Greetings! As I begin my tenure as General Assembly Coordinator from DRUUMM, I am so excited to tell you all about what we have planned this year for our DRUUMM Village. DRUUMM Village became a sanctuary for me when I began attending General Assembly at the beginning of the pandemic. As a seminarian, it expanded my network and family of love and support and has sustained me. This sacred space also affirmed ALL of me with a unique reciprocity that is essential for building beloved spaces and relationships. The Village is where members of DRUUMM can have the opportunity to grow in community and in faith, as we will be holding space for you. The DRUUMM Village at GA is the place to connect, dream together, commiserate in beloved space, conspire and collaborate, and breathe.
This year, DRUUMM Village is multiplatform held concurrent with the UUA General Assembly taking place in Pittsburgh. Whether you have registered for the main UUA General Assembly or not, DRUUMM Village programming is open to all People of Color in Unitarian Universalism and BIPOC friends of DRUUMM. Our events are held in-person, with some also held virtually via Zoom, and are a mix of open-to-the-public and BIPOC-only spaces. Here are some highlights:
- Wednesday Night- DRUUMM Member and VIP Gathering (in-person) A BIPOC informal welcome and opening of the DRUUMM Village concurrent with the GA Welcome Rooftop Reception.
- Thursday Afternoon- Racial/Ethnic Caucuses (in-person) with BIPOC facilitators including David Yamashita, Rev. Marisol Caballero, Jake Hearan, Rev. Summer Albayati, and Joy Messinger.
- Thursday Evening- Our Opening Circle (in-person and live-streamed) explores the GA theme with Faithfully Becoming…U(You): Sound of the Genuine and will feature musical offerings by Beverly Horton, a reflection by Angeline Jackson, blessings by Kevin Mann, and beloved connection.
- Friday Afternoon- Regional Caucuses (in-person) with BIPOC facilitators.
- Friday Evening- Caucus for Seminarians (hybrid) with co-facilitators QuianaDenae Perkins and Verdis LeVar Robinson
- Friday Night- Village Book Talk (in-person and live-streamed) celebrating recently published BIPOC UU authors including Rev. Carlton E. Smith and his book Try My Jesus and Angeline Jackson and her book, Funny Gyal: My Fight Against Homophobia in Jamaica. Join us in this celebration and have a chance to receive a copy of the featured works.
- Saturday Afternoon- DRUUMM Annual Meeting (hybrid) with DRUUMM Steering Committee and members. Lunch will be provided for in-person attendees.
- Saturday Evening- Caucus for Seminarians (hybrid) with co-facilitators Erol de los Santos and Angeline Jackson.
- Saturday Night- Ware Lecture Watch Party and Debrief with Verdis LeVar Robinson (in-person) provide an opportunity to watch and reflect on the presentation by Imani Perry in a beloved space.
- Sunday Afternoon- Our Closing Circle (in-person and live-streamed) concludes our time together in a public space and is open to all. In collaboration with UU Allies for Racial Equity, we will join together with the theme- Faithfully Becoming…UUs: The Power of “We” featuring Dana N. Moore, Kirk Freeman, Michael Macias, Kim Warman, and musical offerings from our new DRUUMM Virtual Choir under the direction of Amanda Thomas.
Many Blessings,
Verdis LeVar Robinson, DRUUMM GA Coordinator
