Throop Unitarian Universalist Church (Pasadena, California) is a field test site for the UUA's new curriculum aimed to help congregations become more welcoming to people of different cultures and races. The whole congregation and the reflection group that is guiding the effort has engaged in the various exercises that have helped Throop become more aware of how racism works in the United States, and how by becoming more aware we can take steps to become an intentionally anti racist, and multicultural congregation. Throop Church was and is racially and cultural diverse, but like many Unitarian Universalist congregations the congregation's work against racism was guided more by good intentions than by conscious efforts. Because of our work together progress is being made to be consciously anti racist as we work toward becoming joyfully and throughly multicultural.
For many years Unitarian Universalists have sought tools that would help them become more racially and ethnically diverse. One idea was that there be a curriculum similar to "Welcoming Congregation that could help a congregation become more aware of internalized racism and more culturally competent as well. . In February 2004, stakeholder groups sent representatives to met at the UUA in Boston to talk about the possibilities.
Mark Hicks, who recently joined the staff at Meadville Lombard Theological School was chosen to be the curriculum author.
45 congregations were selected to field test Building the World We Dream About from September 2007 through December 2008. The goal for general distribution of Building Our World is 2009. I strongly recommend that each Unitarian Universalist Congregation commit to this effort, because this work is soul work.
(Clyde Grubbs, the publisher of People So Bold! is the minister at Throop UU Church)
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