UUA President Resigns
For the past week I have been watching the UUA’s controversy on hiring racially diverse staff members unfold. However, I was nothing short of shocked when I learned Thursday that the Rev. Peter Morales had resigned as UUA president over this issue. I know many of the people involved on both sides, so not only am I in shock; I am mourning.
(Learn more about the situation and Morales’ resignation here.)
Anything to do with race is complex. This started when a person of color was not hired for a leadership position in the UUA. Black Lives of UU did a lot of good work to evaluate the situation and it became apparent that we are not where we want to be when it comes to racial diversity in the UUA staff. As a denomination we are not living out our ideals. We are not doing what we said we would do.
I am disappointed with the Rev. Morales’ defensive posture when the UUA, and particularly its hiring practices, were accused of being white supremacist. White supremacy may sound a bit harsh but the reality is that whiteness reigns supreme in our nation, in our institutions, and in our hearts. All that being said, I don’t think anyone was intentionally being racist. Nonetheless, when you unintentionally hurt a person, you still hurt that person.
We live in an age of color-blindness. Most people are not openly hostile to different racial groups. Instead we operate with implicit bias. Institutions are good at keeping the status quo of bias alive and often have thin practices of superficial or cosmetic diversity. We need to keep this conversation going to build the land were the captives are free. It is a daunting mountain to climb, but we need to start with our own foothill.
The UUA, much like the nation, is in crisis when it comes to race. Shaking things up with a resignation might be just what we need as long as we continue to reflect and soul-search. We can start with ourselves and our own institutions. The good news is the UUA is electing a new president in June and there are three excellent candidates. However, race is a cultural problem that requires adaptations and shifts. It is not a technical problem we can fix by just tweaking a few things. Cultural adaptations take time, energy, strategy, and above all, love and commitment.
If you have questions or would like to discuss this with me further, please don’t hesitate to drop me a note at minister@uucantonny.org or we can talk after church on Sunday.
The Rev. James Galasinski