MLK + UU

Over the break, I've made time to read for pleasure, but mostly to learn more of the history of the UU faith and the church's relationship with African-American's.

I bought a book on Kindle called Darkening the Doorways: Black Trailblazers and Missed Opportunities in Unitarian Universalism by Mark Morrison-Reed. It's interesting to read about early Black UUs (Unitarians, prior to becoming UU) and how this liberal religion has consistently missed the mark in creating a truly multicultural community. However, I do have hope for a more inclusive future. I think as we close the achievement gap, we'll see more diversity within the UU church.

I read this article that examined the possibility of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a UU. In fact, Dr. King and Coretta Scott King both thought of becoming UU, but noted that, it would not help to build the Civil Rights Movement. "What surprised and saddened me most was what she said next. Though I am paraphrasing, the gist of it was this: 'We gave a lot of thought to becoming Unitarian at one time, but Martin and I realized we could never build a mass movement of black people if we were Unitarian.'"

As I mentioned before, UU intrigued me because of its open support of Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ rights. However, as I learn more about the church, I realize that it is full of issues that mirror any other church or house of worship. I do think that the more we look to the past in our search for truth, we'll be able to make the church a diverse place. Murad and I are starting the path to membership for our current church. We are excited for our family to officially become UU members. 

Anyways, here's a link to the article about MLK + UU.