What is the 8th Principle of Unitarian Universalism?

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:

… [the 7 Principles]…

8. Journeying toward spiritual wholeness

• by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community
• by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.

What can I do?

Check out our Upcoming Anti-Racism & Multicultural Learning Opportunities:

Anti-Racism and Multicultural Learning Opportunities

Participate in a Living the Pledge to End Racism (LTP) training:

Sign Up for Living the Pledge

Developed by First UU Richmond members as they sought to transition from reading and talking about how to end racism to taking intentional actions. Come learn and commit to the work with others in our congregation! The training consists of 6 modules, and each module requires about an hour of preparation ahead of time for participants, either reading or watching videos.

• Fill out this form to receive updates when we schedule future classes
• Questions? Email ltp-leaders@firstuucolumbus.org

Living the Pledge to End Racism

Resources and Opportunities for Further Engagement

This is a list of some examples of things you could do as part of your Pledge to End Racism. You can expand or collapse each category by clicking on the arrow to the left of it.

These examples are only a starting point. Only you know what connections and opportunities you already have in your own life, what your passions and skills are, and how they might fit together for your own pledge.

Continue My Learning

Participate in learning and/or discussion groups

Lunches, Trainings & Trips

See ARA’s online flyer for monthly lunches and learning opportunities

Anti-Racist Allies Reunions

Once a quarter, we invite everyone who has attended Living the Pledge to a reunion where we check-in on our pledges and inspire each other to continue this important work. Our next reunion is coming up Friday, April 4 from 7:30-8:30pm, following First UU’s First Friday Dinner at 6:30pm.

Individual learning by reading, watching movies, etc.

Anti-Racism Video, Books, Podcasts, Tour/Museum Resources

Work Within First UU Community

Notice & Speak Up – Be aware of bias, microaggressions, and white supremacy culture as they occur around you (and sometimes by you) at First UU and share your observations with others

Start the Conversation – Since we adopted the 8th Principle as a congregation in June 2024, we have committed to journey “toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse and multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”

Start a conversation in the First UU groups and committees you are already a part of about what it means to “journey toward spiritual wholeness” in your group. You could start by discussing what each part of the 8th Principle means to you.

Work Toward Institutional Change

Facilitate a discussion or training group

• Single session training facilitator
• Multi-session training small group facilitator
• Multi-session training large group facilitator

Let the ARA Planning Team know you’d like to facilitate: contact-anti-racistallies@firstuucolumbus.org

Join or start a planning team or discussion group

If you’re interested in joining or starting a team, reach out to contact-anti-racistallies@firstuucolumbus.org

• ARA Planning Team – Made up of 3-5 First UUers who have taken a UU-based anti-racism training such as Living the Pledge. The planning team meets twice a month to work together on ways for our congregation to live into the 8th Principle, including learning events.
• Anti-Racism Curriculum Team – We will be forming a group of folks this spring/summer to take stock of how Living the Pledge to End Racism has been going at First UU and look at if there is other curriculum or additions that might be helpful in our context.
• Anti-Racism Book Club – The ARA Survey showed that lots of First UUers would be interested in studying books about anti-racism together – start a book club.
• Ongoing Anti-Racism Discussion Group – Start a small group that meets in an ongoing way to talk about anti-racism and learn together.
• Another Need You Notice – You may have ideas about an activity or group that is missing from our church that you would like to help get started!

Work in Wider Community

BREAD

(Building Responsibility Equality And Dignity). B.R.E.A.D. is a congregation-based community organization of many different religious congregations in Franklin County Central OH. These congregations are united through B.R.E.A.D. to research proven solutions and apply non-partisan pressure on local decision makers to address serious community problems. Current campaigns include environmental justice, renter rights, and creating a Columbus non-police crisis response, issues that impact Black, Indigenous, and People of Color disproportionately.

Save the Date:

• Tuesday, May 13, 6:40pm  BREAD Nehemiah Action, Celeste Center at the Fairgrounds

Fund for Immigration Legal Assistance (FILA)

Our church has a fund to help immigrants pay for legal aid. You can spread the word, contribute to the fund, or help fundraise. Website

People’s Justice Project (PJP)

PJP frequently hosts trainings, protests, and other events. “PJP builds the power of Black and Brown people disproportionately impacted by state violence, mass criminalization, and incarceration by centering community organizing and leadership development.” PJP is one of First UU’s Share-the-Plate partners, and First UU has partnered with them in the past. Facebook Page

SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice)

“Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a national network of groups and individuals organizing white people for racial justice. This chapter of SURJ operates out of Columbus, Ohio.” If you are interested in joining to take action, email your request to SURJCentralOhio@gmail.com or check out SURJ’s  Facebook Page; Link Tree

Columbus Coalition for Racial Reconciliation

What started as a collaborative ministry between Northwest United Methodist Church (a historically white church in Clintonville) and Woodland Christian Church, (a historically Black congregation in the near east side of Columbus), has grown to include 6 churches who are engaged together on topics related to racial justice. This group meets once a month on the 4th Saturday to discuss the issue of racism in our community and how we can faithfully respond to it.  This group met at First UU for the first time on March 22, 2025. Contact Danya Furda dfurda@gmail.com for information about where the meeting will be each month.

Other

Write Letters to the editor and/or on social media

Support businesses owned by Black people

80+ Black-Owned Businesses in Columbus

12 Black-Owned Columbus Restaurants

Currently Open Green Book Sites in Columbus

Further Ideas

• When you view or read news stories that have a racist slant, write the news outlet to bring it to their attention.
• Support a struggling minority school or community center.
• Work for minority candidates who espouse your views.
• Support minority businesses.
• If your personal universe is white, join groups that will give you an opportunity to interact with people of other races.
• Work to change institutionally racist policies at work, at church, etc.
• Ensure that your workplace recruits, hires, and promotes qualified Black people.
• Some way of owning up to white privilege in our services, in addition to land acknowledgement? (Not just during special services)
• Some way of bringing to people’s attention microaggressions that have occurred in our community, kind of like joys and sorrows but anonymous
• Anti-racism quote somewhere on a bulletin board (would help if someone could be a font of quotes)
• Microaggression mini-trainings, possibly as a day workshop where people can brainstorm and become more aware of problematic language
• Talk with each other more about what we’re already doing – like posting in the church facebook group when you go to a protest or read a book. Hearing that people are doing things can lead to more things
• Anti-racism accountabilibuddies?
• Bring in more outside speakers who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
• Listening to the leadership of young people
• Do a service about what we learned in this training
• Tell your church friends to come when there’s an ARA service
• Podcast club
• Today’s Newyorker radio hour was on the 10th anniversary of BLM
• Short-term book group to read one book, or an anti-racism common read for the church year