmental Justice), another CAER keynoter.  And just a few weeks earlier was at the South Los Angeles Library for a Labor/Strategy Center discussion with Fred Ho whose book on Afro-Asian relations is a must read for community organizers.  (nudge to www.bigwowo.com for a place to talk more about this?)

Surprised that no, zip, zero Unitarian Universalist ministers were profiled in the recent Huffington Post Inspiring LGBT Religious Leaders article??  I remember when Rev. Meg Riley and youth leaders were leading dialogues among UU youth in the late 80’s and early 90’s that were oh so difficult, challenging, and transforming for me and many others.

A decade later when I was at Harvard Divinity School and helping organize an international network of UU Seminarians of Color, we noted that over 40% of our members identified as LGBTQ.  Rev. Meg Riley is still preaching the good word as Senior Minister of the Church of the Larger Fellowship, an amazing international congregation based in Boston with a worldwide ministry.  Here she is speaking out about against the marriage ban in Minnesota, At the Dentist: Fighting the Marriage Ban.

(hat tip to the UU movement building network Standing on the Side of Love)

I have been marveling at the influence of children.  In my moments of high intensity, even anxious grumpiness, I find the sound and sight of my kids calming.  It is like they are a source of peace.  There will be times when I feel the swell of snapping at them, and sometimes I do, but moreover, I notice the feeling of love and gentleness the closer I come to them, hearing their voices, holding their small hand.

We know how powerful having vision, a positive attitude, and progressive goals are.  We know to look for assets in ourselves and our communities.  We know change comes when people work not alone, but together.  We know how important movement building is.

We feel so much frustration at the elections.  We feel it with every TV, cel phone, text message, website, and radio reminder that pours through our lives 24/7.  We feel the impact on the most vulnerable in our communities, whose voices may be silenced or worse with decision-makers who value exclusion, demonization, and inequity.

Despite what we may feel as New Americans or Old Americans, this is no longer a land of individualism.  We have evolved beyond the theologies, philosophies, land-use planning, public policy, liberal attitudes and beliefs that held great influence in the past.  We are one.   We commit ourselves to working as one, to build the circles of resilience, of resistance, of restoration of the human family.

We may not be able to touch the lives of those suffering across the world, but we can touch the lives of those on our block who face increasing hostility from racial stereotypes, class warfare, and the socio-economic manipulation of the most vulnerable.  We will not let the media-political-entertainment machine continue to only be fueled by the pain of others, masked in the broken ideology that the best way for humanity to survive is by living alone and caring only about ourselves.

Mainstream liberalism cannot sit back any longer and observe and analyze.  We must be on the front lines.  A path is before us all, to begin again with vision, attitude and goals for progress.  We start with ourselves, preparing ourselves to be in authentic relationships with our families, communities and the human family by both unlearning our petty prejudices, and learning new skills and knowledge to be engaged in community building.  We are careful rethink practices that have divided us along race, class, generation and more within the progressive community.  We nurture the fire within to step out of our comfort zone to give a little more to give in ways that strengthen our voice, ways that bring us into direct contact with the uncertain, struggling, marginalized and surviving participants of our great nation.  Crafting together a new way forward.

Where we talk across generation
Where we popularize our class consciousness
Where white folks bring an attitude of nonviolent listening with folks of color
Where we reject demonizing and minimizing the identities we bring
Where we put our minds, bodies and souls to work in direct contact with other human beings, where there are no strangers, only friends we’ve never met*

And we say yes to being in relationship, to doing God’s work of connecting one by one, and believing that the tasks of community organizing, of reaching out in person, on the phone, in group, are a political and spiritual practice of building wholeness.

*with thanks to Sisters of the Road

I’ve been on a path far from the circles of Unitarian Universalists the past 3 years.  Today I was out and about wearing a T-Shirts I bought off a C*UUYAN (young adult ministry) Steering Committee member at ConCentric (the annual leadership & business conference for young adult ministry since 1998)  in 2007.  It has that wonderful quote from J.R.R Tolkein – “Not all who wander are lost.”.  I had two folks come up and ask me about it today at the garden store and Trader Joe’s!

My community ministry has me deep in relationship with low-income, communities of color, specifically through transit and economic justice work with OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, and with the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon.  In both circles, I meet the occasional UU, usually folks of color who have had some experience in a UU congregations or with Liberal Religous Youth.  I think I’ve met over 15 folks of color right here in Portland, OR who identify to some extent with our faith, a great number for a potluck!

Still, there is a deep dissonance from my previous ministry with the UUA’s Young Adult and Campus Ministry, People of Color (DRUUMM and otherwise), and various congregational efforts I was engaged in.  Those experiences were powerful, and I am glad for the opportunity to serve the UU communities.  I imagined myself staying deeply involved professionally with the UU, however my aspirations diverged, and today I feel as far from the mainstream of UUism as I did when I was an undergraduate at the University of Oregon.  What is strange, is both of these times in my life where my distance was greatest, are also some of the most meaningful.

My time after YRUU (youth ministry) leadership, which was intense from high school through early college, was a place where I explored and lived at the intersection of my identity, the suffering of the world, and grew in my ability to serve.  Now in my time after C*UUYAN and the UUA, I’ve come full circle and am immersed in communities on the margin of our mainstream society, and by some logical extension the margin of Unitarian Universalism.

Through all this, I have a deep appreciation for the training and mentorship I received through lay and ordained leadership.  For the most part I worked with amazing high functioning colleagues, was compensated generously, and was able to work with an amazing diversity of grassroots UU’s for a decade.  Now, I’m happily connected with the “big church” in Portland, which I’ve been around since I was a child growing up at the wonderful hippie fellowship in the rural suburbs.

Being back in Portland now 3 years, life is great and grounded.  Emerging also from that period of time with lots of really little kids, hard to believe that our 3 total 18 years in age already!

The letter sent from UUA President Morales and the national Boycott Arizona movement asking us to come to Phoenix in 2012 for our regularly scheduled, business-as-usual GA and go through a “transformation” is a game changer.  Added to the high consideration about the $600,000 hotel contracts (we have yet to sign convention contracts as far as I know), as well as the intense push back immigrant issues have generated in our congregations, I predict this trinity spells rejection of the proposal to honor the Arizona Boycott called for by communities of color by our dominant white religious adherents in Minneapolis next week at GA.

We still need boycott GA and PASS THE RESOLUTION to move GA out of Arizona in 2012.  We are not ready spiritually, religiously, and from a values perspective – organizationally, to achieve this transformation in 2012 years.  Consider:

• The general apathy and suspicion of racial justice concerns, and powerful pushback against immigrant and refugee rights education and social justice
• Lack of any coordinated UUA immigrant rights and racial justice programming that is accountable to communities of color within our congregations and the larger racial justice movement.  We have many individuals with relationships and personal influence, but this does not provide long-term sustainable leadership.  Disappointingly even local congregations in Arizona are disconnected and disengaged.
• Little UUA-wide accountability with immigrant communities, UU laity and clergy engaged with communities of color, immigrants and refugees.  There is no communication or relationship building with any of the ministers and lay folks I know who are deeply involved with these issues, and I’ve made and received several calls.  We appear to lack vision and structure to hold this dialogue effectively.
• There is no clearinghouse, no contact person, no issue tracking, and no leadership development plan as far as I can tell from a brief look at district and UUA materials.  Already in Oregon we are facing two copycat measures in local counties, and there is no communication or information sharing structure developing.  We need to develop a strategy and coordination to manage UU engagement on this issue if we are going to really “transform” ourselves at GA.

As a faith tradition, we share a lot of values in common with the movement to boycott Arizona.  Yet the evidence is clear that we are not ready to meet the call to have a “transformed” GA.  We do the immigrant rights movement a disservice by pretending to be so, and bringing what will ultimately be a GA with status quo activities and crossing the boycott.  We also disrespect the voices of people of color, immigrants and refugees within our congregations, who have made their position clear, it is our moral and political call to respect the boyott, and our own safety and wholeness are at stake.

I urge GA delegates to support the GA Boycott Resolution in Minneapolis AND

1) Support the move to biennial or triennial GA
2) Call on the UUA to dedicate staff resources to coordinate research, local networks, and anti-racism education
3) Commit to social witness and civic engagement now, in conjunction with local congregations and national affiliate organizations such as DRUUMM, LUUNA, ARE, Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of DRUUMM, and youth and young adult UU movements.

I continue to oppose having the regular general business of the UUA in Phoenix.  I strongly support re-investing the $600,000 in minimum reservation fees for the 2012 to be directed to a UUA response to SB 1070.  I wonder if we are trying to be cheap by insisting we can “do it all” by having GA and public witness?  Do we undermine the larger movement by making these rationalizations but really what we’re concerned about is money?

Lots of discussions are being generated by UUA President Peter Morales issuing a call for GA continue to be held in Phoenix in 2012.  Check out this discussion thread by Rev. Michael Tino.

UU Allies for Racial Equity(ARE) Endorses Arizona Boycott

May 2010

With other people of faith and concerned citizens across the country, we are disappointed and deeply troubled by the passage of recent anti-immigrant legislation in the state of Arizona.  We fear that this legislation will ultimately result in marginalization of immigrants, both documented and undocumented.   Harassment of Latinos/Latinas/Hispanics and people of color perceived as immigrants because of their race or ethnicity will be an inevitable consequence of any attempts at enforcement.   Our nation has made significant progress toward racial equity in the last fifty years.  This new law is a shameful step backwards, once again inscribing racism in the legal system and thereby in the institutions required to comply with the legal system.

Immediately upon passage of the new Arizona law, the Rev. Peter Morales, president of our Unitarian Universalist Association, issued a statement in which he wrote: We cannot stand by while those charged to protect us instead subject us to racial profiling, unwarranted searches, and unjust arrests. We must not let fear and ignorance cause our neighbors to be treated as lesser beings. We must not allow this law to violate our national constitution or America’s moral conscience.”  We are grateful for the leadership of Rev. Morales and for the leadership of our Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees who quickly convened a special meeting to consider whether we should rescind our commitment to hold our 2012 General Assembly in Phoenix.  After listening to many voices and considering a spectrum of protest strategies, the board voted to present a business resolution before the delegates to our annual General Assembly this June in Minneapolis, MN asking us to participate in a widespread economic boycott of Arizona.  We encourage you to read the full text of the board’s resolution which can be found at http://www.uua.org/aboutus/governance/boardtrustees/index.shtml.

We know that some in our association are advocating alternative protest strategies, but our philosophy of accountability calls us to carefully consider requests for allied participation from Diverse & Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM) and from the Latino/a Unitarian Universalist Networking Association (LUUNA).  In doing so, we have discovered that DRUUMM and LUUNA leaders have aligned themselves with the leadership of several prominent national civil and immigrants rights organizations.  With hope and faith that a strong, united voice of protest will help overturn this law, and in solidarity with LUUNA and with DRUUMM, we affirm our support of an economic boycott of Arizona and encourage delegates to our General Assembly to vote in favor of the business resolution presented by our board of trustees.

UU Allies for Racial Equity (ARE) Steering Committee

Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo, President

Rev. Michael Tino, Vice-President

Ken Wagner, Treasurer/Stewardship Coordinator

Sharon Blevins, Membership Chair

Rev. Bill Gardiner, Education Team Co-Chair

Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer, Education Team Co-Chair

Rev. James Hobart, Connections Team Co-Chair

I was struck by the MFC report which noted that “5 Ministers of Color were either moved to inactive status or removed from fellowship by inactivity or by their request.” [April MFC Report to Board]  I don’t doubt the MFC is following protocol and really have no quarrel here.  But it is a significant number given the 60 or so active UU ministers of color that I tracked in 2006.  That would be about 12%.

Great to see DRUUMM member and soon-to-be Rev…Jacqueline Duhart will be student liaison to MFC.  Great to see the MFC has so many POC on their review board, really amazing given where the MFC was when I first started paying attention back in 1997.  Lastly, it was a little sad to read about a candidate “losing it”, and that this was reported so widely to the Board.  Well and now I’m posting it on my blog.  Hmm…

Here is the text of the GA Business Resolution referred by the UUA Board of Trustees.  I’m still seeking a copy of the meeting minutes to give more context to this democratic action, including the roll call of votes and motion-maker. – jsl

Business Resolution Phoenix GA by the UUA Board of Trustees

“Whereas the state of Arizona has recently enacted a law—SB 1070—that runs counter to our first principle, affirming the worth and dignity of every person,

Whereas the Association stands in solidarity with allies using a widespread economic boycott of Arizona as leverage for Love against this hateful legislation;

Be it resolved: we will not meet in a state of fear.

Accordingly, the Assembly hereby:

• Directs the UUA General Assembly Planning Committee to recommend to the Board of Trustees an alternate location for General Assembly 2012 at a location outside the state of Arizona;
• Pledges to generate from Member Congregations the amount sufficient to cancel arrangements in Phoenix for GA 2012;
• Pledges further to generate an equal or greater amount to fund ongoing efforts to Stand on the Side of Love in Arizona.
• Pledges to renew and redouble our efforts to become a multicultural, anti racist Association; to live as a people standing faithfully in opposition to systemic racism in our congregations, local communities, and in our own lives.

“It is one thing to stand on the side of love when it doesn’t cost anything.  It is a real test when it does.”
— Karen Narasaki, President and Executive Director – Asian American Justice Center

A/PIC (Asian/Pacific Islander Caucus), a caucus of DRUUMM (Diverse and Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries) supports the stance to boycott Arizona and move our UUA General Assembly 2012.   These are not easy decisions and we have had many discussions within our steering committee, membership, and general
lists on this topic.  The elements that most influenced our decision included:
1)      Supporting LUUNA and their wish that the UUA boycott Arizona;
2)      Affirming the position of our parent organization, DRUUMM, in favor of the boycott;
3)      Concern from and for People of Color who do not feel safe traveling in Arizona while this law is active;
4)      Standing in solidarity with immigrant advocacy organizations in Arizona who have called for boycott.

We will continue the discussion and invite everyone to participate in this discussion in three ways:
1)      Add your comments to the DRUUMM conversation site
2)      Send an email to general@apiuu.org
3)      For more private consideration, send an email to steering@apiuu.org

The A/PIC steering committee will continue to monitor these channels as well as participate in the discussion during our GA in Minneapolis.

In faith,

A/PIC Steering Committee

DRUUMM STATEMENT ON ARIZONA SB 1070

June 1, 2010

DRUUMM (Diverse and Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries) join with other Unitarian Universalists concerned with justice to condemn the new racial profiling laws in Arizona and we urge Unitarian Universalists who identify as people of color/Latina/o/Hispanic to express their outrage individually and collectively at these laws which allow law enforcement to target people based on race.  We particularly note the statement by  LUUNA (Latina/o Unitarian Universalist  Networking Association), which states about this law that “its very vagueness will provide a means for law enforcement agencies to harass individuals on the basis of appearance alone.”

Because some of our members have indicated their concern that they would not be safe travelling to and within Arizona as long as such racial profiling laws exist, we also support the proposed boycott of Arizona and support relocating or cancelling the General Assembly scheduled to be held there.  To hold a General Assembly without the total spectrum of our members is exclusionary.  We also urge our General Assembly delegates this year to explore other options that could keep us in dialogue with the people of Arizona.

We remind our Unitarian Universalist family that such actions do have impact.  In the late 1980s, when Arizona refused to honor the Martin Luther King holiday, Unitarian Universalists cancelled the General Assembly scheduled to be held there.  After the state changed their position, General Assembly was once again held in that state.  We believe that, even in hard economic times, Unitarian Universalists must be willing to demand that their money be guided by their principles.

We as people who affirm the worth and dignity of all people must continue to fight against racism and ethnic discrimination in all forms.  A law that singles people out by race and ethnicity is by its nature racist.  We condemn this law and urge people of faith throughout our country to let their voices be heard.

The Steering Committee of

DRUUMM (Diverse and Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries)

I’m renaming my blog UU Solidarity with Arizona in an effort to bring attention to the harms SB 1070 is perpetuating upon the people of Arizona and the Unitarian Universalist response.  The racism, profiling, and xenophobic anti-immigrant principles guiding Arizona’s public policy is the wrong direction for our country, and the wrong direction for Unitarian Universalism to endorse.  Honestly I’m equal parts pit-of-my-stomach angry, scared for my family, and anxious about what this justice issue means for my Unitarian Universalist faith.

A powerful civic organization developed in Oregon while I was away at Harvard for graduate school starting in 2002.  I had heard bits and pieces about The Bus Project, mostly through media reports on their political rise and effectiveness at electing progressives to the Oregon House and Senate, and from activists in communities of color who were a bit skeptical of their ability to partner and be inclusive of racial justice in their “progressive” agenda.  Ctrl-Alt-Del was a key theme, the need to “reboot” democracy, even “remake” democracy, and to do so in a way that leaves no one behind, ensures our future survival, in way in which we have equity.  And unlike a computer, it takes organized people power Ctrl-Alt-Del errors in our democratic system.

THE BUS PROJECT IS AN INNOVATIVE VEHICLE for hands-on democracy. We drive votes, drive leaders, and drive change. (And yes, we have a bus.)

Founded in 2001, the Bus Project has mobilized thousands of volunteers and activists around the state of Oregon and throughout the country. We bring voters out of the woodwork. We host zany forums to learn about candidates and policy issues.

The Bus Project is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization that implements the Bus Trips program.

They hosted their Rebooting Democracy Conference (and check out the twitter feed!) for over 300 mostly under age 30 activists from across Oregon, and a host of panels and speakers educating and firing up the attendees.  A core group of folks of color came to engage, link our issues, and advocate for racial equity.  Urban League, the Center for Intercultural Organizing, CAUSA and APANO all turned out young participants, and I spoke in 3 sessions throughout the weekend.

Rev. Lennox Yearwood, former Air Force chaplain, New Orleans native, and leader of the Hip Hop Caucus, headlined Friday with Harvard legal eagle and democracy activist Lawrence Lessig speaking Saturday.  I have to admit I’ve been out of the loop on the younger generation since I left the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Young Adult & Campus Ministry Office after 10 years, so it took a little adjusting and re-education.  It did make me think about all the intense and meaningful community building and organizing young UU’s were a part of, and how critical these were to bringing about social, economic and racial equity.  I said a prayer hoping that this intentional ministry is still being carried on by Unitarian Universalist congregations and the national association.

I took away several lessons:

• You can’t beat an event where folks are explicitly talking about progressive policy advocacy (i.e. public interest advocacy) with super engaged volunteers (who will go door-to-door hundreds of times) and a whole host of politicos including Gubernatorial candidate and former Governor John Kitzhaber, who a group of 10 POC met with to encourage his participation in our April 29 candidate forum, and probably a dozen other electeds included Rep Nick Kahl who I had a great lunch with Saturday.
• Our community building, anti-racism and community ministry are a critical step in building the world we dream about, and it must be linked directly to effective policy advocacy and civic engagement.  We need to take time to understand each other and build relationships, but we also need to put our money and time where it also matters – in elections and in legislative battles.  The Bus Project does an excellent job of doing the “math” on where people-powered door-to-door phone-banking and grassroots organizing can make a real difference in the election of progressives in key swing districts.  And they’re doing it with one of the most disenfranchised voting electorates – the 18-35 year olds.
• The struggle for equity in white progressive institutions is still very difficult and long-term.  My UUA experience taught me the need for accountability, and the value of strong anti-racism leadership development programs, both multiracial and culturally/ethnic specific.  I was particularly disappointed in the ethical and moral behavior of white progressives, so-called “allies”, who ultimately worked to undermine collective people of color leadership.  My experience today in the larger white progressive communities is that there are key white leaders committed to partnerships with people of color and a real awareness of the challenges, but a real lack of systemic training and education integrated into their leadership development programs.

This was my first experience with the Bus Project, and I would say it was overall positive.  Some of my colleagues from the community felt frustrated, tokenized, and even angry at some of their interactions, and I am sad for that.  It was a strategic decision, and there is some sacrificing that comes from putting our limited organizational resources to recruit and turnout our folks to participate.  I think we’ll benefit in the long-term, and I appreciate the efforts of Bus Project Board & Staff Helena Huang, Noah Manger, & Caitlin Baggott, as well as my colleagues from community-based organizing.

UPDATE 1: It’s Rev. Bill Sinkford!  Read the Announcement here.

This morning the Search Committee at First Unitarian Portland, Oregon, will announce a major update in the Senior Minister transition.  Rev. Tom Disrud has served as Acting Senior Minister for the last year since Rev. Marilyn Sewell retired.  More news in a few minutes.

Update 3/27/2010 – I met face-to-face with Roberta Phillip last week, comments below.

A quick political observation and a few racial justice related comments.

The race for Multnomah County Seat #2 covering most of N/NE Portland is going to be hot, multicultural, and will almost certainly result in a run-off.  For folks of color, immigrants and refugees, this represents one of the few elected seats where our communities have enough political power to elect someone in relationship with our growing diverse populations.  The seat has been held by a progressive white guy Jeff Cogen who gets rave reviews for everything from his policy making to his hiring of Karol Collymore.  Previously Serena Cruz held the seat, who won it through serious grassroots organizing (remember Cruz Points anyone?) in a significant community development for the Latino Community.  Serena left the commission to go into building contracting with her husband, scion of megabuilder Walsh Construction.

The political dominoes that fell when Governor Kulongoski appointed Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler to the State Treasurer post upon Ben Westlunds’ death has been intense.  Jeff Cogen is now running for Multnomah County Chair, with hefty support from former Chair Bev Stein and former US Senate candidate Steve Novik.  With Cogen’s commission seat #2 now open, the list of folks who are running is impressive.  Here are a few quick hits on a few candidates:

• Karol Collymore is highly praised for her work as a Cogen aide, and her Democratic party and women’s organizing in New Mexico and Oregon.  She was a finalist for the House 43 and Senate 22 appointments.   She is African-American, involved in lots of cool GOTV activities, and is a regular contributor to BlueOregon.com and even talks about racial justice issues.
• Chuck Currie is a legendary housing and homeless activist, who worked closely with City Commissioner Gretchen Kafoury.  He is now a UCC minister (same year as me!), family man with twins, and moved from Westside to Eastside to settle down around Parkrose.  Currie has a fairly famous civic and religious blog.  He is a white guy who has addressed racial justice concerns and whiteness.
• Gary Hansen is a former commissioner running again for office.   Older white guy who I have no idea of his racial politics, but I’m sure is really nice and formidable because of his past experience.
• Roberta Phillip who recently left the Crittendon Foundation and serves as Board Chair of Pangea Project, became more widely known when a group of African American civic leaders endorsed her over Joann Bowman and Chip Shields for the open Senate 22 seat last year.  Seems relatively unknown within communities of color and no idea about her racial justice perspective. UPDATE 3/27/2010: Had a really nice tea with Roberta, learned more of her background and work here in Portland, including: 1) Creating Mentor Program at POIC that lives on with over 70 youth; 2) Community relations and interest in increasing accountability with communities of color with Chair Wheeler; 3) Long-term commitment to the future of Oregon.  She is an immigrant from Trinidad, grew up in NYC, and really just a thoughtful focused person.
• Irma Linda Castillo I’ve never heard of, at least I don’t think, is a 14 year Multnomah County worker who cites diversity training in her filing statement.  Educated in California.  Would love to hear from her!
• Maria Rubio used to work for Mayor Tom Potter on public safety issues among other things.  Is mother to new Latino Network Executive Director Carmen Rubio, and I think was even in the Emerge Oregon program for women candidates, although I could be wrong.  I saw her at a recent Office of Multicultural Health legislative forum, and she indicated she has been doing consulting since Sam Adams took office.  I imagine her analysis is sharp given what I know and love of Carmen’s vision and work.

There are several other candidates who I don’t know who may be amazing, although I think the general election will be two folks from this list.

We just wrapped up a fun afternoon and evening of merrymaking as part of my birthday-social justice fundraiser.  We had some serious numbers of children, tofu and chicken, and a great cake with a funny picture of me on it (thanks babe!).

I had a blast though just chilling, after returning from SF and the Finding Our Way Home 4 UU religious professionals of color retreat.  Got to catch up with my cohort of seminarians of color we first organized when I was at Harvard, as well as generations of mentors and leaders I looked up too since my first encounters with other people of color in Unitarian Universalism.  At the party tonight, several local POC friends and I talked about our involvement at First Unitarian Portland, and how we’d love to be more intentional about building community together.  We also lamented the challenge of doing so in a larger congregational setting, and how it takes a plan, as with most good things.

• Janice Marie Johnson has taken over leadership of the religious professionals of color retreat, aka Finding Our Way Home.  Sofia Betancourt led the UUA’s initial effort and response to years of advocacy by professionals including a strong push by seminarians of color in 2005-2006.
• Seminarians of Color continue to be led by Walter LeFlore and now Angela Henderson.  It is a hard network to keep engaged with the demands of ministerial formation and the more non-traditional nature of the students of color (i.e. generational, economic, familial).  Still it is a critical organizing effort that I am happy the UUA continues to provide some financial support to in the form of coordinator stipends, support-accountability, and information sharing.
• There were heavy conversations on all levels, and most recurring from previous years.  Religious educators frustrated with ministers.  Seminarians struggling with debt and the do-it-yourself fellowshipping process.  People of color and the white institution.
• DRUUMM had a great highlight, Leslie Takahashi-Morris and Mel Hoover announced that all participants would be offered a free 1 year membership in DRUUMM thanks to a large donation from Chris Long’s ordination.
• Alicia Forde who directs the UUA’s Diversity of Ministry Initiatives around anti-racist multicultural congregations held an excellent question and answer period that highlighted some of the direction of developing congregational ministerial positions and preparing congregations to receive and support the ministry of people of color.
• There is little to no talk about people of color ministry unfortunately, and perhaps because very few religious professionals of color in Unitarian Universalism have the opportunity or intention of providing such ministry.  This has not been an issue for me in the past, but now that this is the essence of my work since I became ordained almost 3 years ago, I find myself in the same boat as elder colleague Don Robinson in DC, sister Karen Tse who works heavily in SE Asia, and my MFC mentor Cheng Imm Tan in Boston.  There just isn’t a strong contingent of UU POC religious professionals working with POC, UU or community, full-time.

I’ve been mulling over how to create a website for Oregon progressive activists to track legislation and elections at the state level.  Blue Oregon is a great resource for highlighting current developments, but doesn’t aggregate news and analysis in much detail for all 90+ state races and numerous state house and senate bills introduced each biennium and special session.

Perhaps a website like this would be too much to manage, and be of little interest to most folks.  I’d imagine though that progressive c3 and c4 organizations, particularly the smaller ones, would benefit from up-to-date information on who is running in what elections, and the progress of legislation, and a way to share progressive analysis and opinion.  I’m thinking some combination of an auto-Google News by House and Senate District (thats 90 races), and some way to spreadsheet legislation and have a custom column for endorsements and the progressive word on the street.

Has anyone heard of anything like this out there?

[disclaimer – I speak only for myself.  I work for an organization that has written a letter of support for the Community Crossroads concept.  These are my observations in part fueled from 15 years of community organizing in N/NE Portland.]

This week, the Rose Quarter Advisory Committee, a 22 member group appointed by Mayor Sam Adams, vetted finalists for a major redevelopment of the inner Northeast Portland district.  Dozens of proposals were narrowed to 7, and on Tuesday Feb 23 the committee narrowed to 3, with 1 alternate.  Despite this being a public process, three things happened that really demonstrate how conservative and disempowering Portland is:

1. Secret balloting of the committee in their selection voting.  These citizen representatives need to be held accountable like everyone else when our taxpayer funds are at stake.  There is no hiding and ducking accountability.  The committee itself voted only 17% on the question of whether the Community Crossroads proposal met all the criteria.  This is really the truest sign of how disconnected even our citizen leaders are from the community.
2. PDC staff member(s) UPDATE: I have now watched the video and it turns out it was a Mayor’s aide(?) publicly criticizing, minimizing and manipulating the process in order to lobby the committee to advance the developer-backed proposals their pet projects.  This unethical behavior in my opinion specifically targeted Community Crossroads proposal, generated by a coalition of non-profits, multicultural organizations, and local architects
3. In the best contradiction of the night, the non-profit Community Crossroads proposal was criticized for not having enough cash on hand to conduct more in-depth proposal work leading to their failure to advance to the final 3 proposals.  The final 3 proposals are all led by private developers/corporations, and were all given funding to conduct their final in-depth proposals.  Corporate welfare at its best/worst!

Learn more for yourself at http://www.rqdev.org/

Portland Public Schools hired an excellent staffer in Fall of 2008 to address deep systemic disparities in workforce diversity, cultural competency, and lay the foundation for improving academic achievement of students of color.  Kurt spoke to APANO’s general membership in June 2009.  Here is the press release:

Superintendent names workforce diversity director

In announcing the hire of Kurt Jun, Superintendent Carole Smith said: “All of our employees must be able to build strong relationships with our students and families, no matter who they are or where they come from. Kurt is skilled and experienced in helping large, public organizations become more diverse and culturally competent, and I look forward to working with him to achieve those goals here at Portland Public Schools.”

Jun comes to PPS from Salem Hospital and Regional Health Services, where he directed its diversity program. In that role, he worked closely with the hospital’s human resources department to promote the hiring and retention of a more diverse workforce. He also built strong ties to the local community and served as a member of the Salem Human Rights Commission.

Previously, Jun managed diversity, affirmative action and civil rights compliance programs for the Oregon Department of Transportation. In these positions, he monitored agency compliance with federal civil rights provisions and worked with state, local and community partners to promote affirmative action and environmental justice on major transportation-related projects.

The more I’ve been back in the community, engaged in multiracial organizing and leadership development, the more I hear and experience the violent and racialized encounters with police, not just in Portland, but Eugene, Corvallis, Salem, and beyond.  It one of the hard realities of white supremacy on people of color – the violence and control that breeds an environment of low-intensity conflict, hurt and suffering.  Some of it is clearly a crisis response to criminal behavior.  Yet when one does a full accounting over any period of time, race is ultimately a deciding factor.  (kudos to Maxine Bernstein who is doing excellent reporting from the Oregonian)

• The deep tragedy of an elder brother shot in the back by police, dead, unarmed, in the midst of emotional distress over the death earlier in the day of his younger brother [funeral note].  While his criminal background may justify unwanted police attention and aggression, the facts as they’ve been reported appear to point again to a combination of poor police training, a need for better competency in cross-cultural crisis management, and protocols that don’t let a bleeding victim of a police gunshot to be left on the road for 23 minutes.
• PCC Women’s Basketball player was essentially assaulted by police around the corner from our house.
• Eugene police tasered a  University of Oregon student, recently arrived from China, in his bedroom, in his apartment.  [APANO response]  [good summary from local API activist]

I’m usually reading comments that remind me of the awful side of human nature.  Took a gander at the white-hot Garrison Keillor rant against Unitarian Universalists (along with Jews and Christmas secularism), and went further to skim the comments, and had a blast!  They were funny, reminded me of the wit of humanity, and well, seemed to have the most redeeming value of the whole literary episode.  Hat tip of course to Rev. Fred Small of First Parish Cambridge who wrote a nice reply via the UU World.

A sampling:

• Hey, if you’re going to nit pick (in the spirit of Christmas), don’t go translating a perfectly lovely German song into English.
• don’t worry: it’s bad enough just the way it is.
• You might wake up with a big question mark burned into your front lawn.
• Garrison’s going to return the favor and never touch songs like “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” and “Jingle Bells” and “Over the River and Through the Woods” that were written by Unitarians?  You’d think a guy who rewrites lyrics on his show that often would be a little more open-source, but there you go.
• Garrison…don’t even try to belittle us Unitarians…we bite!

My regular favories:

• Blue Oregon run in part by an old high school amigo Kari Chisolm has fun, interesting up-to-date information about progressive democratic issues and candidates.  I particularly appreciated their reporting and analysis of the selection processes to replace State Representatives and State Senators by Precinct Committee Persons (as I am for 2086).
• Colors of Influence written and edited by Maileen Hamto who I’ve had the privilege of meeting through APANO (Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon).  I pledge some of my hard earned non-profit wages to through a donation subscription.  Maileen has interviewed a great cross section of movers and shakers within communities of color in Oregon, and her website is an excellent resource to any community organizer like me.
• Race Wire is a project of the Applied Research Center (Hi Rinku Sen and Gary Delgado) and does an excellent job of breaking down the issues and analyzing from the perspective of those most impacted by social injustice and disparities.  I also appreciate the growing use of short video PSA’s, and always love to hear my fellow activists putting some sense out there to the broader world.
• Western States Center, which is of course where my loving partner works, but is also developing some original content and essays on their “Blog and Discussion” page that I find very interesting.  Immigration and GLBT issues?  People of Color and Feminism?  Their work is often at the intersections of identity and social justice issues.

IRCO has officially launched a new $1.3 million dollar capital campaign for the IRCO Family Center.  Executive Director Sokhom Tauch and the Board of Directors have unveiled the campaign to staff and community through a series of events (including a great spring roll luncheon) and press releases.  While the building location has yet to be determined, the vision is to incorporate the Asian Family Center, Africa House, and Parent and Child services into a comprehensive campus that would likely rival the main IRCO Building on 103rd and NE Glisan.  This is welcome news for the staff at the fast growing social service agency, and will continue to strengthen IRCO’s reputation as an effective non-profit agency.

You can learn more about my community ministry/civic engagement work at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) here.

The wildish sunflowers in our new front yard garden were garishly 8 feet tall this year.  But beautiful cut flowers, and definitely on the list for an encore in 2010.  Kudos to our mate Adofo for his help with our new garden architecture!

General and tangential observations on the UU Ministers Association Convocation 2009

• CONVO happens only every 7 years, and this may be the last one with UUMA restructuring of education and learning (also known as UUMA CENTER).  Attendance is around 400.
• No one appears to be “live blogging” much of anything
• Bill Sinkford is not here.  Peter Morales is (as is Gini Courter interestingly), and he pledged to visit the UU Church of the Philippines as early as 2010.
• Worship has been amazing, coordinated wonderfully by Rev. Leslie Takahashi-Morris (with well wishes to David)
• Little to no controversy, other than the simplified food menu that has raised a few grumbles, but was necessary given the lower registration and budget
• A UU Fight Club of ministers sharing stories for future preaching has emerged.  We don’t talk about UU Fight Club.
• Ottawa is really beautiful, parliament, an intense new War Museum, and I’ve eaten out for Indian, Vietnamese, and Thai.
• Only a fraction of the UUA’s Dreaming Big and large church ministers are here, a bit surprising, and feeds the perception of disengagement by large church ministers.  It could be budget related but there also appear to only be a handful of the UUA staff ministers here.
• The choir is singing a little in French tonight for the closing worship, directed by Rev. Jason Shelton, with a new version of the Fire of Commitment, which appears to becoming on par with Spirit of Life for its intensity and popularity.
• A lost opportunity to educate ministers about UU projects through information tabling, which some may dislike, but I find very helpful.  You’ve got a captive audience for 5 full days, and a few have taken advantage to put out literature and be available such as ICUU, Historical Societies, Standing on the Side of Love, but where are all the other ministries?

During the UUA Presidency of Bill Sinkford, it seemed each year there were more and more “Statements from the President” that were circulated by email and posted on the website.  It definitely made the UUA President a much higher profile position, although maybe it was just that I started paying attention more and that the internet era was upon us.  It takes time to craft each of these statements, sometimes pastoral messages.

I’d love to see UUA.org develop more of a presence and pulpit for local ministers and lay leaders, after all, this is our UUA isn’t it?  And it would be a great way to formally build stronger associational relationships, and for UUA staff to be more connected to what is going on locally.  I’m not meaning to pan UUA.org or the staff, but it does feel like I get 90% messages from the President.  One approach could be promoting “joint statements”.  In these ways we can introduce ourselves to those who are doing the work at the grassroots.

This comes out of my philosophy that the power of the UUA should be used to strengthen our association, through the building of networks, leadership development, and contribute to social justice.  I get frustrated by the heavy PR, opaque decision-making, and reluctance to authentically engage stakeholders at the grassroots level.

From People Magazine

“…the governor of Alaska wasn’t even aware that the teen was having sex”

Another vote for rigorous, appropriate and healthy comprehensive sexuality education.

Anna Garlin Spencer was the first woman to deliver the Berry Street Lecture, entitled “Are We Outgrowing the Need for Church?“.

The Church as the organized expression of this religious sentiment must then it, seems, be here to stay.

If so, it must change its form with the changing conditions of man’s life.

Perhaps not a radical call, but an interesting analysis given today’s present moved towards radical geographic congregational conservatism.

This is exactly what I talked about in my MDIV thesis:

When it comes to our own racial and cultural identity, our policy seems to be “don’t ask, don’t tell.” I find this both troubling and puzzling in light of our commitment seventeen years ago to create a “racially diverse and multicultural Unitarian Universalism.”

From Paul Rasor’s Berry Street Lecture 2009

Without data, we can’t address equity, and thus we end up speculating and working from poor assumption.  I was at GA but missed this presentation, and alas only now took the time to read it.  It is really quite fascinating, and I agree (and unfortunately disagree in part with the response from Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt …”But in the end, this is not, and never will be, a numbers game”) that it is helpful to understand our context through census numbers.  I’d write more, but it is midnight.

Media outlets are abuzz over the announcement that the Morman Church supports anti-discrimination measures inclusive of gay, lesbian communities.

“It’s the most progressive and inclusive statement that the church has made on these issues,” said Will Carlson, the manager of public policy at Equality Utah, the state’s largest gay rights group. “What they’ve said here is huge, in protecting residents in other municipalities, and statewide.”

NY Times November 11, 2009

I grew up in a primarily Morman neighborhood in Portland OR.  The other Morman children were very friendly, loved pie, and I enjoyed the boy scouts and other dances the local “ward” hosted.  They were often some of the nicest people I met.  By high school it was evident however that “Mormans First” was their mantra, prejudiced against inter-racial, even inter-religious dating from my personal experience.

There are certain questions every adoptee I’ve known, including myself, seems to ask at some point in their life.

It was not until she was in her 30s that she began to explore her Korean heritage. One night, after going out to celebrate with her husband at the time, she says she broke down and began crying uncontrollably.

“I remember sitting there thinking, where is my mother? Why did she leave me? Why couldn’t she struggle to keep me?” she said. “That was the beginning of my journey to find out who I am.”

NY Times Article Adopted From Korea

It rhymes!   “blogging again in twenty-ten“.  After some consideration, great poetry performances at New Portland’s Colored Pencils, several nice sermons, and a year settled in my new community organizing, it feels like the right time to start blogging again.  We’ll be in the Philippines soon, a great place to spa and reflect on the calling, the work, and the future.

I went from typepad ($$$) to wordpress (free!), although I think I lost like 3 years of posts.  Ahh well, why save stuff, seems like Google has a program for that, or Apple has an app for it.  Eventually.  So stay tuned, for the 10 of you left who actually check this old blog!

Editor blank content page// While people of color are inspired by the liberating messages of Unitarian Universalism, congregational life often does not reflect diverse worldviews or cultural practices.  Often congregations are not committed to the justice struggles of communities of color.  This can leave people of color feeling invisible and isolated.  For many members, participating in DRUUMM enhances their congregational experience and empowerse them to work for racial justice and cultural inclusion in their home church.  For others, DRUUMM may be their primary place of Unitarian Universalist religious expression. (from new DRUUMM Brochure)

Tonight at 8pm Mountain Time, the Secretary of the Association Paul Richter will announce the new UUA President. The era of Bill Sinkford is officially over.

Laurel Hallman is the clear front runner, and it will be little surprise if she wins tonight with 55% of the vote. She has the money and the endorsements, much of it lined up well before officially declaring, scaring away other potential candidates. Laurel is the status quo candidate, and in our small “family-style” faith, has the bulk of major rich, leaders of influence and access, and UUA support. Key money and organizational people behind at least the last 3 UUA Presidents, are behind Dr. Hallman. She’ll be a fine president.

A Rev. Morales victory will deeply and gently unsettle the traditional powers of the UUA. With fewer endorsements and resources, Morales has benefited from a crisp vision. It will be the biggest upset and most significant change institutionally should he win the UUA Presidency.

I look forward to congratulating the new leader of our association, and also reading the financial disclosure report! More on that later.

Lee Boeke Burke, UU Partner Church coordinator for the Philippines, sent around this tragic news.  Rev Nihal Attanayake, one of my mentors and staff for the UU Church of the Philippines wrote this public letter about the death of Arlyn Barotag, mother of two and pregnant who was murdered last week.  Her UU congregation is a member congregation of the UUA.

Arlyn Barotag was brutally murdered on June 2, 2009 in the village Nataban, Philippines. 

Arlyn was a faithful UU a mother of two kids 6 and 3 years old and was two months pregnant when she was brutally murdered. Arlyn’s husband Jonathan UU member had to find employment in Cebu City the adjoining Island to Negros and has been working for the last three years. He visits the family once in six months. 

On June 2, 2009 at about 7:30 in the evening a young man age 23 single a resident of the same community under the influence of alcohol had entered the house of Arlyn and said to have attempt rape. Arlyn carried the two children and ran out of the house and down the precipices crying for help. Her cry did not fall on any body’s ears. The family relatives and members of the congregation lived scattered in the area at a distance of 500 meters and more.  

She had stumbled over the rocky surface and had a fall and possibly knocked her head against the rocks that gave enough for the man who chased her and repeatedly stab her more than thirteen times, revealed at the inquest.  

The elder child of 6 years crawled her way to the near by neighbor’s house at about 500 meters at that time and cried for help on behalf of her mother and the three year old was by the side of the mother in shock having the traumatic experience of witnessing the mother been murdered and was found with blood bath as the neighbors rushed to the site. 

The brother in Law and a member saw the suspect in the act from a distance as they approached the scene and identified the man who ran away in to the woods. 

The family members of the young man the murderer had fled the community that night but through a coordinated effort he was arrested from a place at the distance of about twenty to thirty kilometers away. He is now under custody of the Police in San Carlos City.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development is said to have taken responsibility to pursue the case against the suspect in Court. 

At my visit to the congregation on June 13 the members gathered in the chapel and all were there still unable to get rid of the traumatic experience. It was too much of shocking news to me and I was helpless and deeply sad with what had happened. When I asked why we were not informed of this tragedy I was told that they them selves were very much feeling helpless and shocked and waited till I visited them to share their experience. 

I spent the afternoon with them gathering information and listening to them and their feelings. The women expressed fear for their lives with this event. There are three families whose husbands are working in cities as construction workers in Cebu and Manila.

As I listened to their story we identified concerns.

Some are to find short time solutions and some are long term solutions to concerns.

We sat and drew the community map and identified the locations of their residences in the village. We saw that out of 15 families 13 families were living scattered in about 2 kilo meters radius. The houses are located at a distance of about 200 meters, 300 meters 500 meters and 1 kilo meter.                                                   1 

WE asked our selves why no body heard the cry for help?

The geographical setting of the landscape and the direction of the wind prevent been heard.

We asked our selves why the cell-phones they had were not used to Communicate? There are particular areas where they can find the signals. The batteries run down and to recharge they need to get to the community proper where there is electricity. They cannot reload their cell-phones all the time because they do not have money for that. 

We asked our selves then how are we to take are of each other as we are afraid now?

A possible solution could be to provide families with hand sets. 

We asked our selves Why this type of crimes take place?

Because of alcoholism and use of dangerous drugs which is grown in small quantity in the area

[Marijuana]

Such crimes are committed mostly by People who do not work and idle.  

Who will take care of the two children?

The Aunt of the two children offered to take care of the children and asked me for help with sending the 6 year old to school. That is one concern we need help with but the most immediate help is to provide counseling both to the Aunt and to the two children. Arranging for those facilities are essential. The father of the two children wants to continue work in Cebu and earn his living. 

We asked our selves why do husbands have to leave their families and work in far places?

They have tried do farming and have found it less income generating because there is not enough funding to spend on all costs for farming. Some times natural calamities such as strong winds and typhoon rains destroy the farms.

If sufficient funds are available they prefer to stay and farm. 

We seek justice for Arlyn and in order to do that we need to be consistent with pursuing the case

And very important two aspects in seeking justice for Arlyn is to have the witnesses be present in court at all times when Court hearings take place. The other is to support the two children with necessary counseling and future plans for their development.  

In consultation with the UUCP President and coordination, on behalf of the UUCP I seek you help in support of justice for Arlyn Barotag. 

On page 3 I attach the crime scene pictures taken by the Police and forward to me by Arlyn’s husband. It is not at all pleasant to watch. You may refrain from viewing if you wish. 

We are still gathering information and finding ways to approach this very heart braking concern. I am willing to provide you with more details and information as days go by. Please feel free to write and ask. 

Wishing you well and greatly saddened, 

Nihal Attanayake

International Relations Officer

Chair FIA Com. Director Partnership

Adoption Mosaic, a new advocacy and education organization based in Portland, OR, continues to flourish under the able leadership of co-founder Astrid Dabbeni.  Unique within the adoption world as a non-adoption provider non-profit that works extensively with families, adoptees, and prospective parents with a racial justice framework, I’ve had the honor of speaking several times as part of their ongoing workshops on transracial adoption.

There is a new Adoption Mosaic Blog where you can discuss the issues further.  Check it out!

Yesterday the signature project of the Community Development Program I coordinate at IRCO (Immigrant Refugee Community Organization-Portland) – ENGAGE – held its graduation at City Hall.  Mayor Sam Adams, Commissioner Amanda Fritz, IRCO Executive Director Sokhom Tauch joined 36 people of color/immigrants and refugees who completed an intensive 4 month leadership training.

In its second year of providing leadership and organizational development to communities of color/immigrants and refugees, IRCO’s Community Development Program builds strong community coalitions in the Slavic, Asian/Pacific Islander and African populations of Metro Portland.  Funded through an innovative municipal Diversity and Civic Leadership small grant, through the Offfice of Neighborhood Involvement, IRCO is one of 5 people of color-led community based organizations providing empowerment, civic engagement, and community building services in the City of Portland.

IRCO is one of the oldest immigrant and refugee social service agencies in Oregon, and has grown rapidly over the last 10 years to become an $11 million dollar “mutual assistance association”.  A primary provider of refugee resettlement services, IRCO offers over 80 programs to communities.

It has been a full circle experience for me.  When I left Portland in 2002, I was deep in community social justice work, particularly with Asian/Pacific Islanders, and in the performing arts with Portland Taiko.  After 5 years of graduate school and ministerial formation, it is wonderful to be back, and re-connecting with the work.

I had imagined going deep in youth and young adult ministry, one of the primary focuses of my study at Harvard and professional work at the Unitarian Universalist Association, and I continue to see myself growing and striving to be of use to the younger generation.  Unfortunately, painfully, and in ways that made me question the ethics, values and practices, I was “restructured” and after 10 years forced to re-apply for my job.  With my privileges, from education to family, from cultural resources to history, I’ve found a wonderful place again in Portland.

Working full-time with communities of color, immigrants and refugees is an honor, and another privilege.  It is special to be able to work in ways that promote multiracial and intergenerational community, a vision and practice that is is the lifeblood of my soul.

The Unitarian Universalist Association is electing a new President this month, and the politics are heating up to the point that I’m breaking out of my non-blogging phase. For 10 years and through one major election, I worked for the UUA and so technically had “no opinion”, which makes sense. Now I’ve been out of the system since Dec 2007 at which time I was ordained and moved back into community ministry in my hometown of Portland, Oregon.  Here is my brief, from the gut, two cents.  I’m sure I could write something far more nuanced, but it is after midnight and I’ve got three kids to wake up tomorrow, and a taiko performance to prepare for.

The election appeared for almost a year to be a coronation of the singular candidate, Laurel Hallman, a wonderful preacher and large church minister in a suburb of Dallas, TX. I have really never met Rev Hallman formally, and have mixed feelings about her given the unfortunate and inappropriate behaviors of her congregation during the last of the Young People of Color Leadership Development Conferences and significant youth and young adult anti-racism/anti-oppression ministrys. Some of this is documented in the UUA’s Special Commission Report of 2006, although I believe it really missed the mark with respect to the root causes and recommendations.  One fact that has stayed with me is the eiree silence of Rev Hallman on the events publicly, that underscores a concern of mine – her readiness to minister in a multicultural world and understand the experiences of people of color within Unitarian Universalism.  Laurel strikes me as an amazing pastoral care (not sure about communities of color/immigrant and refugees) and administrative professional.

Peter Morales jumped in the race late, and was virtually a guerilla candidate.  Nearly all the powers that be have lined up against him, particularly what I would categorize as the status quo.  There is a nice diversity of anti-racism activists and ministers who are split between the two candidates, including people of color.  But all in all, the money and powerful UUA players are in the Laurel Hallman camp.  I have known Peter since the days when he wrote the original letter calling together religious professionals of color – a group that became DRUUMM in 1998.  Peter had some serious conflicts, some direct and some indirect within these communities due to what I viewed as miscommunication and a difficultly in finding common ground on an anti-racist analysis that honored diverse people of color experiences.  I honestly have always found Peter to be very candid, a refreshing personality within what is often a challenging and frustrating UU culture.  He is not perfect, is willing to experiment, and also be honest about failures.

I’ve chosen to endorse Peter for UUA President, particularly after talking with several trusted colleagues and Peter himself.  Most of my closest collegial friends in the ministry are actually supporting Laurel Hallman.  What was most interesting to me is that all had the same reasons – that they were asked by another trusted colleague, most commonly Wayne Arnason.  None of them had a clear enough reason for me to support Laurel, and frankly the social justice ministry as well as ethical conduct of UUA power players is what I am most interested in during this upcoming election.  Peter to me is the best candidate for the job.

I just don’t have the energy to blog these days! I get to Facebook more given the privacy and the ability to also engage in community organizing and work. Now, I’ve been convinced to start Twittering (radicalhapa). We’ll see what becomes of this blog…

There has been an ongoing policy advocacy struggle in the Portland-Vancouver metro area over replacing the aging Interstate Bridge that crosses the Columbia River. I’m a resident who lives blocks from both the Interstate Freeway, and a mile from the river. The current plans are terrible, calling for an expansion to a 12 lane freeway, without quality mass-transit and other congestion tools.

A colleague at the Coalition for the Livable Future shared this Letter to the Editor:

Anna Griffin’s Saturday column dismisses the thousands of hours that citizens have dedicated to thoughtfully shaping the Columbia River Crossing by likening their work to keying a Hummer. Car keying is vandalism. Healthy civic debate is democracy.

“Try leaving a Prius brochure on the window instead” concludes Griffin. Many of us have been doing this very thing for over four years. Coalition for a Livable Future is calling for a Climate Smart CRC, one that will stabilize the amount we drive at or below today’s levels so that we can avoid consequences from global warming pollution. Smarter Bridge, a group of concerned citizens, has proposed another idea. Both are suggesting that we fix the problems in the crossing, while also recognizing that every investment we make with our limited resources must prepare us for a sustainable future. Unfortunately, no matter how you spin it, a twelve lane CRC is not a healthy choice for our region.

—

Jill Fuglister
Co-Director
Coalition for a Livable Future
107 SE Washington, Ste. 239
Portland, OR 97214
Voice: 503-294-2889
Fax: 503-225-0333
Web: http://www.clfuture.org
Are you a CLF member? Join now and help connect people, organizations and issues for a sustainable and healthy Portland-Vancouver region.

For the third consecutive year, the UUA through the Identity Based Ministries Staff Group is hosting a gathering of Religious Professionals of Color. Specifically fellowshipped ministers, seminarians who have reached candidate status, and DRE’s. Over the last three years, about 40 folks have participated each year, but probably around 60 total have come at least once.

I’m heading out tomorrow to join colleagues from across the country for a weekend of reflection and spiritual work. The space has not been utilized yet for strategic long-term organizing as a community, but there is a good level of relationship building and information gathering that is helpful to that purpose. This gathering returns full circle to the gatherings that happened in the mid-1990’s that resulted in the formation of DRUUMM, the UU People of Color organization in 1998. When I was convening an informal (and now formal) network of UU Seminarians of Color, we consistently advocated for this gathering to be re-established. It is exciting to see the ongoing commitment and facilitation by the UUA, particularly Rev. Sofia Betancourt. Hopefully Third Time is a Charm, and regardless of the UUA Presidential Election.

Last month I celebrated my first full year away from the UUA. It was important to stay out of the fray after my departure after 10 years of organizing and ministry with youth and young adults. The transition was made even more profound when my 36th birthday came around! No longer am I a young adult. In the ministry there is a lot of health conversation about the importance of giving space to new leadership when we transition. It feels like that happened for me, as I had maybe one or two conversations about young adult and campus ministry in the whole year, and only at social events. There is still some sadness that after a decade of intense action and reflection with the youth and young adult generation, my generation at the time, that the experience and learnings are stored away like an Indiana Jones find. Nonetheless, given my collective organizing principles, I believe that the best leadership will come from young adults themselves. A new generation of empowered, visionary, radically inclusive and spiritually alive youth and young adults are leading already.

I have a lot of love and powerful memories from my 10 years of work. Through all the ups and downs of funding, part-time, leadership transitions, etc, that period in my life both professionally and personally was very meaningful. With an amazing group of dedicated activists, together we built an effective and creative continental network of Unitarian Universalists. We were able to develop on so many levels, not only organizationally, but spiritually. Our basic theology and philosophy of the ministry evolved…process theology and practice at work.

Now that a year is passed, I’m paying attention to only one of the ministries that I left, the Groundwork Initiative. This was a joint collaboration of DRUUMM, YRUU, C*UUYAN and the UUA that was administratively managed by the UUA and led at least ideally by the collective of youth, young adult and mentor anti-oppression/anti-racism trainer-facilitators who went through a 4 day train the trainers. Our work was, and unfortunately still is on the cutting edge. I am pleased to see the integration of so many of the Groundwork participants in our UU congregations, in the organizations we sought to partner and be accountable with including the Catalyst Project (formerly Challenging White Supremacy), People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, Asian American Resource Workshop, Western States Center, and Crossroads Ministry. There is a Groundwork connected member, apprentice or mentor in each of these organizations at some level. This is amazing!

An old UU friend sent out this letter today, reposted with permission.

 

Some of you know that in the past few weeks, the Union I worked for was taken over by our international union, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

For over two years, UHW has been at odds with SEIU. The fundamental issues are member democracy, workers in UHW wanting to make sure they had a voice in their contracts and their unions, while Andy Stern and SEIU have increasingly centralized control taking it out of the hands of workers. But also the issue is about what kind of union do we want to work to build, one that fights the boss, or one that collaborates with the boss.  The fight started when UHW led by Sal Rosselli began to criticize sweatheart deals SEIU had made with nursing home and hospital bosses to gain more union members—at the expense of those worker’s standards and working conditions.  UHW then tried for over a year to fight for reforms within SEIU. After this exhausting process, most of us came to the conclusion that the institution of SEIU is to undemocratic, to top down, to ever win real reform in.

This fight led to Andy Stern to make the undemocratic and purely political move of trusteeing UHW. A trusteeship means that all of the officers are fired and SEIU installs new leadership that will do as they wish. The local’s constitution and bylaws are suspended and the local union is in complete international control.  UHW members repeatedly warned Andy Stern and SEIU that they would not stand for a trusteeship. They warned SEIU that they would do everything within their power to fight back and keep their local whole and in their hands.

You can learn more about this all at www.seiuvoice.org.

SEIU trusteed UHW on Tuesday January 27^th. UHW workers would not stand for it. Within 5 days, 10,000 workers at 62 facilities petitioned the NLRB to decertify SEIU and certify the newly formed National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) since then, another 20,000 or so workers have joined them, and workers throughout the rest of UHW are working to do the same. NUHW is a member led, militant, and leftist union that hopes to lead the labor movement to reform itself, not by working with the boss and accepting concessions, but by organizing and fighting back. 

You can learn more about NUHW at www.nuhw.org.

I loved working for UHW and I loved working with the UHW members.  I knew I could not continue to work for SEIU and assist them with the trusteeship.

About 120 former UHW staff resigned or were fired and currently volunteering their time to make NUHW a reality. I resigned shortly after the trusteeship to do this. All of us are struggling and have made huge financial sacrifices because we believe in this movement.  Of course we are taking on the biggest union in the country with far less resources, but our members remain united and strong.

You can help to sustain us and make this movement a reality.  You can make a donation to the Fund for Union Democracy at www.fundforuniondemocracy.org. Or you can make a donation directly to me to allow me to continue to work full time to build this movement.  You can send checks directly to me at 134 St. Charles Ave., San Francisco, CA 94132. Any amount will make a difference. Nothing is too small to donate.

 

1. His parents were uneducated, but became wealthy.  They were immigrant farmers from Spain.
2. After the revolution in Cuba, Fidel came to the USA for a tour, and was widely welcomed, although Eisenhower sent VP Nixon to meet with him at the White House.
3. The US organized terrorist attacks in Cuba before the Bay of Pigs in 1961, including one of the first known use of secondary bombings.  They blew up a supply ship in the harbor, and then rigged additional bombs to go off when First Responders, Medical and Fire were responding, killing dozens of other persons.

From the American Thinker: The Unitarian Church and Obama’s Religious Upbringing (Dec 29, 2008)

At the time of his resignation Obama told reporters:

“I’m confident we’ll be able to find a church that we’re comfortable with.  We probably won’t make any firm decision on this until January, when we know what our lives are going to be like.  My faith is not contingent on the particular church that I belong to….” 

Obama discarded the mushy Unitarian agnosticism to work as a community organizer on Chicago‘s Southside.

Obama discarded the angry anti-Americanism of Trinity UCC as a presidential candidate.

What kind of religion does Obama need to act as a President?

2008santoslyonsxmas2

We’ve been mostly at home for 5 days now.  More snow is supposed to come tomorrow in Portland.  We are a bit stir crazy, and tomorrow have planned a snow ball – snow man building gala, and all out neighborhood free for all.  It is gorgeous outside.  And some great sledding at Farraguat Park next door!

Folks are still going out and about, even though most of the roads are still caked with packed snow.  My mind is a little mushy, it is weird.  When I am on a work day, my mind and body just click into gear.  On these off-days, I relax like a sloth.  The transition is intense, but feels good.

I can’t tell if Rev. Mike Young was a part of the memorial service for Obama’s maternal grandmother, but it is in the news that he walked through the door and into the sanctuary of our First Unitarian Church in Honolulu.

I took a peek into the UU Young Adult world today, and saw a lot of empty space, particularly on the once popular and UU Blog Award Winning FUUSE.com.  No posts since June 2008.

1992 was the first year I remember gathering to watch election returns.  I was already in college at the University of Oregon, and was mesmorized that a Democrat could actually win the White House.  Clinton came to campus once, and even played his sax.  I remember gathering with a whole bunch of friends for beers.

1996 I was in Colorado doing political work, and so the place to be was at the Democratic Party at a downtown hotel.  I remember bumping into a few UO grads who were out there campaigning as well!

2000 and 2004 were nights to watch from the road or in graduate school.  2000 was the most disturbing with the whole Republican machine in action. By 2004, our kids were in the picture.  This year, 2008, 3 kids, I’ll be on fivethirtyeight.com and watching the news!

I gave my first of 3 sermons yesterday at my home church of West Hills.  I remarked afterwards that I probably should be taking a break, our littlest baby-3 is now 6 months, still doesn’t sleep through the night, and whew, my brain is pretty mushy.  

I will be preaching at Don Heights in Toronto next week, then in Hood River Oregon.  And I’m writing original sermons for each.  I actually can’t quite bring myself to use the same text twice.  It always gets changed pretty substantially when I sit down to prepare.  

I am not yet an extemporaneous preacher, although I tried that when I was younger.  I remember watching Rev. Stephen Kendrick and loving his ability to do that.  Perhaps we’ll see his son do the same thing (don’t know if he is in seminary, but he was an ambitious youngster in YRUU with leadership).

It is amazing what months and months of sleep deprivation will do.  I actually used to take naps, but now that I am going back to work after a good amount of time off, well, naps just are not in the cards.  I did once lay down on my office floor for 30 minutes of shut eye, no pillow though, and it was hard.

I admit I have not been paying close attention to the recent UU Commission on Appraisal report establishing the first comprehensive point of discussion around revising our Principles and Purposes.  Note:  I just found myself unsure of whether to title these as our “religious”, “associational”, or “faith” principles and purposes.  Hmm…probably associational, but that sounds weird.

Anyway, I generally keep up with UUA politics now through Scott Wells’ blog.  He highlighted some commentary about cultural appropriation.  My thought, which with the power of instant blogging is this.

When I was active in UUA racial justice work…when there was collective and accountable racial justice work with respect to strategy, development and evaluation…we sometimes analyzed how the first principle is often used to bludgeon people with individualism, but is also a powerful social justice reminder.  Someone said, “I always read the first principle, and add …and their Cultures.”  Respecting the Inherent Worth and Dignity of Every Person, and their Cultures.  Its that latter piece that seems to coalesce our social justice activism, when we have a deeper, more mature sense of the worth and dignity for their culture.  At least around racial justice.  Not sure if this plays true for gender, sexual orientation, or physical ability equal access initiatives of the UUA that have been oh so successful.

Patrick Murfin writes a little history about Rev. Preston Bradley.  I read it with great interest.  Years ago, I met a young UU who lived down the street from the Peoples Church UU on the North side of Chicago on West Lawrence St.  We went there several times, and later I attended a UU Urban Ministry Conference there.  It is an amazing facility, 7 stories or so, thousand person sanctuary, and Rev. Bradley’s name is engraved on the outside.  Its story was lumped in with other great urban congregations that declined with White Flight in the 1970s.  I didn’t learn more (nor did I see much at the church about its history…today there are only a handful of memberes).

It is remarkable to read of Bradley’s development, as well as recognize the marginalization he experienced (as has been reported) with peers and UUA leadership.  It makes me wonder if the respect and relationship were stronger, would the great UU ministry he established in a changing, multiracial neighborhood, have been strengthened and spreading among the many cultures that live there today?  The lesson of Theodore Parkers great ministry in Boston and the great decline when he left has taught us much about the need for collective support and care for our faith, to make it sustainable.  I pray that we make this effort with those who minister in communities, or in ways, not always in the mainstream of suburban UU congregations.

This is a snap brainstorm after reading Philocrites comment.

With UUA election spending topping $100,000 (shocking), I think the UUA needs better disclosure rules (Bylaws 9.12.8) for campaign contributions than the first day of the GA where the Elections will be held.

It can’t be that tough, just upload an excel sheet with the contributions.  I’m sure records are being kept as contributions come in.  Even better, post them online for fuller disclosure, although that might raise privacy concerns.  Maybe posted to a place where you can get a password if you’re a member of a UU congregation?

Why not require them to be submitted quarterly, plus the month before the election.  So say Sept 1, Dec 1, Mar 1 and June 1?  Seems this would not be very time intensive, but would be informative to the UUA electoral college.

I don’t know if we need UUA Campaign Finance Reform, but its worth considering.  $100,000 is a lot to have to fundraise to be UUA President.

On another note – does anyone know if the reporting from the last UUA Presidential Elections is available?  I imagine I could write the Secretary…

I’m a bit shocked to read this on Peter Morales UUA for President Blog.

The last two successful candidates spent over $100,000.

I don’t know about our UUA election process, how closely it mirrors the best practices of US elections from our democracy standpoint.  Are all donors revealed?  Whats the timeline?  I know we look closely at Obama and McCain, and then analyze.  I wonder if that will be done more for UUA now that we have the internet?

And I’m not sure how I feel about this Knoxville UU Ad Campaign. I wish this story would come out without having to advertise.

Why not a few million for a good progressive faith?  Or a great activist group?  Or maybe, a great faith activist group?

I’ve used the term regularly to describe us Unitarian Universalists…not in a negative way, but in a comprehensive way. It does not encompass all of us obviously, but gives credit to our history.

UPDATE 8/5/08

I appreciate the deeper discussion that is sprouting here. I also like that folks are raising the anti-oppression analysis. I’m going to think about that more and post a response here later. I read this editorial about how Christian the Unitarian response was in Knoxville, who then proceeded to add fuel to our fire:

“…despite the fact that the Unitarian church is hardly Christian at all…”  (Scolded by Unitarian)

I know a number of UU Churches have podcasts of their services, after the fact.  The UUA has webcasted parts of GA.  Anyone know of a UU Church that webcasts their Sunday Service?

Friday Family Photos.  Aneroid Lake, outside Joseph, Oregon.

Thought I would send along an announcement about an event Aug. 8th – the opening night of the Olympics – to celebrate Tibetan culture.

Please join The Crag Law Center and The Tara Cafe Project on August 8 as we celebrate Tibetan culture with the Portland premiere of /The Unwinking Gaze/. The 2008 documentary by Joshua Dugdale provides behind the scenes insight to the Dalai Lama’s struggle to lead his people to a peaceful resolution with China. Following the film, The Tara Cafe Project will give an inspiring performance of traditional Tibetan music. The Tara Cafe Project works to preserve traditional Tibetan culture and promote cultural continuity of Tibetan music.

• Date: Friday, August 8.
• Location: Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton Street in Portland.
• Tickets: $20. Space is limited and advance purchase is recommended. Call 503-525-2724 or e-mail megan@crag.org <mailto:megan@crag.org> for more information.
• Time: Doors at 6:00, Film at 7:00.

Proceeds benefit The Tara Cafe Project (visit www.taracafeproject.ca<http://www.taracafeproject.ca/> for more information) and The Crag Law Center (Crag provides legal services to local communities working to protect alpine ecosystems, including Mt. Hood. Visit www.crag.org <http://www.crag.org/> for more information).

Thanks to our sponsors:
– Kline Law Offices, P.C.
– Field and Jerger, LLP
– Kristin Winter at Realty Trust Group

I got an invite to be a “face in the crowd” for an upcoming DNC ad that is being filmed in Portland. I’m a Democratic Precinct Person in District 43. You can check out the script and storyboard in this brief 2 minute YouTube video. The text is quite UU, collectivist, but some nice, probably wise and fairly accurate placements of guns, security, and free market symbolism.

You too can be in the closing crowd scene: 2223 NE Oregon Ave on Sunday July 27 at 3:00 pm. Don’t wear white or horizontal line shirts.

One of the folks I enjoyed working with at the NE Coalition of Neighborhoods this last year, Everett Martin, passed away July 12.  He was a community activist and Rider Advocate on the Tri-Met system.  Everett took me on a tour of his work on day, and I admired his rapport with young and old on the streets.  He was the union steward at NECN, and a man with integrity.  He died suddenly of cancer.  He will be missed.  His young son, Everett Jr, was a joy to play with when he came over for dinner last year.  Rest in Peace.

Family Photo Friday. After the GA 2007 Service of the Living Tradition in Portland, OR. Hometown fans (aka Mom)!

Family Photo Friday. Our 2 year-old, carefully inspecting all parts of the playground equipment. With her cute hat!

Pictures by Kuya (big brother)

I love what Willie Stark supposedly said:

“I keep the faith…in the people. Time reveals all things. I trust in the truth.”

Or something like that.

In Portland, OR, Rev. Marilyn Sewall has led First Unitarian Church into the upper echelon of UU congregations.  They are, or have been, the largest UU congregation.  They have nurtured a social justice ministry, led heavily by now Rev. Kate Lore, that has spread the UU gospel across the Tri County region.

One of her particular emphases has been upon economic justice.  In sermons, in action.  The participation of First Church in the Seattle WTO protests in 1999 garnered popular attention, and some criticism.

This week, First Church played host to a wonderful event, a speaking engagement of Chuck Collins (a UU and founder of United for a Fair Economy – the folks who brought us the Racial Wealth Divide curriculum) and Barbara Ehrenrich (Nickeled and Dimed).  Their new project is the Working Group on Extreme Inequity.  Chuck Sheketoff, uber-analyst on economic and social affairs in Oregon, wrote a nice piece for Blue Oregon.

Thanks Rev. Sewall and First Unitarian.

Family Photo Friday!

One Love = Unitarian Universalism

In one of those great Confucian late night efforts of distilling faith years ago, sitting around listening to the hopeful cynicism of Cat Stevens, or the warm embrace of the Indigo Girls, it comes to us young religious UU’s.  One Love.  But then U2 makes a song of it, and we’re not sure if we’ve been co-opted!

One is of course for the Oneness of God, the Unity of the classical Unitarian.

Love is God’s supreme and transformational love, that no part of creation can ultimately obstruct.  And thus, we are all Universally Saved.  Universalism.

These words seem ancient now…from another time in my life.  But they bring a smile, for what they mean, and where they are from.

I’ve spent nearly my whole life organizing people together.  Tonight was a special night, bringing together a dozen Portland-area Asian/Pacific Islander activists to introduce them to APANO (Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon).  Many of us knew one another from various community projects, and some wonderful new connections were made.  I used an outline that I’ve used in many different contexts – UU, Campus, Environmental Justice, People of Color, Neighborhood:

1. Welcome and Brief 1 minute Purpose of Gathering
2. Personal Introductions
3. Brief 2 minute Vision of Who We Are and Who We Hope To Be
4. Why Did You Come/Why Are You Here – round robin, brainstorm, discussion
5. What Would You Like to See

It is hard for many Canadian and American UU’s to imagine, but there are dozens of UU congregations outside North America whose members are economically impoverished.  My ministerial internship was in one of those places, the UU Church of the Philippines (UUCP).  There are 27 congregations on the island of Negros in central Philippines, where the vast majority of members are farmers and fisherfolk.  Their average monthly wage – $100, which puts them in the lower class even in the Philippine context (where $300/month is considered middle class).  Health care, secondary and post-secondary education, quality housing, clean water, transportation, are all virtually inaccessible and unaffordable.

And yet, there is a flourishing UU presence.  For a generation, since the late 1980’s, it has been supported heavily by UUA grants.  $15,000 or so each year, making up 75% of their budget.  It has been a lifeline, one that is changing.  While there is some despair, there is also a generation of relationships with UUA allies, and the UUA funding has supported a number of income generating projects.  Within 3-5 years, they project to make up 50% or more of their lost revenue.

The theological vision of the UUCP is more christian, more patriarchal, and in a more fundamentally Catholic context.  They are experiencing the influence of humanism later than we are, but minister from concepts of liberation theology and liberal religion.  Rev. Nihal Attanayake is the new President of the UUCP, and has been visiting UU Congregations in America over the last month.  He spoke at GA in Ft Lauderdale, and was a part of the UUMA Ministry Days.  He is the first UUCP Minister to come since Rev. Rebecca Sienes was in the USA at Meadville-Lombard.  A former Anglican Priest raised in Sri Lanka, Nihal has been a UU minister for 8 years.  He will be coming to Portland on the final leg of his trip, meeting with UU’s the weekend of July 26.

I’m excited to help host Nihal, a member of my internship committee, friend and mentor.  We’ll be meeting area ministers, lay leaders, and some members of the UU Partner Church Council.

Nihal will be sharing stories and pictures from the Philippines.  He will also be making a pitch for the Quimada Dormitory, a proposed University Dorm built on the UU Headquarters site in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental.  It is a visionary undertaking, and a great group of UU’s in America are working to fundraise.  Check out their website (uudorm.wordpress.com), and consider making a donation.  A similar dorm was built on the ancient Unitarian site in Kolosvar/Kluj, Romania (old Hungary) with substantial UUA support and direct giving.

The UUCP is welcoming ministers and lay persons on annual pilgrimage tours through the UU Partner Church Council, and on an ad hoc basis.  I’m happy to share with any interested parties about my experience and help think through traveling to the Philippines.  There is not a trip scheduled yet, but hopefully in Spring 2009.