[Fuusm-l] FW: Truth-Telling Helps Make Us Whole

[Kat Hawbaker]

Monthly Tidings
Unitarian Universalist Association



October 2019





Dear FUUSM Folks,

We each hold a story of who we are—the people we came from, the communities of which we have been part, and the lands we have called home. Part of the spiritual work we each must do is to face all of our story, even the parts we would rather skip. Humble, courageous curiosity about our own stories, and the stories about our communities and the United States, helps us move toward the truth-telling that deepens us spiritually and helps make us whole.





A story matrix connects all of us. 
There are rules, processes, and circles of responsibility in this world. And the story begins exactly where it is supposed to begin. We cannot skip any part. 

~ Joy Harjo, Muskogee, 2019 United States Poet Laureate, in Crazy Brave: A Memoir 







Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States offers an opportunity to learn and know the truth about the nation we call home. All people, Indigenous and not, are invited to attend carefully to those who tell us of the peoples who live and thrive on this land and have since before the coming of Europeans. Beginning the story where it is supposed to begin.

Begin or continue the spiritual journey which asks us to learn of the resisters who have held on to indigenous culture and identity through centuries of violence, land theft, broken treaties, policies that encouraged environmental and cultural destruction, families torn asunder, poverty, and oppression. Not skipping any parts. Closer to home, our own Unitarian Universalist faith communities can acknowledge and support those of us who hold Indigenous identity, as well as reaching out to Indigenous nations and groups who live nearby to offer support for their projects and priorities.

Knowing and embracing more of the story, including the difficult parts, with humility and courage, makes us more faithful people. It allows Unitarian Universalists to whole-heartedly support the Youth Climate Strike Coalition, which includes among its demands “respect of Indigenous lands and sovereignty.” It invites us to take an honest look at how and what we teach our people of all ages about the story of where they live. And it asks us to reflect and prepare before we come together in June 2020 in Providence, RI, on traditional lands of the Wampanoag people, on the 400th anniversary of the English colonists’ arrival.

Begin this work with the 2019-2020 Common Read, Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People (or the original 2015 version). Invite families in your congregation to check out the Families pages in the center of the next issue of UU World (out in early December). Learn more about the Doctrine of Discovery and Indigenous Rights.

In faith,

Gail Forsyth-Vail
Interim Director, Lifespan Faith Engagement



Gail Forsyth-Vail is a Credentialed Religious Educator, Master Level, who served congregations for twenty-two years before joining the UUA staff in 2008. She is the author of a number of faith development curricula and resources. She was the 2007 recipient of the Angus MacLean Award for Excellence in Religious Education.








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