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Our 2015 Work from Las Cruces to General Assembly 2015

Connecting Across the Regions

GA 20159 - Overflow Rm small
GA 2015 workshop with overflow attendance

The last five months have been a whirlwind of activity for Class Conversations. We’ve worked with more than 25 congregations and organizations and over 400 individual UUs from Las Cruces, New Mexico to Arlington, Massachusetts to Southeast Michigan to look at ways to make our faith community more class inclusive.

We are supporting intensive work to address classism — almost always unintentional — in policies, practices, methods of acknowledgement and cultural norms within our UU institutions.

Arlington, Mass. congregation workshop
First Parish Arlington (Mass) in Class Conversations workshop

For example, one congregation, First Parish Arlington (Mass.), has created a task force and blueprint to continue this work, looking at all aspects of congregational life. In Michigan, six congregations brought UU Class Conversations to the region to deepen the work that they had begun. As part of the daylong workshop, we provide a follow-up consultation to support ongoing organizing work.

“It’s wonderful to invite people to share [class] stories that they have not in the past. This workshop provides paths forward beyond the stories.”

Esther Kingston-Mann, Chair
Diversity/Inclusion Group of First Parish Arlington (Mass.)

General Assembly 2015

GA 2015, like 2014, was amazing for the issues of class, classism, and escalating inequality. UU Class Conversations definitely lifted above our weight during the event in Portland, Oregon. We:

  • Personed an information table at booth where we met so many UUs focusing on creating a more class-inclusive and welcoming faith.
  • Held a standing room only – and people out the door and down the hall – workshop of nearly 250 people in conjunction with the Commission on Appraisal.
  • Took video of UUs discussing the first time they encountered classism in their faith community.
  • Explored ways to support current and create new networks of people, congregations and organizations focused on raising class awareness within the denomination.

We know that the cost of GA (money and time) is prohibitive for some of our supporters. So we are sharing the link to the recordings of the plenaries and large events (like Cornel West’s incredible Ware Lecture) UU Class Conversations and several other presenters have posted their workshop slides at this site as well.

Thanks to all who are supporting this important work. Return here often for more on UU Class Conversations events, activities and news as well as those of our friends around the association.


Class in UU Settings: Some Insights from Workshop Participants

As part of UU Class Conversations’ Exploring Class – An Interactive Workshop, participants provided input on what is working in addressing class and classism within UU circles, what needs improvement, and ideas on what needs to be addressed next. Here are highlights of the findings:  Class in Unitarian Universalist Settings 2014_2015