A Spiritual Path to Unity & Social Justice

Beginning in February we selected the 3 part series, The Power of an Illusion, which looks at race in society, science in history and how each use fabrication to keep the illusion of race in place. Each session, either film or presentation is followed by facilitated small group discussions allowing us to ask questions and form deeper bonds with our fellow citizens.

All are welcome. The program is free of charge.

Part 2 is The Story We Tell 

It's true that race has always been with us, right? Wrong. Ancient peoples stigmatized "others" on the grounds of language, custom, class, and especially religion, but they did not sort people according to  physical differences. It turns out that the concept of race is a recent invention, only a few hundred years old, and the history and evolution of the idea are deeply tied to the development of the U.S. "The Story We Tell" traces the origins of the racial idea to the European conquest of the New World and to the American slave system.

If race doesn't exist biologically, what is it? And why should it matter? Our final episode, "The House We Live In”, is the first film about race to focus not on individual attitudes and behavior but on the ways our institutions and policies advantage some groups at the expense of others. Its subject is the "unmarked" race: white people. We see how benefits quietly and often invisibly accrue to white people, not necessarily because of merit or hard work, but because of the racialized nature of our laws, courts, customs, and perhaps most pertinently, housing. Join us for Part 3, engage in compelling small group discussion and identify lines of action you can take to make a difference.

Justice is a capacity of the human soul. It enables each of us to see the world through our own eyes and not through the eyes of others. It protects us from the blind imitation of tradition, from religious prejudice, and intolerance. Our capacity to be just enables us to treat others fairly and equitably rather than being concerned solely with our own self-interest. Justice is a true gift of God which involves us in the lives of others, brings us to rejoice in their happiness and grieve their pain.

The soul’s capacity for justice impels us to become protagonists of social change in our neighborhoods, communities, and nations, seeing in every human being nobility and capacity for service to others. 

The Dean’s Office performance is an unflinching dive into the complexities of race,  power, and identity, set in the charged space of a college dean’s  office. The production captivates from the first moments, drawing the  audience into a tense conversation about Critical Race Theory. This  performance deftly captures the intricate layers of racial tension  within academia, friendships, and family ties. Each encounter is  skillfully portrayed, highlighting the spectrum of views and  misunderstandings surrounding CRT.

What’s most powerful about The Dean’s Office is its lack of a tidy ending. Instead, the audience is tasked with  shaping the resolution, breaking into small groups to discuss potential  outcomes. This participatory ending forces reflection, making the  experience more than just a performance—it’s an invitation to confront,  question, and reimagine our own beliefs and biases. The Dean’s Office is both an artistic feat and a timely catalyst for dialogue, leaving  the audience with much to ponder long after the stage lights dim.

In the dialogue we hope to learn, alongside like-minded people, how to translate these insights & commitments into meaningful, effective, transformative conversation and action. To understand how Trump was elected is to understand the influence of racist ideas. The film, Stamped from the Beginning, based on the book by Ibram X. Kendi of the same name, chronicles the history of anti-Black racist ideas.