Anti-Racism Work

Logo with colorful abstract flame and the words 'Living Legacy Project'.

Transcribed Text:

LIVING LEGACY PROJECT

We are looking forward another year of experiential education across this country, especially the American South, through our Pilgrimages!
September 20 - 24 - The Mississippi Story
November 9 - 13 - The Alabama Story

Living the Pledge to End Racism

Graphic with the text "Living the Pledge. Will you... ?" and "PLEDGE TO END RACISM" with a red 'X' over "PLEDGE".

Living the Pledge Workshops

The Richmond Pledge to End Racism is based on the Birmingham Pledge and was introduced at First UU in December 2014. By signing the Pledge, you are committing to work to end racism in the greater Richmond area and beyond. The Living the Pledge Workshops were developed the following year to help people integrate the Pledge into their daily lives. The Living the Pledge Workshops have expanded their vision and now provide workshops for other UU churches, institutions, community groups, and individuals. The Pledge can be found online at richmondpledge.org or at the social justice display in the lobby.

We take our anti-racism work very seriously at 1st UU.

Join us on Saturday, August 22, 2026, 9:30am – Noon, to introduce a ReFreshed, ReFormulated, ReEnergized Living the Pledge Workshop!  Registration now open!

Instead of 2 full Saturdays, we will offer the full curriculum in smaller chunks over the course of 6 sessions, some of which will be self-directed, and the session dates will be determined by consensus of the facilitators and participants.

When we meet in person we will,

  • Continue to offer Large Group overviews of Racism in the US and especially in Richmond
  • Continue Small Group deeper dives
  • Offer and encourage more discussion and participation
  • We’ll invite deeper personal investigation for the parts that are self-directed.

We are even hoping to offer some pertinent field trips!
Registration now open!  Invite your friends!

Resources on Mental Health Issues Facing  the Black Community

BIPOC Therapists: Empowering the Community through Education and Awareness

back to top

We take anti-racism work very seriously, and in 2018, the congregation adopted an 8th Principle about that:

"We, the members and friends of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond covenant to affirm and promote journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse, multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions."

back to top

BLM Ann Anita
BLM poster

Anti-Racism Group

  • Living the Pledge Workshop: http://richmondpledge.org/
  • Maintains Social Justice table on Sunday between services to provide resources to the church community
  • Works with the Black Lives Matter Group
  • Provides a space for communication and processing for members of our church and community
  • For more information, please contact Deborah Coleman and Sheryl Johnson

Living the Pledge

  • Educates members about systemic racism and encourages participants to become active in fighting racism evident in our systems throughout the city.
  • Class curriculum includes American and Richmond history, personal biases and microaggressions. The goal of Living the Pledge is to transform understanding into action.
  • For more information, please contact: Anita Lee at La_toute@principle2.org

Black Lives Matter

  • Vigils
  • Protests
  • Solidarity
  • According to Black Lives Matter, the movement "is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.  It is an affirmation of Black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression."

You can find more resources here:  https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

DRUUMM
(Diverse & Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries) is a growing network of over 500 UU People of Color. We are primarily a volunteer and member-led organization without any regular staff. The primary governance and workgroup is the DRUUMM Steering Committee. We invite you and members of your UU POC group to stay connected to receive periodic email announcements, our DRUUMM Beat Newsletter (back issues here and on FB), and engage in dialogue through The DRUUMM Gathering Place on Facebook. There is a regular monthly drop-in session on 4th Tuesdays at 8 pm ET. You can learn more, and sign up for those through any of the links in this paragraph.
There is a range of upcoming activities including culturally-specific and UU POC specific programs during the UUA General Assembly, youth and young adults of color gatherings, and other events for DRUUMM members. You can join at www.druumm.org or contact info@druumm.org.