Racial Justice
Since our beginnings in North American history, racial justice has been one of the primary concerns for Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists. For Unitarian William Ellery Channing, who believed that all humans are made in "the likeness of God," slavery was akin to putting divine beings in chains. For Universalists, since everyone was saved, everyone is equal. There were many reasons for the Civil War, but for Unitarian abolitionists, the dismantling of slavery was the primary motivations.
As the Civil Rights movement began to unfold, just as the Unitarian Universalist Association was in its early years, Unitarian Universalist ministers answered Dr. King's call, converging from all over the nation to march with him in Selma, AL. It was in Selma that Unitarian minister Rev. James Reeb was murdered. Unitarian Universalists believe in the dream of Dr. King, of building a Beloved Community in which people of all colors and ethnicities, valued both for our diversity as well as our commonality. We continue to work for living that dream into a reality.
Last updated on Friday, April 18, 2008.
