Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism and their Minneapolis Housing Initiative
Formation and original funding of BLUU:
BLUU began in 2015. This new organization grew out of the efforts of Black UUs who are deeply committed to our faith, but who sometimes feel excluded and therefore not able to show up as their authentic selves within our religious community. BLUU approached the UUA Board to ask for funding in 2016. The UUA Board took a leap of faith and pledged $5million to support BLUU. The Board then asked UU congregations and individual UUs to replace that money (which had not been part of the budget). That campaign was called the Promise and Practice of our Faith campaign.
Start of Minneapolis Northside BLUU House Initiative:
WBUUC became involved in this initiative in 2021.
- BLUU Northside Housing Initiative & WBUUC: The BLUU Northside Housing Initiative is a project to create, as an act of our faith, new, actually affordable, long-term housing for Black and Indigenous families. More information about the project is available here: https://blacklivesuu.org/bluu-housing-initiative In February, 2021, the WBUUC Board of Directors, acting on the recommendation of WBUUC’s Social Action Committee and Facing Race Steering Committee, voted unanimously to commit $25,000 to the project, to be raised in a special collection. Around the same time, when the Board asked Rev. Victoria Safford what organization or project might be named as a recipient for a special collection in her honor to celebrate her ministry with us, she chose the BLUU Northside Housing Initiative. As a result, WBUUC raised a total over $65,000 for the project in Rev. Victoria’s honor.
WBUUC’s commitment to BLUU and the BLUU Housing Initiative:
- Financial support summary: WBUUC first took a special collection for BLUU on July 10, 2016 and collected $3075. We had another collection on October 2, 2017 and collected $2400. On November 17, 2019, we collected $2594. And finally, in May 2021, we collected $65,386 in honor of Rev. Victoria Safford and her ministry with WBUUC.
More about BLUU: The BLUU website says this:
- BLUU is committed to expanding the power and capacity of Black UUs within Unitarian Universalism; providing support, information, and resources for Black UUs, with justice-making and liberation for Black people through our faith.
- BLUU is now a thriving spiritual community and justice-minded organization creating connection for Black people.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- UU World article that gives background on UUA Board’s decision to support the newly formed Black Lives of UU – https://www.uuworld.org/articles/board-commits-5-million-bluu
- About Promise and Practice of our Faith Campaign to support BLUU – https://blacklivesuu.org/promise-and-the-practice-report/
- BLUU Housing Initiative web page – https://blacklivesuu.org/bluu-housing-initiative/
- BLUU Housing Initiative Slide Presentation – https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wNUWGyvDzhsOPZ-9i76o1PORIUDsMRkfAp4wBlFlqhc/edit?usp=sharing
VIDEOS:
- 3 minute highlight video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LZq8AWSHbM&t=11
- Full program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTVLUBjv-Kw
- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14mU0Yvl3wBMFzC7Az3eqWB6u878eJeN7?usp=sharing
- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14mU0Yvl3wBMFzC7Az3eqWB6u878eJeN7
- One more bit of history: Jane Bacon, member of WBUUC, was at General Assembly in New Orleans in 2017 when the UUA Board announced that they were giving $5 million to BLUU. This was the start of the UUA Promise and Practice Campaign. Jane says, “It was an amazing and inspiring GA!”
–Information provided by Jane Bacon and Al Mitchell and compiled by Sue Will.