Beloved Conversations: Meditations on Race and Ethnicity
“Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
~James Baldwin
What is Beloved Conversations?
Beloved Conversations is an experiential curriculum that provides a space to heal the spiritual and organizational wounds that racism causes in our faith community. The program aims to foster cross-cultural relationships that nurture the spiritual health of program participants, congregations and communities beyond their walls. This year, we are launching the program with 25 members meeting in two small groups throughout Spring 2019. We hope and plan to offer the curriculum each year so that more and more people can participate.
Beloved Conversations 2019
- The program began with an Opening Retreat on Friday, January 18, 2019 at 6:00 pm and ended Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 5:00 pm. The retreat was facilitated by a Fahs Collaborative staff member and attended by members of the Unitarian Society of Hartford, Universalist Church of West Hartford and Unitarian Society of New Haven. Friday evening was at the West Hartford congregation and Saturday at USH.
- Small Group Sessions: Participants commit to attending the full retreat plus the following eight two-hour sessions, held every other week beginning in January; Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings, and are facilitated by Laurie Kelliher, Gloria Mengual, Rev. Cathy Rion Starr, and Rick Tsukada. Similar to Small Group Ministry, the conversations will take place in groups of 10-12 participants. USH will has two groups participating in Beloved Conversations.
Conversations at a Glance
- Deep Check-in: Making Sense of the Retreat; the Invisible Footprint of Racial/Ethnic History
- Exploring Our Dynamic of Racism and Privilege
- Racism Today: Micro-Aggressions
- Interrupting Racism
- Community Audit: The Experience of Race and Ethnicity in Your Community
- Power and Process: How Institutional Change Happens in Our Congregations
- Prophetic Vision: Towards a Multicultural Congregation in Solidarity with the World
- Building the Bridge Between Our Present and Our Future
What’s next?
We are continuing with various conversations, curriculum, and community work for racial justice. Read your E-News to stay up to date, or contact Gloria Francesca Mengual (gloriafmengual@gmail.com) for more information.