Anti-Racism and Dismantling White Supremacy

​At our 2021 Annual Meeting, the Old Ship congregation voted to focus on issues of racism and white supremacy as one of its major social justice initiatives. Prior to this decision, the Social Justice Council engaged in several activities to prepare the congregation for this work. Here is a summary of those activities:

• We viewed Professor Henry Gates, Jr.’s four-part documentary film series on the Reconstruction. Each week, we met as a group to discuss that week’s episode.
• We sponsored an anti-racism book group that would meet monthly during the 2020-2021 church year, and is continuing to meet. This group has read a variety of books, both fiction and non-fiction, authored primarily by persons of color. The list of books read thus far is contained later on this page. Everyone is invited to participate in this group, on a “drop-in” basis.
• In response to an identified need for masks in black and brown communities, sewers in our congregation made masks that were donated to the Family Van, which serves the communities of Roxbury, Dorchester, and Chelsea. Many of the most exposed workers to COVID 19 are of Black, African American, or Hispanic descent and live in these neighborhoods. These masks were truly a gift to these communities, and we want to thank those who donated time and material to make these masks.
• The Rev. Mary Margaret Earl, Executive Director and Senior Minister of the UU Urban Ministry, preached at Old Ship on March 7, 2021. Her sermon was titled “Justice and Joy – A Reflection on the Inner Work of Making Outer Change.” She described her sermon in this way: “We think of racial justice work as march and protest and banners – but there is much work we do within and between us, and much joy to be found in the journey.” Following the service, our coffee hour time focused on how our congregation might be more involved with the programs of the UUUM in Roxbury. Once COVID 19 protocols permit it, we plan to participate more directly with the programs at the UUUM.
• We are exploring ideas for how we at Old Ship can best acknowledge that our Meeting House is on land that was originally the home of the Massachusetts Tribe.
• We continue to research our Old Ship history as it relates to enslaved and indigenous peoples. We are continuing this research and plan to produce a report of our current findings, which will be shared with the congregation. We have found how many other UU congregations have shared their histories on their church websites and/or made reparations related to this history.

If you are interested in this work, please join us. If you have questions, please contact our current ministry leader.