I arrived early for my COVID vaccine appointment at Sentara Rockingham Memorial Hospital. Excited that I was going to be part of this roll out of the vaccine, I was already strategizing in my mind about how to get the vaccine out to Black and Latinx communities when the larger roll out began. Two weeks... Continue Reading →
Below is my letter of resignation for my position at Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church. I offer this to the wider Unitarian Universalist community as a window into the ongoing costs of speaking truth to power. As I am far from the only person this has happened to, if you would like to support religious professional... Continue Reading →
Dear Unitarian Universalist Community, Below you will find an excerpt of my response to the congregation I serve after this week’s events. It is my intention to tell some painful truths about having served TJMC-UU as Director of Administration and Finance as a woman of color. Those truths are not easy; they haven’t been easy... Continue Reading →
In the 6 weeks since speaking my truth in “On being a good fit” I have largely kept out of public commentary regarding the hiring decision that precipitated my speaking out. Instead I have put my time and talents into collaborating with religious educators in birthing the #UUWhiteSupremacyTeachIn. I have a deep debt of gratitude... Continue Reading →
No, I’m not going to be a “good fit” and that’s what’s wrong with the UUA In the past few days it has become known that yet another UUA hiring decision has left the upper levels of leadership as white as ever. For the 3rd time within as many years, a Regional Lead position was... Continue Reading →
On my way home yesterday I passed a police car sitting in the center median. Even though I was not going fast, as we all do, I immediately looked at my speedometer and confirmed “whew, I’m not speeding.” But, being brown while driving, I did keep my eye on him and I noticed he pulled... Continue Reading →
I believe Unitarian Universalism has the power to help transform our world but only as much as we are willing to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. This work is not easy, it does not come cheap and it does take commitment. Mutual accountability is crucial in this work and if you are not up for... Continue Reading →
Reading an article this morning on Huffington Post titled "We have no idea how many Latinos get arrested or imprisoned in the US" reminded me of several conversations I've had recently where white allies were amazed that the U.S. government thinks I'm white. Some actually didn't even believe me until I showed them a photo... Continue Reading →
Update: Safety Pin Box sunset about a year ago but you can still plug into real allyship work with the brilliant Leslie Mac at ResistU. If you are wearing, have worn, have a profile pic of, preached about, provided a basket of or otherwise engaged in “Safety Pin Allyship” I’m calling on you to read... Continue Reading →
White allies: please stop saying you don't want to talk about politics at Thanksgiving....and start saying you don't want to talk about racism, white privilege, Islamophobia, misogyny, and transphobia, among other topics. Those are the crucial conversations you are trying to avoid while calling yourself an ally. For more: https://spirituwellness.org/2016/11/19/family-wall/Adam Dyer
This morning I’ve seen a Huffington Post article circling about what to tell “our” children after last night’s horrific show of white supremacy and dominant culture misogyny. It is a nicely written article that talks about honoring democracy, telling them we’ll keep them safe and that not everyone who voted for Trump believes what he... Continue Reading →
Christina Rivera 