For decades, Unitarian Universalists throughout the country have been wrestling with our aspirations to build an anti-racist, anti-oppressive and multicultural society—beginning with our own congregations. In the current era of hyper-consciousness about how prevalent white supremacy ideas and practices are in our national history and institutions, these aspirations seem ever more urgent—and challenging. Summit’s emeritus minister will explore the benefits of and barriers to “widening the circle of concern” that make both a truly inclusive congregation and a pluralistic society possible. We should not be surprised to find that our UU theology of interdependence, empathy and love may be just the impetus we need to meet the challenge of “drawing the circle wide.”
About our speaker:
Rev. Ned Wight retired in August 2019 from his position as Interim Senior Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset, New York. Prior to that, he served for a decade as Executive Director of the same congregation’s UU Veatch Program, which makes grants to social change organizations around the country. He also served Summit UU Fellowship as its first full-time minister from 1992 to 2005. He holds degrees from Harvard Divinity School, Boston University and Stanford University. He currently chairs the board of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, partnering with grassroots organizations to champion human rights at home and abroad, and serves as Vice President for the UU Retired Ministers and Partners Association. He lives in William Cullen Bryant’s historic home, Cedarmere, in Roslyn, NY on the north shore of Long Island.
Service Associate: Josh Barrett
Topics: Community, History, Racial Justice, Social Justice