Richmond Pledge to End Racism

Category: Announcement

  • Regional Chalice Lighter call supports the Pledge to End Racism

    Regional Chalice Lighter call supports the Pledge to End Racism

    We’re thrilled to announce that the first regional Chalice Lighters call in the Unitarian Universalist Association Southern Region is to support extending the Pledge to End Racism program from First UU Church of Richmond to all interested congregations in the Southern Region.

    Read the Pledge to End Racism Chalice Lighters 1st Annual Report- Jan 2018

    UUA Southern Region map

    This program is designed using a leadership development model so participants gain skills and develop competence in not only talking about racism, but in facilitating discussions about race, and then working together to organize Living the Pledge workshops for people throughout their community. Instead of just talking about racism, this program develops knowledgeable, passionate leaders who can do something to address it. The Pledge strengthens local antiracism efforts, brings congregations together with other faith communities with like commitments, and creates teams of people involved on the local level in making change in their own communities.

    With generous donations from Southern Region Chalice Lighters, the Pledge to End Racism organizers will be available to provide, at minimal cost, curriculum and consultation to fifty (50) or more congregations in organizing the Pledge to End Racism programs for their communities. This will include all the materials to develop Living the Pledge to End Racism workshops, select and train small group facilitators, and promote the program in your congregation and to your larger community – all with the goal of building a community-wide movement to end racism.

    By spreading the Pledge to End Racism program throughout the South, Unitarian Universalist congregations can have a recognizable impact on the rise in racial tensions and division and can play an essential part in building stronger communities imbued with justice, equity, and compassion.

    For more information about the Pledge to End Racism program and workshops, please see this printable call letter: Pledge to End Racism Chalice Lighters call letter.

    Donate today with this link:
    Chalice Lighters Pledge to End Racism Donation Form
    Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club accepted

    Or make a check out to First UU of Richmond – Chalice Lighters

    Mail to:

    First Unitarian Universalist Church
    1000 Blanton Ave.
    Richmond, VA 23221

  • Living the Pledge workshop announced for Feb 4 and 18, 2017

    Living the Pledge workshop announced for Feb 4 and 18, 2017

    The next Living the Pledge workshop is scheduled for February 4 (9:00 am to 4:00 pm) and February 18, 2017 (9:00 am to 4:00 pm) and will be held at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond.

    $20 registration fee (waived on request – the workshop is open to everyone regardless of ability to pay)

    FIND OUT MORE

    REGISTER HERE

    The Living the Pledge workshops are led by trained leaders and small group facilitators. If you’re interested in becoming a small group facilitator, the first step is to complete the Living the Pledge workshop. We’ll be offering a training for small group facilitators on Saturday, March 18, 2017. Watch for details here.

     

  • The Birmingham Pledge and the Richmond Pledge meet

    The Birmingham Pledge and the Richmond Pledge meet

    Representatives from the Birmingham Pledge and Richmond Pledge meet

    In November 2016, several Living the Pledge facilitators and organizers went on the Living Legacy Pilgrimage, a week-long civil rights journey through Mississippi and Alabama. When we arrived in Birmingham, we had the honor of meeting with Jim Rotch, the author and force behind the Birmingham Pledge, and staff members from the Birmingham Pledge Foundation. They are thrilled about the work we are doing in Richmond and beyond and are looking forward to partnering with us as the Birmingham Pledge celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2017. More news on this to come.

  • Beyond Richmond

    Beyond Richmond

    As it developed over the years, the Birmingham Pledge did not limit itself to Birmingham. The founders dreamed that it would become an international movement to address racial inequality throughout the world. Well-known signers of the Birmingham Pledge include Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former South African prime minister F. W. DeKlerk, former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Birmingham bombing survivor Carolyn McKinstry, author Harper Lee, General Colin L. Powell, Governor Bob Riley, and many others (See Encyclopedia of Alabama for more information). In celebration of its 20th anniversary in 2017, the Birmingham Pledge Foundation hopes to expand it’s global initiatives.

    United States map graphicAs we’ve developed the Richmond Pledge, centered in Unitarian Universalist congregations and moving out to our communities, we, too, envision a wide adoption of this important effort. In June of 2016, we presented the Richmond Pledge at the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly in Columbus, OH, and invited those in attendance to take the Pledge back to their communities. A number of congregations, from San Diego to St. Louis and closer to home in Arlington, VA (UU Church of Arlington’s program), embraced the idea and are starting Pledge programs in their congregations and communities.

    Watch here for more information about how you might start a similar effort in your community.

  • Three reasons to take the Living the Pledge workshop even if you’re already an anti-racist

    Three reasons to take the Living the Pledge workshop even if you’re already an anti-racist

    Some people who sign the Richmond Pledge are already active anti-racists who regularly explore the role of racism in their own life, help others understand how racism impacts them, and work to dismantle systemic racism. So why is it important for them to participate in another training? Here are three reasons to participate:

    1. The Living the Pledge workshop is based on a small group model where people engage one-on-one in heartfelt conversations about race, ethnicity, and racism. If you’re an active anti-racist, your journey is important for others to hear and the stories of people at earlier stages in the journey might remind you of important things you’ve forgotten along the way to help you stay committed to your path.
    2. In order to build a network of people in the greater Richmond area committed to ending racism, relationships are essential. The Living the Pledge workshop is all about building relationships with others who are as committed as you are.
    3. Living the Pledge is a leadership development model. Our goal is to train a team of people to conduct Living the Pledge workshops throughout the city. We need people who have intercultural competence, are knowledgeable about systemic racism, and have fabulous facilitation skills to lead small groups and, eventually, organize their own workshops. The first step is to participate in a workshop yourself.

    We’ll be announcing new workshops dates soon. We hope that no matter where you are on your personal journey, you’ll join us in Living the Richmond Pledge.

  • Have you heard about the workshop?

    Have you heard about the workshop?

    At a moving service on December 7, 2014, which proclaimed that Black Lives Matter, First UU of Richmond began a movement. One hundred ninety-two (192) people signed the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond Pledge (www.richmondpledge.org). Since then, many more have signed to be part of this movement to confront racism and prejudice wherever we see it, in ourselves, in others, in our congregations, and in our community. In order to make the pledge something that becomes an integral part of our lives, we have designed a workshop for signers of the pledge to reflect, to learn, and to practice how to develop and maintain this commitment.

    Find out more about the Workshop!

  • The Richmond Pledge

    The Richmond Pledge

    Collecting pledges (2)As part of its response to issues brought to light in 2014 of the inequity of treatment of African Americans by the criminal justice system, members and friends of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond held numerous discussions about what they could do to address these issues in our community.

    Recognizing that change starts with the individual, on December 7, 2014, First Unitarian Universalist (UU) held a service during which people were to sign a Richmond version of the Birmingham Pledge. More than 200 people signed the pledge that Sunday, and more have signed it since.

    With the 50th anniversary of the Selma, Alabama voting rights on the horizon, church members were reminded of the example of all faith leaders who rallied to the Rev. Dr. M.L. King’s call. Can faith communities take the lead to heal the enduring scars of racism in our community today? First UU decided to reach out to other religious communities and ask: “Will you take the pledge?”

    If you’d like to learn more about how you can incorporate the Richmond Pledge into your own life, register for the Fall 2015 two day workshop.

    Learn more and register for the Living the Pledge Workshop

  • Help to end racism one person at a time!

    Help to end racism one person at a time!

    The Birmingham Pledge is a grassroots effort, developed in Birmingham, Alabama, to recognize the worth of every individual, by making a personal, daily commitment to remove prejudice from our own lives and to treat all people with dignity and respect.

    As citizens of the Greater Richmond area, we have an opportunity to commit ourselves to eliminating racism and prejudice in our hearts, in our community, and in our world by signing THE RICHMOND PLEDGE TO END RACISM, a modified version of the Birmingham Pledge.