I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Beth Brownfield, member of the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship since 2004, when we moved here from Minneapolis, MN.
I'm excited to return to a city and friends that I love, and for the opportunity to attend General Assembly once again. My particular interest in GA this year is the Ware Lecture given by Winona La Duke, a personal friend of mine, who I worked with over many years. Winona is the first Native American to give the Ware Lecture. She delivers hard messages, but in a way where one is left empowered rather than defensive. Winona is a non-stop activist. Her mission in life is to protect the earth. She works mainly with tribal nations throughout North American, but also lectures extensively at conferences and symposiums.
Besides the Ware Lecture, Winona will be on a panel sponsored by the UU UN Office (Friday, June 25, 4:30 - 5:45). The title of the workshop is: "Global Blueprint for Cultural Survival: Indigenous Peoples' Rights". The workshop will focus on the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that is seen as a tool to ensure the survival of Native cultures worldwide. (This declaration was endorsed by over 140 countries, 11 abstained, and the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and Australia all voted NO on it. Since then New Zealand, Australia and Canada have moved towards formal endorsement. The U.S. is now taking comments on the State Department's website and may revisit their decision later this summer.) In this same workshop Winona will especially emphasize how climate change is effecting Native Peoples.
I personally have a strong commitment to help build bridges between native and non native communities and have worked as a volunteer in this effort since the late 70s. At the Ware lecture Dave Weiman (Peoria UU Church) and I are launching an initiative to engage UU congregations nationwide in working with Native Peoples to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, and to endorse the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Our flyer can be found on our website. It will be distributed by the ushers when they hand out the program for the evening.
Please visit our website for the details. Winona will speak about both the Doctrine of Discovery and the UN Declaration at both the UU UN workshop, and the Ware Lecture. The web address is: www.rd-ad.org. I'll be bringing this effort back to PNWD in the fall.
Minneapolis here we come! For those of you who are going to GA for the first time you will find it a smorgasbord of delights and stimulation. It is an amazing opportunity to hang out with thousands of UUs, put one's heads together on issues, laugh, cry, debate and converse ! For those of you who are staying put and reading the postings, you will be able to stream some of the major events on the UUA website sometime in the near future. Beth Brownfield Bellingham, WA
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Thanks for the post and recommendation. Hope to meet you there, Beth. It would be nice to know someone who knows the city and a "neighbor" besides!
ReplyDeleteDave Cauffman - "Fogbound" on Whidbey - at least the day I signed in.
Good stuff; thanks. I've read the website, and am starting to work my way down the reference list.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that the underlying issue here is a First Principle issue; that indigenous peoples are as worthy of respect as explorers or potential conquerors.
I'm not sure whether that can be done within our current systems of law. Should that be a topic for a different line of discussion?
Having gotten as far as reading the UNDRIP, I have some empathy for the countries that refused to sign it -- while I am in complete agreement with the cause it supports, as written it makes horrible law. Lots of big, loose, undefined terms.
ReplyDeleteMight it be possible to let a representative country vote that way? (i.e., "We agree with the intent of this law, and wish this passed as a rough draft, with the drafting committee to remain in place to produce a final copy.")