May Spiritual Theme – Diversity

By Rev. Bill

Our Monthly Spiritual Themes guide our Chalice Circles, which are small, intentional groups of members and friends that gather for spiritual enrichment through personal sharing. For more information on Chalice Circles, please email Linda Benson at chalicecircles@uuprinceton.org. Our Chalice Circle thoughts and questions around the theme of Diversity this month are:

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” ― Maya Angelou

Did a parent or adult teach this lesson to you? Have you taught it to a young one?

“Dominator culture has tried to keep us all afraid, to make us choose safety instead of risk, sameness instead of diversity. Moving through that fear, finding out what connects us, reveling in our differences; this is the process that brings us closer, that gives us a world of shared values, of meaningful community.” ― bell hooks

When has learning, working, or living in a diverse setting taught you about “shared values” and “meaningful community?”

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” ― Audre Lorde

Have you witnessed a time when recognizing, accepting, and celebrating differences united a group?

“Diversity is about all of us, and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.” ― Jacqueline Woodson

When have you moved through this world in a diverse sense of togetherness?

“When we’re talking about diversity, it’s not a box to check. It is a reality that should be deeply felt and held and valued by all of us.” ― Ava DuVernay

Who have you known who has valued diversity as a reality to be held and felt?