Truth and Reconciliation Resolution
Truth and Reconciliation Resolution passed at
May 19, 2019 Congregational Meeting of the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship
WHEREAS we recognize that
- our Unitarian Universalist First Principle affirming and promoting “the inherent worth and dignity of every person” has been applied inconsistently regarding First and American Indian nations and that
- this Principle has been and continues to be unfulfilled regardingindigenous communities, through forced relinquishing of lands and waters, and the denial and denigration of indigenous cultural identities and continuity.
WHEREAS we recognize the necessity and responsibility to continue upholding the UUA “Truth, Repair and Reconciliation: 2007 Responsive Resolution” that calls for congregations “to uncover our links and complicity with the genocide of native people . . . past and present, toward the goal of accountability through acknowledgment, apology, repair and reconciliation.”
WHEREAS we recognize the necessity and responsibility to continue upholding BUF’s 2015 resolution supporting the UUA Pacific Northwest District’s signing of “A Public Declaration to the Tribal Councils and Traditional Spiritual Leaders of the Native Peoples of the Northwest,” calling upon us to “to uphold the treaty rights of native communities of the Northwest . . . [and] stand in solidarity with our native neighbors to safeguard the traditional lands, waters, and sacred sites of their peoples.”
WHEREAS we recognize that the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship has worked diligently over the years to acknowledge and provide support to Lummi Nation and other indigenous communities locally, regionally, nationally and internationally, but also that there is more work to be done.
BE IT RESOLVED THAT we, the members of the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship as a congregation within the Unitarian Universalist Association, hereby commit to the journey of healing and reconciliation with Washington State’s Indigenous Tribes and Nations by:
- Acknowledging the Nations/Tribes and their traditional tribal territories, ceded and un-ceded;
- Recognizing and supporting tribal sovereignty and self-determination;
- Learning and acknowledging the historical and current impacts and consequences of actions taken by the US and Washington State governments, and of our own denominational predecessors and contemporaries affecting indigenous peoples;
- Promoting environmental protection and restoration to support indigenous land, resources, and food sovereignty, and acknowledging indigenous leadership in these areas and our shared responsibility in acting upon them;
- Continuing to provide and increasing opportunities for our congregation and the greater community to hear and learn from historical and current stories and voices of our indigenous neighbors;
- Deepening our commitment to speaking out when needed, standing beside the Tribes/Nations if asked, to prevent harm and to promote an equitable future;
- Continuing to provide for a safe and welcoming space within our congregation, and working to support an indigenous sense of place within their ancestral homelands; therefore creating a safe and welcoming space for all to thrive in the greater community and
- Committing to the creation and promotion of racial equity, intercultural competency, diversity and inclusion within our congregation, and in our partnerships and alliances with other groups and organizations.