A.D.O.R.E.
How we started
A.D.O.R.E. (A Dialogue on Race and Ethnicity) was founded by Dr. Paula Cole Jones, a lifelong member of All Souls Church, Unitarian in Washington, D.C. Paula has a deep passion for work on racial justice. She is a management consultant with over 25 years of experience designing and facilitating workshops and dialogues for leaders and organizations. Paula is a native Washingtonian and has been employed by both the D.C. and federal governments. She is editor of a book of poetry published by Skinner House entitled, “Encounters: Poems About Race, Ethnicity and Identity.”
In November 2015, a large group of participants from 1st Unitarian Church of Honolulu as well as other interested parties participated in an eye-opening workshop facilitated by Paula. She raised our awareness regarding race and multiculturalism so much that we decided to dedicate ourselves to holding follow-on ADORE sessions.
What we do now (ADORE is currently on hiatus. Sessions will be held on the 4th Sunday of the month when the program resumes.)
We invite speakers to present important topics to us and participate in discussions. Occasionally we view an educational DVD and/or read related articles and discuss them in order to continue our experience of gaining deeper and deeper awareness. Our meetings provide a safe place for people to talk about topics that are usually swept under the rug, i.e., the “elephant in the room.” Our goal is to, as Paula says, “talk about race until it loses its power,” so that we, as individuals and as a group, will be empowered to effectively engage in anti‐racism work in our community and in our world.
Our schedule is published in 1st Unitarian’s monthly newsletter, “Kukui Lamalama,” as well as the Weekly Bulletin.
For questions regarding A.D.O.R.E. discussion content or schedule, please contact:
Allison Jacobs and Bethany Schwartz at adore@unitariansofhi.org.
For access to resources, visit https://adoreofhi.wordpress.com/
A.D.O.R.E. Chair Allison Jacobs
News
Saturday, December 4, 2021
ADORE received the Healing Role in Hawai’i 2020 award from The Interfaith Alliance of Hawai’i (TIAH).
Saturday, February 27, 2021
As part of the UUA New Day Rising Conference National 2021, the ADORE group of the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu contributed this video to the testimonials from selected congregations around the country. These stories focused on sharing their learnings, hopes and next steps in their quest for racial equity in their congregations.
Past ADORE meetings
| Date | Title/Topic | Speaker(s) | Contact | Suggested resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/11/28 | "That is 800 children": Nazi Germany, the United States, and Dismantling Global Anti-Blackness and Racism | Dr. Emanuela Kucik | emanuelakucik@muhlenberg.edu | Clarence Lusane's "Hitler's Black Victims" (book); Isabel Wilkerson's "Caste" (book); Robert Kesting's "Forgotten Victims" (article); Raffael Scheck's "They were just savages" (article); Hans Massaquoi's "Destined to Witness" (book); Carol Anderson's "Eyes Off the Prize" (book); Yaa Gyasi's "Homegoing" (book); "Race: Are We So Different?" by Alan H. Goodman, Yolanda T. Moses and Joseph L. Jones (book and exhibit); WithoutSanctuary.org; GenocideWatch.com; We Charge Genocide (historic petition to the UN) |
| 2021/10/24 | Environmental Racism (Part 2): International | Allison Jacobs | Google Slides | |
| 2021/09/26 | Wayfinding: A Story of International Service in the South Pacific "Disability", "service" and "adventure" in American Samoa, including a visual exploration of community empowerment and culture. | Jim Skouge | Kung Fu Cowboys: https://tinyurl.com/KungFuCowboys Tutu Lady: https://tinyurl.com/TutuLady Lovely Hula Hands: https://tinyurl.com/LovelyHH Before and After: https://tinyurl.com/aewmhvtt Wayfinding (Part 1): https://tinyurl.com/Wayfinding01 Wayfinding (Part 2): https://tinyurl.com/Wayfinding02 |
|
| 2021/08/22 | Environmental Racism (Part 1): In the Pacific & On the Continent | Allison Jacobs | Google Slides | |
| 2021/07/25 | Video - Voices Behind Barbed Wire: Stories of Hawai’i | Dr. Jonathan Y. Okamura | ||
| 2021/06/13 | Current issues in the Micronesian community | Jocelyn "Josie" Howard | WeAreOceania.org | |
| 2021/05/23 | Abolition in Hawaiʻi: A presentation by Aree and Noelle of the Hawaiʻi Abolition Collective | Aree Worawongwasu & Noelle Kakimoto | instagram.com/abolitionhawaii/ hawaiiabolitioncollective@gmail.com | • 8toAbolition.com • A Nation Rising • ACLU Hawaii report on bail in Hawai’i (2018) • Disparate Treatment of Native Hawaiians in the Criminal Justice System, OHA Report •HawaiiCommunityBailFund.org • Community Alliance on Prisons • Hawaii Correctional Systems Oversight Commission • Puʻuhonua Penpal Program • instagram.com/kalihirisingco/ |
| 2021/04/25 | Honolulu Police Commission Task Force and the current state of affairs | Cathy Lee | instagram.com/hpctaskforce/ | • The Untold Story: Policing with Jay Ellis • HPC homepage |
| 2021/03/28 | Environmental Justice is Racial Justice: From Memphis to Kahuku | Raya Salter | www.RayaSalter.com | |
| 2021/02/28 | Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs (AHCC)'s adoption of Resolution No. 2020-30 “Standing in Solidarity with the Black Community in their struggle for social change, justice, equity, and equality” | Anthony “Makana” Paris, Esq | 2020 AHCC Adopted Resolutions [excerpt] | |
| 2021/01/24 | Anti-racism as a spiritual practice | Allison Mahaley |