Mitra Rahnema

This is the first time the UUA has chosen two titles for the Common Read. The other one is "Daring Democracy. . ." by Frances Moore Lappe and Adam Eichen. This one "Centering. . ." is a 2017-18 UUA Common Read and was edited by Rev. Mitra Rahnema, who is a biracial Iranian American, lifelong Unitarian Universalist. She is currently ministering at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach, California. She is, also, currently a member of the UUMA Committee on Anti-racism, Anti-oppression, and Multiculturalism. She has dedicated her life to building vibrant and engaged anti-oppressive communities.

In October 2015, a group of distinguished UU religious professionals of color gathered together in Chicago to embark on a radical project. The conference was sponsored by the UUMA's Committee on Anti-racism, Anti-oppression, and Multiculturalism. It started with the premise that discussions of race in Unitarian Universalism have too often presupposed a White audience and prioritized the needs, education, and emotions of the White majority. The goal was to reframe Unitarian Universalist anti-oppression work by putting the voices, experiences and learnings of people of color at the center of the conversation. The resulting book, "Centering", captures the papers that were presented and the rich dialogue from the conference to share personal stories and address the challenges that religious leaders of color face in exercising power, agency, and authority in a culturally White denomination. "Centering" explores how racial identity is made both visible and invisible in Unitarian Universalist ministries.… (mer)