A Message from Rev. Tony

Dear Beloveds,

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed right now with the horrific political news emanating from the Trump administration and the constant barrage of policies, initiatives, corruption, and lies targeting each and every one of our Unitarian Universalist values, especially when these things are so full of hate, they function like an attack on Love itself. 

One way I am managing to not feel overwhelmed with all of this is by trusting that other people of good faith and good conscience are fighting back against this tide of hatred, deceit, and injustice.  I remind myself that my job is to find what things are mine to do and do them to best of my ability and have faith - trust - that others like me are working on the other things as much or more than I am working on what I feel called to do. 

One resource I have found valuable in the weeks since the inauguration is the “Social Change Ecosystem Map” from Deepa Iyer in her book “Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection.”  Iyer lays out ten different roles people play in the work for positive social change: Weavers, Experiments, Frontline Responders, Visionaries, Builders, Caregivers, Disrupters, Healers, Storytellers, and Guides.  

Iyer uses her ecosystem framework to “clarify values, identify roles, and support organizations, campaigns, and networks committed to solidarity, justice, and equity. It identifies ten roles that people and organizations often show up in (such as weaver, builder, and storyteller) when they are responding to crises, participating in social change movements, or organizing collectively to advance a campaign or a cause related to equity, justice, and solidarity.” You can explore her ideas further with an introductory handout you can download or read here.

Iyer says using her framework is a three-step process:  (1) identify your values and cause in the middle circle; (2) map your roles and those played by your ecosystem; and (3) reflect, observe, and plan. I’ve been doing the exercise in her book, and it’s helped a lot over the last few weeks.  Following her process, I put JETPIG (Love and our UU Values) at the center, and I’ve been reflecting on what role I am asked to play in this current crisis. I used to be a frontline responder, attending and organizing protests, but now I feel like my role is to be a Caregiver, Storyteller, Guide (advisor), and Visionary/Builder.  These seem like the best way to use my time and my role as a parish minister.  I am in the process of reflecting, observing, and planning - both at home and in my ministry- to play my role in the current crises and help organize my family and my congregations to find and play their roles.  

I trust that if I stay in my lane, do the work I feel equipped and called to do, and do it the best that I can, others will also find their work and give it their best. All of us have something we can do to work for justice, uphold democratic institutions, and protest the most vulnerable.  During the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s not everyone was called to march, people were needed to make meals, give rides, make phone calls, and do lots of other things that never made headlines but were essential to the overall success of the movement.  

I encourage you to explore what your role might be in this crisis, engage it with confidence that what you’re contributing matters, and trust - have faith in - others to find their work and do it, too. None of us can do everything, but all of us can do something.  Let’s do it! 

In Solidarity,

Rev. Tony