1. T HE S ANKOFA M OMENT Sankofa is a word in the Akan language of Ghana that translates as "reach back and get it."

2. O PENING WORDS I do not wish to breathe another breath If it is not shared with others. The breath of life is not mine alone. I brought myself to be with you Hoping that by inhaling the compassion, the courage, the hope found here I can exhale the fear, the selfishness, the separateness I keep so close to my skin. I cannot live another moment, At least not one of joy, Unless you and I find our oneness. Somewhere among each other Somewhere between the noise Somewhere within the silence Of the next breath. Kristen Harper

3. Gather here in the mystery of this hour. Gather here in one strong body. Gather here in the strong and the power. Spirit draw near. Words and tune: Phil Porter

4. T HE N ATURE OF R ACISM And how racism effects us.

5. What is your earliest memory of becoming aware of race?

6. O UR F UNDAMENTAL N ATURE No one is born a racist. What we need is to be held, fed and feel the world is absolutely delighted with you.

7. Children are by nature curious about everything. Difference only momentarily frightens them. They will adjust if there is no danger and their fear is not reinforced.

8. Children are naturally emotionally attuned to fairness and protest the first time they see prejudice acted out.

9. If a child knows nothing else it will come to accept racism as normal.

10. P REJUDICE IS L EARNED Prejudice is something that must be systematically taught and culturally reinforced.

11. A parent’s response to a child’s openness, abandon and curiosity reflects that parent’s fears – both real and fictitious.

12. A parent’s response to a child's moral protest can be anger – ranging from violence, hushing, shaming, scolding, and the withdrawal of affection.

13. The child faces a dilemma, since the child needs and idolizes their parent(s), as well as needing to feel they belong to a group.

14. The child experiences moral confusion and emotional pain when faced with this dilemma.

15. I N RESPONSE TO THE DILEMMA, THE CHILD MAY :  Remain silent, and sacrifice their sense of justice and fair play.  Join-in in order to win back approval.  Narrow their lives to avoid a repeat of the situation and the unbearable sense of shame they carry.  Become fearful of difference.

16. M IS -E DUCATION Falsehoods, distortions and omissions reinforce the sense of confusion and further promotes isolation.

17. White Privilege

18.  You do not know what DWB means.  Clerks don’t follow you around the store.  You take pride in your heritage and believe your behavior and mores are normal.  You do not feel that you represent your race and must be credit to it.  People do not assume you got your job through affirmative action.  You do not have to educate your children about the Black Code in order to keep them safe.

19. What is the Black Male Code ?

20. T HE B LACK M ALE C ODE  Always pay close attention to your surroundings, son, especially if you are in an affluent neighborhood where black folks are few. Understand that even though you are not a criminal, some people might assume you are, especially if you are wearing certain clothes.  Never argue with police, but protect your dignity and take pride in humility. When confronted by someone with a badge or a gun, do not flee, fight, or put your hands anywhere other than up.  Please don't assume, son, that all white people view you as a threat. America is better than that. Suspicion and bitterness can imprison you. But as a black male, you must go above and beyond to show strangers what type of person you really are.

21. Because African- Americans and Euro-Americans everyday experiences vary so much from one another: Whites, since it isn’t a problem for them, don’t see at as a problem and to not talk about it. Whites are ignorant and confused about race. Blacks frequently experience micro- aggression. Blacks have a tendency to see ever problem as an issue of race. Ergo Whites feel Blacks are exaggerating.

22. THE NEW FACE OF RACISM IS M ICRO - AGGRESSION Microaggression is a form of unintended discrimination. It is depicted by the use of known social norms of behavior and/or expression that, while without conscious choice of the user, has the same effect as conscious, intended discrimination. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

23. L IBERALS In an attempt to bolster our egos, we often find our value in our actions, rather than our in our own inherent worth and goodness. “I am good, because I do good” rather than “I am inherently good” It is a form of neo-Puritanism.

24. G UILT Bill Schulz wrote, “Guilt deals cruelly with vision.” Guilt may initiate action, but we cannot sustain the work, if we remain mired in feelings of shame. Eventually we will either distance ourselves from the ego-corroding acid of shame or become addicted to the moonshine of feeling holier than thou.

25. H EALING The real issue is healing. Our motivation is to feel whole. Again, not doing good for them but healing one’s self. This is spiritually rooted in the intuition that we are deeply connected, and that in healing ourselves, we work to heal the world as well.

26. F ALL O N Y OUR F ACE In this work, mistakes are inevitable. So enjoy making them. See them as the learning opportunities that they are. It is the only way to learn.

27. Y OUR A PPROACH Be led by your heart, and a desire for connection, rather than by ideology.

28. A T THE CLOSE OF THE UUA B OARD MEETING IN S ELMA D ONALD H ARRINGTON READ THESE WORDS FROM H OWARD Z INN ’ S SNCC: T HE N EW A BOLITIONISTS “Finally it all boils down to human relationships. It is the question of... whether I shall go on living in isolation or whether there shall be a we.... Love alone is radical. Political statements are not; programs are not; even going to jail is not. Love alone is radical.”

29. B UILD R ELATIONSHIPS !!!!!!

30. We can cherish all our individual diversities as we like, but it will be those essentials we share in common that will empower us to transform the world as we wish it to become. - Robert Latham

31. B E H OPEFUL Knowing that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice,” work in complete confidence, rather than earnestness.

32. A P RAYER FOR L IVING IN T ENSION If we have any hope of transforming the world and changing ourselves, we must be: bold enough to step into our discomfort, brave enough to be clumsy there, loving enough to forgive ourselves and others. May we, as a people of faith, be granted the strength to be: so bold, so brave, and so loving. ~Joseph M Cherry