Learning Together: Listen to BIOPIC Voices
Saturday, October 10, 2020 from 4-5 PM PT
 | Join us for our Multi-generational religious education experience. When it comes to deep listening, leaders have lifted up the importance of decentering whiteness, listening to BIPOC voices and placing those BIPOC voices at the center of our storytelling and discussions. Our faith has taken up |
this work and called white UU’s to be especially vigilant about the work of listening to and centering BIPOC voices. So what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of deep listening? It says, “White UU’s, listen to BIPOC voices and actively work to bring them into the center of our faith!”
We will be reading stories that center white and BIOPIC voices and talking about why it is important to have stories that reflect everyone, talking about a time when deep-listening help a UU congregation reflect on their racism, taking a moment to meditate and pause so we are better able to listen to each other, and talking about the importance of names and having some fun with our own.
If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please let us know.
We will be reading stories that center white and BIOPIC voices and talking about why it is important to have stories that reflect everyone, talking about a time when deep-listening help a UU congregation reflect on their racism, taking a moment to meditate and pause so we are better able to listen to each other, and talking about the importance of names and having some fun with our own.
If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please let us know.
Details
We discussed the differences between the Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you) and the Platinum Rule (Do unto others as THEY would have you do unto THEM), and we explored how offering healing and help to people must start with asking them how they define the problem they are struggling with. To get at this, we used this Google slide deck (shared below) to show each other a variety of “ambiguous images” on the Zoom screen, and then had everyone share which image they saw first. Like this game, we may think we see their struggle clearly when in truth they have an entirely different perspective on it. The game became a reminder that we can never assume we hold “the one right view” and instead always need to honor how others view their own circumstances and challenges. Talk about times in your life when you’ve struggled with this dynamic.
Google Slide Deck: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1vCAsW7Z6GqlqUEI3ugHPcWpAItYXqDOHADNvoaxWOb4/edit?usp=sharing
Google Slide Deck: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1vCAsW7Z6GqlqUEI3ugHPcWpAItYXqDOHADNvoaxWOb4/edit?usp=sharing