August 2022 Newsletter

What is the role of memory, ritual and liturgy in our Collective Healing? Join Donte Hilliard and Rev. Mykal Slack as we dig into this together for our first service back from July break! We can’t wait to be together again!!

Donte (D. Nebi) Hilliard has notable experience as an interdisciplinary educator, reiki healer, life, erotic wellness & leadership coach, activist, researcher, and inter-faith clergy person. His ministry and theological interests revolve around practical applications of Black, Womanist, Queer, Humanist, Pastoral and Liturgical Theologies. Donte likes to pursue theological questions related to eschatology, joy, experimentation, suffering, prophetic/mystical traditions and community wholeness. Donte believes deeply in the transformative power of ritual and intentional community.

If you haven’t already, sign up for worship here: https://bit.ly/3wYfnjb

BLUU’s online worship services are Black Sacred Space in their entirety – by and for Black people, with the words and voices of Black folks across the diaspora – and we hope that Black UUs and Black UU-adjacent folks (who share our values) from far and wide will join us!

For our non-Black siblings in faith, please DO share this invitation with Black folks in your life and community. Getting the word out about BLUU’s gatherings and other programming is one powerful way of lending your support, and we deeply appreciate it!

For all of our services, feel free to come into our BLUU Zoom Room as early as 15 minutes before the start of the service to get settled, say hello to the folks who are already gathering, and listen to the music softly playing as we all prepare for our time together.

And we’ll be forever grateful to the hard work and help she has given to BLUU! We’ll be posting in the coming weeks a new job description for her position – please be on the look out and help us spread the word. BLUU will need a strong leader to follow in her footsteps and build on the impressive groundwork Hilary has laid. Thank you Hilary and much success to you in your next adventure!

Black organizers in Akron are being targeted for speaking out about Jayland’s murder and for speaking out about anti-Black conditions in the city. If you’d like to support a Black UU organizer who is giving resources to these organizers and the wider Black community, please buy something off of this Amazon Wish List.