antiracism

New ways to engage with multiculturalism

Looking for new ways to engage with multiculturalism? The UUA’s Multicultural Growth and Witness staff group has posted ideas, including the following:

• Holding multicultural trainings for Sunday morning greeters

• Creating a “Common Read” program on antiracism, antioppression, and multicultural topics.

• Holding yearly leadership development trainings around antiracism.

• Sending small groups to trainings such as the Living Legacy Pilgrimage through the UUA and UU Service Committee.

• Working with district staff to create a district-wide training on multiculturalism.

See the full list here.

Email the Multicultural Growth and Witness staff team for more information, or call them at 617-948-6461.

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Postville immigration raid video available

Congregations studying immigration issues now have another resource. An independent film has been made about the infamous U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on a meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa, on May 12, 2008. The raid resulted in nearly 400 arrests of immigrant workers. Many served five months in prison before being deported. The 96-minute film, abUSed—the Postville Raid, was filmed at Postville and in Guatemala after the raid.

The Northeast Iowa Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Decorah, Iowa, is the closest UU congregation to Postville. Sue Otte, program chair at the congregation, said the fellowship helped out in the raid’s aftermath:

We were closely involved in assisting the folks impacted by this raid, and along with our Decorah Faith Coalition, we assisted nine young men released from prison on ridiculous charges of identity theft. Our fellowship is very interested in seeing that UUs see this film, especially in light of our focus as an association on immigration as a moral issue, and at General Assembly 2012 in Phoenix.

The fellowship did a three-weeks series of programs on immigration this winter.

A DVD of the film for personal use is $23. The price for faith-based communities begins at $100 depending on the size of the community and ability to pay. Learn more on the Postville Raid blog or email abusethepostvilleraid.sales at gmail.com.

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Multicultural, antiracism films available for loan

A library of 32 videos and DVDs focusing on issues of race, oppression, and multiculturalism are available for loan to congregations free of charge from the UUA’s Identity-Based Ministries Staff Group.

Titles in the DVD-Video Loan Library include “Race: The Power of an Illusion,” “Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North,” and “Farmingville: Welcome to the Suburbs, Home of the New Border Wars.” Some of the films have discussion guides.

Most titles aren’t readily available through commercial rental businesses such as Netflix. The UUA provides them for congregational and private viewing only.  They’re available on a first-come, first-served basis. The DVD-Video Loan Library is a cost-effective way to support and deepen reflection about key issues. The list of titles and instructions for borrowing them is available as a PDF online here.

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