Journey Toward Wholeness Sunday
Whitney M. Young Jr. Urban Ministry Grants
Unitarian Universalists Serving our Cities and
Peoples in Creating an Anti-Racist Multicultural World
With the establishment of the Journey Toward Wholeness
Sunday Fund, congregations across the continent are taking up a
special collection to support their own racial justice work and
to fund urban ministry projects. Participating congregations will
send 1/3 of the funds they raise to the UUA to help support Whitney
Young Urban Ministry Grants.
Grants are used to support the work of the JUUST Change Anti-Oppression Consultancy and Resources
JUUST Change Consultants help congregations and districts increase effectiveness in anti-oppression and social justice work by
- meeting congregations where they are,
- supporting a developmental process to build leadership,
- strengthening capacity, and
- applying anti-oppression knowledge and principals to transform congregations and communities of which they are a part.
The UUA Commitment to Anti-Racist Multicultural
Diversity
Projects supported by the Fund are developing ground-breaking
models for our collective effort to become an anti-racist, multicultural
association of congregations.
Unitarios Universalistas de Habla Hispaña
is a multi-faceted effort to make Unitarian Universalism accessible
to the Latino/a community of San José. "With the help of
the Whitney Young Fund we are now offering a bilingual service
every week, and our sermons and worship materials in Spanish have
been requested from Argentina to Mexico, to Los Angeles, and we
have been proud to share them." —Emy Landa, UUHH Coordinator,
First Unitarian Church, San José CA
"With the help of the Whitney Young Fund, we were able to embody
liberal religion in places where the notion of a loving God and
no hell are remarkable, extraordinary good news. The seeds planted
in this first year will be harvested in years to come, by Church
of the Open Door, and a diverse community of gay folks, religious
liberals, Baptists and Pentecostals." —The Rev. Alma
Crawford, Church of the Open Door, Chicago
"Your funds have been extremely helpful in our congregation’s
efforts to develop this exciting program with the Young Men and
Women’s African Heritage Association. It has been a real opportunity
for us to interact further with this community of neighbors, to
deepen our commitment to anti-racism work, and to grow an authentic
partnership with an institution serving people of color." —The
Rev. Art McDonald, Minister and Director of Social Advocacy, Allegheny
UU Church, Pittsburgh PA
"We thank the Whitney Young Fund for choosing to support our
work. The youth participating in our workshops produced exceptional
art expressing their confusion and concern regarding the world
in which they live, the hatred they witness, and their deep desires
for something better. With this in mind, we continue our work,
step by step, with the hope that we are planting seeds that will
bear the fruit of racial tolerance and understanding for future
generations." —Cheryl Latif, Executive Director, Art &
Soul, Teens Beyond Racism, First UU Church of San Diego
Why Urban Ministry Grants are Made in Honor of
Whitney M. Young, Jr.
Whitney M. Young, Jr. (1921-1971) was a prominent
civil rights leader and an active Unitarian Universalist. As Executive
Director of the National Urban League from 1961 to 1971, he brought
the League into the civil rights movement and made it a force in
the major events and debates of that tumultuous decade. He was also
a leader of the 1963 March on Washington.
In 1969, Whitney Young was awarded the highest US
civilian order, the Medal of Freedom. He gave powerful support to
public policies that combat discrimination and poverty. He also
called for a "domestic Marshall Plan" to undo the vicious network
of racism and poverty in communities of people of color throughout
the country. Young’s work produced historic breakthroughs for people
of color in employment, education, and entrepreneurship.
Young was the author of two books, To Be Equal
and Beyond Racism, in which he developed his vision of an
open society. What he envisioned was a pluralistic society (not
simply an integrated one) that would thrive on ethnic and cultural
diversity and ensure economic and racial justice.
More Information on Whitney M. Young Jr.:
How the Fund Works
The Journey Toward Wholeness Sunday Whitney Young
Urban Ministry Grants Panel makes grants of up to $3,000 for selected
one-year projects. Any Unitarian Universalist organization can apply
for grants to fund their own urban ministry projects or for partnership
programs which they are sponsoring. Applications must be submitted
by May 15, 2004. Click here for more information
and an application.
Click here to see a list of 2003 grantees and
their projects.
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