1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,332

2
00:00:06,332 --> 00:00:08,790
Jim Key: Now I'm pleased to
introduce the Reverend Kathleen

3
00:00:08,790 --> 00:00:10,530
McTigue to bring us
up to date on what

4
00:00:10,530 --> 00:00:14,160
is happening at the UU
College of Social Justice.

5
00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,270
Kathleen was, like
Bill, one of the first

6
00:00:16,270 --> 00:00:18,720
to reach out to me
soon after my election,

7
00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:22,050
eager to talk about the
College of Social Justice.

8
00:00:22,050 --> 00:00:25,260
And she introduced me to the
best coffee shop in Boston,

9
00:00:25,260 --> 00:00:26,610
I should add.

10
00:00:26,610 --> 00:00:28,890
The Thinking Cup on Tremont.

11
00:00:28,890 --> 00:00:30,300
I'd recommend it to you.

12
00:00:30,300 --> 00:00:39,380
Give it up for Kathleen.

13
00:00:39,380 --> 00:00:43,070
Kathleen: Good morning.

14
00:00:43,070 --> 00:00:46,900
The great Jewish theologian
Abraham Joshua Heschel

15
00:00:46,900 --> 00:00:49,560
once wrote, "the
beginning of faith

16
00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:54,910
is not a feeling for the mystery
of living, or a sense of awe.

17
00:00:54,910 --> 00:00:56,780
The root of religion
is the question,

18
00:00:56,780 --> 00:01:00,170
what to do with these feelings?

19
00:01:00,170 --> 00:01:02,000
Religion begins
with a consciousness

20
00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,660
that something is asked of us."

21
00:01:05,660 --> 00:01:08,390
Religion begins
with a consciousness

22
00:01:08,390 --> 00:01:11,520
that something is asked of us.

23
00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:14,010
This is not a foreign
an idea, for us

24
00:01:14,010 --> 00:01:17,650
as Unitarian Universalists.

25
00:01:17,650 --> 00:01:22,390
Our hands-on, grounded
in this world religion

26
00:01:22,390 --> 00:01:25,940
is not about a private feeling
of happiness or well being,

27
00:01:25,940 --> 00:01:29,250
or even a feeling
of gratitude or awe.

28
00:01:29,250 --> 00:01:32,730
But what we do with
those feelings.

29
00:01:32,730 --> 00:01:36,720
Especially how they lead us
to turn our gaze outward,

30
00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:40,660
toward a fractured world, and
put the weight of our lives

31
00:01:40,660 --> 00:01:44,670
on the side of it's mending.

32
00:01:44,670 --> 00:01:47,170
The UU College of
Social Justice was

33
00:01:47,170 --> 00:01:52,080
created to help us find
new ways to do this.

34
00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,400
During the busy two years
of our existence so far,

35
00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:59,530
we have created different
kinds of programs, all designed

36
00:01:59,530 --> 00:02:02,970
to help participants
grow in three ways.

37
00:02:02,970 --> 00:02:07,120
Gain a deeper understanding
of structural injustice,

38
00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:10,810
be inspired by new
ways to create justice,

39
00:02:10,810 --> 00:02:13,050
and find grounding
and sustenance

40
00:02:13,050 --> 00:02:17,020
in the spiritual
truths of our faith.

41
00:02:17,020 --> 00:02:20,410
Experiential learning is
where we focus our programs,

42
00:02:20,410 --> 00:02:23,870
because we believe the most
powerful kind of learning--

43
00:02:23,870 --> 00:02:28,850
the kind that sometimes leads us
to literally change our lives--

44
00:02:28,850 --> 00:02:32,980
comes not from books or
films or lectures or sermons,

45
00:02:32,980 --> 00:02:37,840
but from direct, first hand
experience that takes us out

46
00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,590
of our comfort
zones and shows us

47
00:02:40,590 --> 00:02:45,780
something new about our
world and our place in it.

48
00:02:45,780 --> 00:02:49,470
So we've created three
different kinds of programs.

49
00:02:49,470 --> 00:02:53,700
First, we offer short
term journeys of a week

50
00:02:53,700 --> 00:02:55,170
to two weeks.

51
00:02:55,170 --> 00:03:00,050
These are pilgrimages
of faith and solidarity,

52
00:03:00,050 --> 00:03:03,260
linking us to people on
the front lines of justice

53
00:03:03,260 --> 00:03:07,310
struggles in our own
country and abroad.

54
00:03:07,310 --> 00:03:10,180
We support the programs
with a short course

55
00:03:10,180 --> 00:03:13,180
of study on the
politics and history

56
00:03:13,180 --> 00:03:15,440
of the place and people.

57
00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:19,410
We focus on how we can deeply
ground ourselves in our faith,

58
00:03:19,410 --> 00:03:23,190
not only by talking or
thinking about what we believe,

59
00:03:23,190 --> 00:03:26,800
but through contemplative
practices of prayer,

60
00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:32,590
meditation, and worship that
hold us open to new learning.

61
00:03:32,590 --> 00:03:37,460
This year, we'll bring groups
to Chicago for worker justice.

62
00:03:37,460 --> 00:03:42,330
Arizona and Mexico,
studying immigrant rights.

63
00:03:42,330 --> 00:03:45,910
Mississippi, with the
Living Legacy Project,

64
00:03:45,910 --> 00:03:48,180
a civil rights pilgrimage.

65
00:03:48,180 --> 00:03:51,360
India, with the
Holdeen India program,

66
00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:54,390
studying land rights
and gender justice.

67
00:03:54,390 --> 00:04:00,140
And Haiti, focused on
continued just recovery.

68
00:04:00,140 --> 00:04:03,670
Our second area is
for high school youth.

69
00:04:03,670 --> 00:04:05,820
We offer intensive
trainings that

70
00:04:05,820 --> 00:04:08,960
help them build community
with their peers,

71
00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:11,780
and develop their
own ways to manifest

72
00:04:11,780 --> 00:04:14,330
our faith through justice.

73
00:04:14,330 --> 00:04:17,440
This summer, we have one
and two week gatherings

74
00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:20,089
in Boston and New
Orleans, and we just

75
00:04:20,089 --> 00:04:27,030
held our first annual one day
GA training here in Providence.

76
00:04:27,030 --> 00:04:30,160
Our Mississippi journey
is intergenerational,

77
00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:33,240
so there will be a focus for
high school youth in that July

78
00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:35,340
program as well.

79
00:04:35,340 --> 00:04:37,020
In the coming
year, we'll explore

80
00:04:37,020 --> 00:04:40,620
more youth-focused service
learning journeys, especially

81
00:04:40,620 --> 00:04:42,260
within the US.

82
00:04:42,260 --> 00:04:46,900
So please, if your youth group
is interested in developing

83
00:04:46,900 --> 00:04:51,800
these new opportunities
with us, contact us.

84
00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:55,410
Our third area is focused
on young adults, especially

85
00:04:55,410 --> 00:04:57,360
those of college age.

86
00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,340
We've created
summer-long internships

87
00:05:00,340 --> 00:05:03,460
with justice partners
in the US and as far

88
00:05:03,460 --> 00:05:07,830
afield as this placement
in Kenya last year.

89
00:05:07,830 --> 00:05:10,990
These young adults experience
effective social change

90
00:05:10,990 --> 00:05:12,280
up close.

91
00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:15,180
We support them in
both spiritual growth

92
00:05:15,180 --> 00:05:19,130
and vocational discernment
through weekly reflections,

93
00:05:19,130 --> 00:05:21,810
and we link them to
one of the UU ministers

94
00:05:21,810 --> 00:05:25,130
serving as program
leaders to the college.

95
00:05:25,130 --> 00:05:29,260
Last summer, we had
nine internships.

96
00:05:29,260 --> 00:05:33,170
This summer, we
have grown it to 15.

97
00:05:33,170 --> 00:05:37,056
And we're only two years old.

98
00:05:37,056 --> 00:05:41,900
[APPLAUSE]

99
00:05:41,900 --> 00:05:45,300
We are really excited about
expanding our internships,

100
00:05:45,300 --> 00:05:48,290
because we know that these
young adults represent

101
00:05:48,290 --> 00:05:51,210
the long-term
future of our faith.

102
00:05:51,210 --> 00:05:53,190
A key part of our
mission is to help

103
00:05:53,190 --> 00:05:56,150
them envision new ways
to find themselves

104
00:05:56,150 --> 00:06:01,000
within a vibrant, relevant,
Unitarian Universalism.

105
00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,360
In the coming year, we'll grow
our other programs as well.

106
00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:06,740
Next spring, we'll
pilot a program

107
00:06:06,740 --> 00:06:09,200
focused on the rights of
indigenous people in North

108
00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:10,280
America.

109
00:06:10,280 --> 00:06:13,200
Our partner is the Lummi
Nations Service Organization

110
00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:16,990
in the Puget Sound area
of Washington State.

111
00:06:16,990 --> 00:06:19,960
We're partnering with the UUA's
Central East regional group

112
00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:23,170
to bring groups of
volunteers to Brooklyn,

113
00:06:23,170 --> 00:06:26,740
to help in the long rebuilding
after the damage done

114
00:06:26,740 --> 00:06:28,970
by Hurricane Sandy.

115
00:06:28,970 --> 00:06:33,220
And we're piloting
opportunities for skilled adults

116
00:06:33,220 --> 00:06:37,450
in retirement who would like
to put their lifetime of skills

117
00:06:37,450 --> 00:06:41,460
to work with one of our
partner organizations in the US

118
00:06:41,460 --> 00:06:44,090
or abroad.

119
00:06:44,090 --> 00:06:48,070
As I've outlined, this
rapid growth of the UU

120
00:06:48,070 --> 00:06:52,110
College of Social Justice,
I hope the core elements

121
00:06:52,110 --> 00:06:56,060
of what we are trying to
accomplish shine through.

122
00:06:56,060 --> 00:06:59,610
Though the programs differ
from each other in structure,

123
00:06:59,610 --> 00:07:03,720
destination, and the age
groups we are targeting,

124
00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:09,060
central to all of them is the
bright flame of our mission.

125
00:07:09,060 --> 00:07:13,450
To inspire and sustain
faith-based justice engagement

126
00:07:13,450 --> 00:07:19,670
on issues of local, national,
and global importance.

127
00:07:19,670 --> 00:07:22,640
One of the reasons
experiential learning

128
00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:24,970
is such a powerful
way to support

129
00:07:24,970 --> 00:07:29,530
this lofty goal is because
it gets into us in a way

130
00:07:29,530 --> 00:07:33,200
that intellectual
understanding alone does not.

131
00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:37,610
When we meet and work alongside
people whose struggles are

132
00:07:37,610 --> 00:07:40,500
different from
ours, the result can

133
00:07:40,500 --> 00:07:44,660
be a real shift in how
we perceive and move

134
00:07:44,660 --> 00:07:47,100
through our world.

135
00:07:47,100 --> 00:07:51,250
We learn new truths about
inequality, both within the US

136
00:07:51,250 --> 00:07:53,010
and between nations.

137
00:07:53,010 --> 00:07:57,190
We expand our field of
vision, and understand

138
00:07:57,190 --> 00:08:00,500
more deeply where we stand.

139
00:08:00,500 --> 00:08:05,248
We see new commonalities
and connections,

140
00:08:05,248 --> 00:08:09,810
yet there are real
pitfalls in this work.

141
00:08:09,810 --> 00:08:12,810
Short term journeys
are often criticized

142
00:08:12,810 --> 00:08:16,160
as unhelpful or even damaging.

143
00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:20,070
North Americans on service
trips to the global South

144
00:08:20,070 --> 00:08:25,690
can be naive at best,
paternalistic or self serving

145
00:08:25,690 --> 00:08:27,440
at worst.

146
00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:31,290
Even when we think we are
going with our eyes open,

147
00:08:31,290 --> 00:08:35,169
we can bring along the invisible
baggage of our assumptions,

148
00:08:35,169 --> 00:08:36,770
or our privilege.

149
00:08:36,770 --> 00:08:38,730
Though we don't mean to.

150
00:08:38,730 --> 00:08:42,530
Sometimes we unconsciously
support the very frameworks

151
00:08:42,530 --> 00:08:46,360
of injustice we
want to challenge.

152
00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:48,360
To avoid these
pitfalls the college

153
00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:52,660
builds our programs around
these core elements.

154
00:08:52,660 --> 00:08:56,640
First, they are grounded
in justice partnerships

155
00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:01,890
with organizations that are
led by the people they serve.

156
00:09:01,890 --> 00:09:05,700
People marginalized by
our political and economic

157
00:09:05,700 --> 00:09:06,970
structures.

158
00:09:06,970 --> 00:09:11,290
We enter, not as top
down helpers, but as

159
00:09:11,290 --> 00:09:17,950
allies working in solidarity
to change unjust structures.

160
00:09:17,950 --> 00:09:22,590
Second, our framework of study,
reflection, and preparation

161
00:09:22,590 --> 00:09:27,660
grounds us in our faith
and in justice education.

162
00:09:27,660 --> 00:09:30,730
Participants learn
about our destination

163
00:09:30,730 --> 00:09:33,010
and the organization
we'll visit.

164
00:09:33,010 --> 00:09:37,120
But we are also learning
to study ourselves.

165
00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:41,250
To see where we each stand
in the matrix of privilege

166
00:09:41,250 --> 00:09:45,670
and power, and to be more
aware of all the things

167
00:09:45,670 --> 00:09:48,880
that shape our points of view.

168
00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:51,220
As we try to change
the world, we

169
00:09:51,220 --> 00:09:54,950
are also open to being changed.

170
00:09:54,950 --> 00:09:57,770
And third, we focus
not on the help

171
00:09:57,770 --> 00:10:01,240
we might be able to give
while on a short term journey,

172
00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:05,110
but on how the inspiration
and learning of the journey

173
00:10:05,110 --> 00:10:08,150
can translate into new
commitments for justice

174
00:10:08,150 --> 00:10:10,400
on our return.

175
00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:13,790
It is perfectly
possible, for instance,

176
00:10:13,790 --> 00:10:17,650
to spend 10 days repairing
houses from Hurricane Sandy

177
00:10:17,650 --> 00:10:20,780
destruction without
ever really seeing

178
00:10:20,780 --> 00:10:23,630
how vast the
difference in impact

179
00:10:23,630 --> 00:10:25,890
has been across communities.

180
00:10:25,890 --> 00:10:30,920
How terribly slanted aid
has been by race and class.

181
00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:33,600
It is possible to
spend a week trying

182
00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:38,170
to help the people in Haiti,
without ever hearing Haitians

183
00:10:38,170 --> 00:10:41,980
themselves tell
you what they need.

184
00:10:41,980 --> 00:10:45,860
Or comprehending the
decades of harm done there

185
00:10:45,860 --> 00:10:47,940
by the United States.

186
00:10:47,940 --> 00:10:51,590
It is possible to immerse
in the tensions and struggle

187
00:10:51,590 --> 00:10:54,240
of our border
regions with Mexico

188
00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:58,710
without finding ourselves in
the immigration narrative.

189
00:10:58,710 --> 00:11:00,980
Without gaining a
handle on how we

190
00:11:00,980 --> 00:11:06,420
might put our own small weight
on the side of justice there.

191
00:11:06,420 --> 00:11:11,720
Our programs help you find
yourself in the story.

192
00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:16,490
They help you prepare for a
boundary-crossing experience,

193
00:11:16,490 --> 00:11:20,910
and then to take the insight
and inspiration you gain,

194
00:11:20,910 --> 00:11:26,410
and translate those into new
ways you can make a difference.

195
00:11:26,410 --> 00:11:31,780
Because our faith is not
something we simply feel.

196
00:11:31,780 --> 00:11:35,650
It is something we enact.

197
00:11:35,650 --> 00:11:39,300
I invite you to join us on the
journey, and I welcome you.

198
00:11:39,300 --> 00:11:40,170
Thank you.

199
00:11:40,170 --> 00:11:43,220
[APPLAUSE]

200
00:11:43,220 --> 00:11:47,348