Ten years ago, a grass roots movement started within Unitarian Universalism to adopt an 8th Principle:
“We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, 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.”
As stated on the website https://www.8thprincipleuu.org/, “The 8th Principle came from a feeling that we need something to renew our commitment to this work, to hold ourselves accountable, and to fulfill the potential of our existing principles. Our existing 7 principles imply this 8th principle, but do not explicitly hold us accountable for addressing these oppressions directly, especially at the systemic level.”
Congregations have been voting on whether to adopt the 8th Principle or not. The LFUU Board and Program Committee have agreed to a process of reviewing and discussing the 8th Principle during regular programs, the number of which is to be determined, with a vote at our Annual Meeting in the spring. For this first program, Member Laurie Gauer will review the background of the 8th Principle and facilitate our discussion.
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