- Pride Month at UUSP
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1968, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a bar in Lower Manhattan patronized by LGBQTAI+ people. While this was a frequent occurrence, this time, the clientele fought back. Over the next few days, the protests expanded into other areas of Greenwich Village and the event became known as the Stonewall Rebellion. On the one-year anniversary of the riot, thousands of people gathered to march past the Stonewall Inn, and the first gay pride parade took place.
St. Petersburg is the site of the largest Pride celebration in Florida and one of the largest in the US. This year, more than 200,000 people are expected to attend. UUSP was a part of the parade last year, and will be again this year, along with UU Clearwater, UU Tarpon Springs, and the St. Pete UU Fellowship. There will be a marching unit and a float consisting ...
- Why I Support Adopting the 8th Principle?
“We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”
Submitted by Rev. Ben Atherton-Zeman
This Sunday, UU St. Pete will vote on the 8th Principle, and I hope you will vote to pass it. The 8th Principle affirms and promotes journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse, multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.
Some have said that this is already covered by our seven principles. But most BIPOC UU leaders (remember, BIPOC stands for Black Indigenous People of Color), most BIPOC UU leaders disagree, and have asked us to pass the 8th principle. So far 243 congregations have passed the 8th Principle, including many of our ...
- Why I Support Adopting the 8th Principle
The Proposed 8th Principle:
“We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”
Earl Waters submitted the article below.
I fully and passionately support the adoption of the 8th principal because I feel that we are empowered to continue our personal spiritual growth and that of the Church. The current 7 Principles are excellent but are in need of expansion and clarification.
As a member of UUSP and a part of the larger Unitarian Unitarian Association, it is my goal to bring about change that will help us all to grow. We need to codify the intentions of our congregation to overcome the systemic racial and sexual prejudice that exists within our society.
As a white male, I have grown ...
