Seventy-five people from fourteen Florida congregations participated in the Racial Justice Conference in Boca Raton on Saturday, March 13. Dr. Mark Hicks led an inspiring and stimulating workshop in which we explored the tools and skills we need in the multicultural world in which we live. Dr. Hicks introduced specific indicators for measuring the ways individuals, groups and congregations effectively adapt to multiculturalism and institutional change. We also received an overview and introduction to the new curriculum "Building the World We Dream About: A Welcoming Congregation Curriculum on Race and Ethnicity" that will be available later this year through the UUA's Tapestry of Faith program.

Congregational Summary Process Extended to May 10

Participants were asked to return to their congregations and engage members in a Force Field Analysis process to explore driving forces that move the congregation toward multicultural competency and restraining forces that challenge their progress. This dialogue informs the process of creating a Congregational Summary. The purpose of the congregational summary is to help people have an organized approach to documenting their/our work so that we can build the institutional story .By documenting their process, congregations and districts will 1) capture their history; 2) have a way to think about planning next steps; and, 3) operationalize anti-racist, anti-oppressive, multicultural practices. The summaries can be shared to help others so that we can be learning from one another. We are rewriting the UU story together. Summaries are written as a report that highlights the activities of the past year and an assessment of how various groups and committees in the congregation are thinking about and incorporating anti-racism, anti-oppression and multicultural aspects in their programs. The Congregational Summary reports provide a snapshot for the congregation and the district to measure the effect of our intentions, time, energy and resources; but most of all, the summary process can provide an opportunity for people in the congregation to share their stories and engage in conversations about multicultural competency at a deeper level.

Congregations Take the Conversation Home:

UU Society of the Daytona Beach Area: Rev. Bud Murphy met with about 10 members of his congregation for a conversation about Racial Justice as a Ministry. He presented his impression of the many anti-oppression initiatives nurtured by the UUA, the recent history of the Racial Justice Council and the anticipated "Building the World We Dream About" curriculum.  Some want to start meeting and will form a core group that will get them ready for a fall launch of that curriculum.  They are considering using the curriculum "Unpacking the Knapsack" as a focus for their initial conversations.

UU Congregation of Greater Naples: The congregation's Diversity Task Force met and reviewed the materials and their experience of the March 13 conference. They developed a statement of intent and have invited two members of the UU Fellowship of Charlotte County (who are also members of the Florida District Racial Justice Council) to meet with members of the Naples congregation to consult with them in developing ways to raise awareness.

UU Church of Fort Lauderdale: Participants who attended the Racial Justice Conference met after the Sunday service on April 4 and shared with others what they experienced. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for May 2^nd to explore next steps toward engaging the congregation in Building the World We Dream About.