A SAL/UER Event in California, USA
We recently put on a public Sustaining All Life (SAL)/United to End Racism (UER) event in Sacramento, California, USA. We were following up on our activities at the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) held in September 2018 in San Francisco, California, USA.
White RC leaders from our local Area, and People of the Global Majority (PGM) RC leaders from nearby Areas, led the event. All had participated in the GCAS. On our team were Co-Counselors with widely varying lengths of experience in RC. Most of us were PGM. We all had lots of contact with each other before and after the event, which knitted us more closely together and maximized what we could learn.
Nine adults new to RC attended the event, as well as two children for whom we had childcare. The majority of the attendees were PGM and young. We met at a local grassroots cultural center rooted in progressive movements of PGM and young people, which I think helped attract these constituencies.
We acknowledged the original inhabitants of the land we were meeting on; explained about SAL, UER, and the GCAS; and had people do mini-sessions. The mini-sessions were on (1) what had brought them there, (2) António Guterres’s statement that we have two years to turn things around before we have runaway climate change,[1] and (3) each of their stories about racism.
Some of the new-to-RC folks criticized us for not addressing racism sooner in the program, and one of the PGM RC leaders did a beautiful job of acknowledging their concerns and proceeding with our process. No one left. That may have been because they sensed the safety and resource in the room.
Most of the adults new to RC filled out contact cards. Most or all want more of what we have to offer. We are following up with each person and planning next steps with them, and with others who were not able to attend. We’re excited!
Sacramento, California, USA
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion lists for RC Community members
involved in eliminating racism and for leaders in the care of the environment
[1] “If we do not change course by 2020, we risk missing the point where we can avoid runaway climate change. . . . Climate change is the defining issue of our time, and we are at a defining moment.”
September 10, 2018