Neighbor News
- A Winchester Church’s Commitment to Racial Justice
A Press Release from the Winchester Unitarian Society (WUS) www.winchesteruu.org
In 2013, when President Barack Obama stated, “The arc of the universe may bend toward justice, but it doesn’t bend on its own,” he referenced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s oft-quoted words, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” Yet King’s own quote was based on the words of 19th century Unitarian Theodore Parker.
In 2018, the U.S. is still striving towards racial equality, and today we are experiencing a persistent call for racial justice not witnessed since the civil rights era. As members of the Winchester Unitarian Society, and the Unitarian Universalist faith, the first of our seven key Principles is the belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person. It is in that spirit, that the Winchester Unitarian Society voted on January 7th to “affirm our continuing commitment to racial justice by publicly displaying on church property a sign or banner that reads: ‘Black Lives Matter’.”
Members of the WUS passed this resolution after an 18-month period of open conversations, educational events, and the establishment of a renewed commitment of service toward racial justice. The complete resolution, which outlines a range of racial justice initiatives can be found at:
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https://www.winchesteruu.org/f...
Winchester Unitarian Society’s Reverend Heather Janules and congregational leadership have met with Winchester’s Chief of Police, Peter MacDonnell, and Lieutenant Dan O’Connell about plans for our “Black Lives Matter” flag. There is a shared understanding that this flag is not intended as an anti-police message.
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The Winchester Unitarian Society cordially invites residents of Winchester and our surrounding communities to join us for a special “Black Lives Matter” banner dedication ceremony on Sunday, April
15th, 2018 at 12 noon, when we will hang a 3’ x 5’ “Black Lives Matter” flag to the left of our Mystic Valley Parkway entrance. All are also invited to participate in a Witness Walk, from WUS to the Royall House & Slave Quarters in Medford on Sunday, May 6, 2018, 12 noon - 3 p.m. Later in the month of May, hopefully, we will also be hosting a Community Wide Conversation facilitated by Reverend Heather Janules. Details TBA.
If you would like to contact the Winchester Unitarian Society directly about our “Black Lives Matter” flag or Racial Justice activities, please email: WUSBLMBannerProcessGroup@gmail.com
