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Justice Spotlight on Accessibility

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By Georgia Lance, UUFF Member since 1995

One of the distinctions UUFF is proud of is being a welcoming congregation. We had discussions, attended trainings and had speakers on the issue of being an inclusive congregation for LGBTQ+ people. Some of us would like to add the distinction of being a welcoming congregation for folks with disabilities. Several of us have recently formed a working group to attempt this very task. We are hoping to raise awareness, educate and help fellow members find simple ways they can help in making people with disabilities feel welcome in our fellowship.

I’d like to give a shout out to Gene Vinzant for listening to our concerns about aisles being left clutter fear and wide enough for those of us in either walkers or wheelchairs. I’ve seen great improvement in this area these last couple of months.

How to deal with service dogs is an issue I witnessed during our annual Pride Service. We had two women, one in a large electric wheelchair, with good sized service dogs, trying to cram themselves into a narrow space. It would have been a simple matter to have removed two chairs from the row behind them and give them enough space for their service animals. I suspect if anyone had offered to do that for them, they would have been very grateful.

Another disability issue we have in our congregation is both children’s and adult religious education is located downstairs, which is inaccessible to those of us in walkers or wheelchairs.
The sidewalk located on the lower level requires walking down and back up a steep incline, which is not possible for many of us. In a nutshell, the lower level of our building is off limits for some members of our fellowship. I have seen mothers carrying their children up and down the steep staircase because the children are unable to walk the stairs.

This past Sunday, three of us did a physical audit of our building and grounds, using materials from UUA, to see what is working in our building and what isn’t. We are hoping to help people understand that access for people with disabilities is a social justice issue along with the others our denomination has championed over the years. We are also hoping others will join us in exploring ways we can become a welcoming congregation for people with disabilities.

April 3 – “Trans Truth”

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In this trans visibility service, Rev. Dr. Steven Gaines will interview trans singer-songwriter Skylar Conover, who will perform a couple of her songs. According to Skylar’s Facebook page, she strives “to make the world a better place.” She will discuss her experience and her use of music to process life, identity, and spirituality.

CLICK HERE to view the order of service.

April 18 – “Climate Justice for All”

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This Sunday, we honor the Earth with our “Climate Justice for All,” service and speaker, Shelley Buonaiuto. Many of us are very concerned about climate change and the detrimental and often disparate impacts on communities both locally and globally. We will examine these struggles and share actions we can take to accomplish positive environmental and social change. UUFF member Joanna Person-Michener will provide an overview of the issues before introducing Shelley, who will share her knowledge and experience from engaging with Arkansas Delta communities to promote climate justice.

About Shelley Buonaiuto: Shelley has been a member of Citizens’ Climate lobby since 2012. She is most active in researching and addressing the intersection of climate change and racial equity and is a regional representative for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee within Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Shelley is a sculptor who has long attempted to represent racial equity in her work and is also a mother and grandmother!

October 4 – “UU the Vote!”

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This Sunday, we joined with hundreds of other UU congregations around the nation for a joint service aimed at mobilizing our communities to #VoteLove and #DefeatHate in the 2020 elections. Speaker is UUA President Susan Frederick-Gray. There was a line-up of powerful, prophetic UU voices as we explore the intersections of faith, justice, and democracy in this collective virtual service.

Click HERE for the lyrics to sing along with the opening and closing hymns!

September 13 – “Water In-Gathering and Day of Hope.”

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It is time to kick off our “church year” with our seasonal Water In-Gathering! This year, let’s do something a little different. We’ll call it a ‘Waterfall of Hope.”

As usual, all are invited to have a bit of water from a special place (and a place to safely pour it when the time comes), but this year, as you pour your water, you are ALSO invited to allot $20 of “Hope” from the UUFF Giving Fund to a specific LOCAL charity/organization of your choice (let’s give to those that help people, nature, environment…and leave politics out of it for this Sunday). For your convenience, you can click HERE to view a list of some local charity organizations to research and consider. We’ll do this up to $1000. A few of us will be present in the UUFF Sanctuary to pour a bit of water (on your behalf) into our UUFF Fountain and write down the requests so that we can fulfill the giving of Hope.

When all who wish to give water, and/or Hopes have spoken, we will close the ritual by starting our fountain and enjoying a bit of music! A Sunday of Hope, for each other in Fellowship, and the broader community as well.

Please click HERE to view the Order of Service!

The Fishbowl Exercise

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The theme of our 2019 Arkansas Unitarian Universalist Cluster Meeting is Listening, Learning, and Leading. Part of our agenda includes learning and utilizing the fishbowl exercise as a method to allow everyone in a large group to participate in the discussion.

The Fishbowl Exercise

provided by Connie Goodbread, UUA Southern Region Co-Lead

  • Place ten chairs in a circle.
  • Facilitator and Partner sit across from one another at opposite poles of the circle.
  • Eight people join them in the circle.
  • The Rules:
    1. Name the topic and set the allotted time frame
    2. Those inside the circle agree to …
      — stay in the circle until the talking in over
      — only speak for one’s self
      — refrain from name calling, blaming and interrupting
      — listen deeply
      — speak one at a time
      — speak into the circle only ( that is, wait until after the whole exercise to address those not in the circle)
      — allow each person in the circle the opportunity to speak
      — allow each person the choice to pass and/or speak later
    3. Those outside the circle agree to listen and refrain from speaking
    4. Facilitator and Partner agree to …
      — make sure everyone is given a chance to speak (Note: There is no need to “go around the circle” … Each one speaks at will.
      — keep track of time so that everyone has a chance to be heard
      — go back to a person who passes and ask them if they wish to speak
      — take a full minute of silence if the rules are broken
      — lead the debrief conversation after the fishbowl(s), if that is desired and agreed upon by the group

Visit Facing History for additional guidance on fishbowl exercises.

UUFF Thanksgiving Potluck and Games

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We are delighted that our communal Sharing of Thanks on Thursday, November 22nd was covered by local news station KNWA! The potluck was a wonderful way to support and get to know local residents and anyone who needed food or a place to go on Thanksgiving.

The Justice Team Does Congress (sort of)

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By Rebecca Bryant

The Arkansas Citizen’s First Congress (ACFC) is a coalition of organizations working for progressive change –- primarily by lobbying the Arkansas legislature. Assisting ACFC in this effort is their tandem organization, the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, which monitors all bills in the Arkansas legislature and retains full-time lobbyists on staff.

In 2017, UUFF began supporting the Arkansas Citizen’s First Congress as one of the Justice Team’s picks for ‘Share the Plate’. In 2018, we persuaded the board to let us use that money to purchase a membership with ACFC, rather than simply making a donation. That membership gave us the privilege of sending delegates to the organization’s Congress of members that takes place every two years.

Four delegates (Shermon Brown, Maren Chism, Karl Brown, Rebecca Bryant) attended the 2018 Congress which took place from June 8-10 in Little Rock. On Friday evening, following dinner at the Sheraton Midtown, we heard presentations from member groups, describing why they do their work. Speakers included Alyce Love from the Desha County Social Justice Alliance, Ginny Massullo from the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance, and Furonda Brasfield with Decarcerate.

For the rest of the weekend, our mission was to identify five short term goals that would become the focus of lobbying through the next legislative session. Justice Team members spread out through the four caucuses; Civil Rights, Economic Justice, Environment, and Education, taking part in their deliberations.

By the end of the weekend, the Congress had passed five resolutions: 1. Support fair residential landlord-tenant laws (tenants have little protection at present); 2. Support a juvenile diversion program (i.e. try to keep minors out of the prison pipeline); 3. Upgrade Arkansas’s voter registration system (championed by the League of Women Voters); 4. Deter wage theft; and, 5. Support equity in professional licensure (In Arkansas, for a variety of professions, licenses cannot be issued to noncitizens).

I’ve known about the Citizen’s First Congress and Arkansas Public Policy Panel for decades. But, this was my first immersion in their process. Meeting others that are also engaged in the fight for justice and hearing their stories and ambitions was inspiring. Adding the small voice of UUFF to that of nearly 60 other organizations makes us a chorus with a chance of being heard.

Our Whole Lives (OWL) Sexuality Education: Active Resistance in Tenuous Times

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By Theresa Parrish, appeared in Sept/Oct 2017 issue of The Beacon

Unitarian Universalists take pride in our open minds and open hearts. We welcome difference and diversity. We lean into controversy and educate ourselves on issues. Recent events in Charlottesville, repeated attacks on Planned Parenthood and abortion access, and threatened cuts to healthcare and social programs have caused many of us to feel anxious about the future of our country and about the immediate health and safety of our loved ones.

What does all this have to do with Our Whole Lives – the evidence-informed, lifespan sexuality education curriculum co-authored by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ? Everything!

Imagine Madison, who is much taller and heavier than their peers. After years of teasing and bullying, Madison believes there is something deeply wrong with them. They become depressed and suicidal.

And there is Adrian, whose friend pressures them to engage in sexual activity until they reluctantly give in. Adrian learns to associate sexuality with shame.

Or Jaden, who feels attracted to a friend of the same sex and who was told by their conservative religious grandparent that homosexuality is sinful and disgusting.

And Angela, who wanted to talk to her boyfriend about birth control, but didn’t know where to start. Now she finds herself pregnant, worries that her parents will be enraged, and wonders if she will be able to finish school.

It’s not hard to imagine a bully who relentlessly calls a classmate “faggot,” “fairy,” and other derogatory names. The bully tries to persuade others to join in tormenting the victim. How many of us are prepared to respond in a way that honors our Unitarian Universalist values?

[Use of pronouns “they,” “their,” and “them” is intentional. Even the most enlightened people make assumptions and value judgments based on gender. What assumptions might you have made about the gender of the individuals in the scenarios above? ]

All of these narratives occur regularly here in Northwest Arkansas. They are due, at least in part, to our reliance on sexuality education provided by public schools or by well-meaning but ill-informed parents (who are often dreadfully uncomfortable discussing anything sexual), or by no one at all. Much of the sexuality education provided in Arkansas (including here in Fayetteville) is based on the “abstinence only” model that charges youth to abstain from “sex” until marriage. Youth are often pressured into signing vows of chastity and are shown repulsive videos of sexually transmitted infections meant to scare them into “abstinence.” This propaganda leads young people to believe that any sexual contact will result in pregnancy, infection, or both. The material presented is flawed enough, but even more egregious is what is lacking — topics of relationships, of difference, of consent, and information on birth control that is comprehensive and medically accurate.

The theoretical basis of Our Whole Lives (OWL) runs contrary to all of this. OWL affirms that we are sexual beings from the moment we are born until the moment we die. We know that sexuality is a broad concept, involving not just genitalia and reproduction, but gender and orientation, relationships, consent, body image, families, justice, inclusivity, friendships, values, sexual health, contraception, and much more. This is all delivered by trained OWL facilitators in a safe setting and in an age-appropriate manner. What’s more, OWL acknowledges parents/caregivers as the primary source of sexuality education and involves them in their children’s classes.

OWL opens up the discussion on sexuality, empowering students of all ages with vocabulary and information that can help them navigate relationships with confidence. They come to understand their inherent rights as human beings and are equipped with vocabulary to express themselves. They are challenged to think deeply about various scenarios that might occur in their lives and to prepare to make informed, deliberate choices.

So, with experience of Our Whole Lives:
Madison might love their body just as it is, significantly decreasing the negative effects of bullying.
Adrian would have denied consent with confidence and might still see sexuality as positive.
Jaden would have an opportunity to accept t heir same-sex attraction as “normal” without fear of punishment or ostracism by family and church.
Angela would likely have discussed birth control and their relationship with her boyfriend, and her pregnancy might have been averted.
Fewer bystanders would have joined with the bully, and more would have protected the victim and spoken out.

In your mind’s eye, are you imagining a school-aged child – or perhaps a teenager – in all of these scenarios? While traditionally, sex-ed has been served up almost exclusively to pubescent youth and teens, OWL is for EVERYONE. Appropriate OWL classes are offered at all age levels, beginning with kindergarten and continuing through old age. And, if you are wondering what an older person might learn from sexuality education, consider that the incidence of sexually transmitted infections is rising significantly in adults aged 55 and up. Information about sexuality (and sexual health) constantly evolves. Social values are regularly re-examined. It is impossible to outgrow Our Whole Lives.

Children, youth, and adults who participate in OWL classes and/or who become educated in sexuality and relationships are people who are armed to resist misogyny, racism, homophobia, and transphobia. They are likely to be accepting of others. They tend to make healthier choices. They are not as easily manipulated. They are less likely to passively accept violations to their bodies and to their rights as human beings. They resist. Congress might move to de-fund Planned Parenthood and other public clinics. But if we are empowered with information and grounded in our values, we will find ways to practice safe sex, to prevent unplanned pregnancy, and to maintain our sexual health. We will continue to be actively inclusive and will protect the vulnerable in our midst. We will continue to take responsibility for our choices. We will not give in to bullies or terrorists.

We will be respectful, valued members of our families, our schools, our workplaces, and our communities. Confidence, knowledge, and values cannot be legislated.

Visit the OWL page on our website for more information on the program and upcoming classes.