In June 2024 the General Assembly (GA) of the UUA will vote on final approval of the Article II proposal. It will require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the 2024 GA delegates to adopt the revision as the new Article II of the UUA bylaws. If the vote fails, the process ends and a similar proposal cannot be considered for two years.
You can read the final proposed revision of Article II here.
You can read the amendments that will be placed on the final agenda here for GA in June.
WUUC Racial Justice Task Force offers the statement below in support of the proposed revisions to Article II.
Our faith is a Living Tradition, which has evolved over the years to meet the needs of our changing world and it’s been almost 40 years since the last significant revision to Article II. After careful consideration, the WUUC Racial Justice Task Force is endorsing the final proposed revision to Article II, and additional amendments, with confidence for the following reasons:
- The updates reflect WUUC’s mission to support racial justice efforts, as clearly stated in the statement on the WUUC website. “WUUC reaffirms our commitment to eradicating racial injustice.”
- The revised Article II also explicitly calls out Justice and Equity as core values, which is essential for promoting a fair and just society. In addition, we especially support the amendment that adds the following to the Equity value: Equity calls us to listen, understand, respect, and respond to one another.
- We believe that these changes continue to be timely, given the ongoing systemic injustice and violence that disproportionately affects marginalized communities.
- We also recognize that underrepresented UU groups have expressed concerns and called for changes to make our faith communities more welcoming. By incorporating the spirit of the 8th principle and revisiting our practices of diversity and inclusion, we are taking concrete steps towards dismantling racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions, including our faith communities.
- We acknowledge that language is never perfect. The UUA has solicited feedback from many UUs to refine the proposed changes. We believe that modernizing the language will speak more clearly to a younger, broader audience, including the specific values (interdependence, pluralism, justice, transformation, generosity, equity, peace, and reason.)
- Regarding the additional two values proposed in the amendments:
We support the addition of Peace with the expectation that it won’t be used to push back on healthy discussions and action when there is conflict.
We support the addition of Reason with the expectation that it won’t be used to discredit people’s stories and lived experiences. - Change can be challenging, at the same time we firmly believe that social justice requires us to evolve and adapt to new ways of thinking and speaking. We are confident that these changes will help us create a more just and inclusive community.
Your WUUC Racial Justice Task Force rjtf@wuuc.org.
More resources on the Article II revisions:
Article II Study and Amendment Process | UUA.org
New Article II Congregational Resources from the Field | UUA.org