Discussing the UUA's Commission on Institutional Change (COIC) Report

September's worship theme at our church was Change and the Unitarian Universalist Association's (UUA) Commission on Institutional Change report is an important reflection on various changes that must be made, if the UUA is going to live its values into practice. At the June 2017 General Assembly (GA), after the resignation of then UUA President Peter Morales and due to the entrenched hiring practices and harm created by the UUA, a Commission on Institutional Change was "established and charged by the UUA Board of Trustees to conduct an audit of white privilege and the structure of power within Unitarian Universalism, and to analyze structural racism and white supremacy culture within the UUA." The Commission worked for three years interviewing and listening to people's experiences within the UUA examining the current practices that have maintained the status quo. At the General Assembly in June of this year, the Commission presented its report, Widening the Circle of Concern: Report of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change.

---

​This report is divided into ten different sections, covering a wide range of topics that reflect the larger UUA and can be applied to local congregations - ​topics such as Theology, Governance, Congregations and Communities, Hospitality, Educating for Liberation, Living our Values in the World, Restoration and Reparations, and Accountability and Resources. It includes analysis of each topic and offers various recommendations, action steps, and take-aways. A variety of ministry teams, leadership groups, and individuals in our congregation are reading this report to see how it might help us become a more anti-racist, anti-oppression, and inclusive congregation. 

Kathleen will be hosting two discussions for all who are reading the COIC report. The first discussion is Saturday, November 14th at 1:00 pm and will be a check-in about what is speaking to you from the report. You don't need to have finished it to participate in this discussion. The second discussion is Saturday, March 27th at 1:00 pm. It's hoped everyone in this discussion has finished the report by then, as the discussion will focus on the changes we want and need to make in our congregation. Change is an opportunity to grow and this report offers us a faith-based path. Read or listen to the report at https:/ / www.uua.org/uuagovernance/committees/cic/widening.