Black Lives Matter Statement

On August 2, 2020, congregants at Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist church attended a specially called Social Justice Call to Action meeting and overwhelmingly approved this Black Lives Matter statement:

Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church denounces all forms of institutional racism and cultural violence. We stand in ongoing solidarity with Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color harmed by both past and present injustices.

The recent vigilante and police killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Rayshard Brooks, among others unnamed and unacknowledged, represent the system of white supremacy. We decry and mourn their sufferings, as well as the conditions that produce such acts.

Peace and equity are often difficult to achieve under conditions of deep injustice. We must all work to eliminate racism in our families, our neighborhoods, and our places of work and worship.

As Unitarian Universalists, our first Principle affirms the worth and dignity of every person. We recognize our complicity in maintaining systems of white supremacy, and Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church commits to educating ourselves and doing anti-oppression work that dismantles systemic prejudice in our country, in our state, in our community, and under our roof.

We support the right of conscience, civil disobedience, and the use of the democratic process to create a more just world.

At Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church we must help create a beloved community where Black Lives Matter.