Dear Ones,
It is August – the start of my final year as president of our beloved school. And though summer is often an opportunity for down time, I can’t help but be preoccupied by the political madness we know as presidential election season in the United States. There are few things in our world messier than democracy – particularly when people with ill intent plot to abuse and manipulate the democratic process. We know that, no matter who wins the election, there will be another struggle for acceptance of the vote itself – attempts to suppress the efforts of registered voters, to manipulate others, to refuse to certify the vote. We know there will be people who will devote themselves to misinformation and disinformation – anything it takes to delay or destroy the future they fear most. The specter of a multiracial, multireligious democracy is as frightening to some people as it is aspirational for others.
All these anti-democratic activities are a predictable response to our country’s inevitable demographic changes. It’s a response rooted in the same racism, misogyny, and xenophobia we have long recognized as intrinsic to white supremacy culture. And these responses are not limited to the US. The rise of autocratic leadership across Europe is evidence of a global effort to limit, even end, democracy as we know it.
As Unitarian Universalists, our faith commits us to the democratic process in our congregations and communities, as well as the wider world. But just as we live in a country where not everyone believes in democracy, we find ourselves in a moment in which not everyone in our UU congregations and communities believe in our democratic way, especially if the results do not suit them. We see and feel the outrage among members of some UU communities over everything from the report Widening the Circle of Concern to the recent General Assembly vote on revisions to Article II of the UUA bylaws.
This outrage is born—in part—from the grief that can come with great change. Unitarian Universalism, and institutions like Starr King in particular, have been on a counter oppressive journey for a long time. But not every congregation has joined us on the journey. In this decade, not even half over, the realities of a global pandemic resulted in additional change and loss for many of us. Some are asking whether our congregations – typically an anchor of security and stability – must change too.
The answer to that question is yes.
Yet there are always those who refuse to be consoled. For them, it is the past or nothing. And if they cannot coax surrender from those of us seeking to build a new way, they will work tirelessly to disrupt our communities instead. They will name call and blame; they will posture and pontificate. They will work to drain energy and resources from the places that dare to meet the 21st century with possibility and hope. It doesn’t have to be that way. Our congregations and communities could be places where we might be held through grief and uncertainty as we allow a new vision to take hold. Our spiritual homes could be sturdy enough for this work if we allow them to be.
At Starr King, we recognize that our mission is very much a part of creating such a hopeful future for our communities and world. When I talk with people about the school, I remind them that Starr King is a force multiplier, helping in the formation of Unitarian Universalists and other progressive religious leaders who will support congregations and communities in building a just and sustainable world. The school represents the collective energy of generations of UU ministers and laypeople who worked to ensure that there would always be a school dedicated to the formation of leaders committed to the creation of the Beloved Community we seek.
As these battles play out in our nation and in our faith communities, it is easy to become frustrated and disheartened by the shenanigans that inevitably ensue. As we are buffeted by alternating narratives of misery and joy nearly everywhere we turn, I urge you to seek out ways to counter those who stoke suspicion and fear in the face of change. I am finding new inspiration in the ways people all over our nation are coming together to protect democracy; many of those people are in our own congregations. I am seeing their renewed dedication to the qualities of equity, justice, and even joy, amid the challenges we’re facing now, within our congregations and in our world. Many of them are learning to live lives of invitation, so that others might feel a call to change our world—and enjoy themselves along the way. May we all respond to this invitation with the same joyous yes.
I look forward to our coming year together.
Faithfully,
Rosemary
