Rising Together: Unitarian Universalists of Colour

 

 

Rising Together is an online worship and community-building space that offers opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and other Unitarian Universalists of Colour (BIPOC UUs) across Canada to connect with each other. We build bridges to understand our present realities, connect to our pasts, and discover the rich possibilities for our futures.

We create a space for support and solidarity as well as comfort and reflection through varied worship, themed discussions, and thoughtful interactions. Thank you for being here.

Upcoming Events

Rising Together events are held monthly, always on Wednesday, at
4:30 pm PT | 5:30 pm MT | 6:30 pm CT | 7:30 pm ET | 8:30 pm AT (1.5 hours)

Add these dates to your calendar:

  • Wednesday, January 8, 2025 – community-led social time
  • Wednesday, February 12, 2025 – regular program
  • Wednesday, March 12, 2025 – community-led social time 
  • Wednesday, April 9, 2025 – regular program
  • Wednesday, May 14, 2025 – community-led social time
  • Wednesday, June 11, 2025 – regular program

Find upcoming dates on the Events Calendar 

What can I expect at a Rising Together event? 

This year, there are two different kinds of events. 

  • Regular Program… 
  • Community-Led Social Time…

Age Range

Rising Together is designed for young adults, but it is open to all ages.  

We don’t vet every participant so anyone under 18 must attend with a trusted adult.  

We’d love to help BIPOC teenagers build community with each other, and be connected to mentors, too. If you are or know a BIPOC teen who would like to help us make this happen, please reach out to risingtogether@cuc.ca.

Facilitator 

Program Coordinator:

My name is Camellia Jahanshahi (she/her) and I’m a queer, Iranian-American woman, a multidisciplinary artist, cook, witch and religious professional. I hold a B.A. and M.A. both from Concordia University in the field of Religions and Cultures where my work centered around navigating contemporary identity politics from a faith perspective. Specifically, I look at how people of marginalized communities use faith and religion to fight against systematic oppression. I also have a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace from Cornell University and have been actively working with families and young adults for the past seven years leading both worship and workshops alike within various Unitarian Universalist spaces, academic conferences, and nonprofit community settings. I am so excited about this space we are creating together! As a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, I know how isolating it can be as a person of colour and how frustrating that can be as you are navigating your identity in your teen and early adult years. I believe through active community building we can fight against those feelings and create a network of support that nourishes and uplifts us all so we can continue Rising Together.

Along with Camellia, a second CUC-approved adult will co-host each Rising Together event. The co-host is a rotating position so that youth and young adults can meet and be mentored by many adult Unitarian Universalists of colour.

Newsletter  

Sign up for the monthly Rising Together newsletter. Each month, we will send information and resources relevant to the young BIPOC Unitarian Universalist community directly to your inbox. Come for the updates, stay for the music and yoga videos! All are welcome to subscribe.

Read past issues and subscribe  

 

  • Rising Together YouTube Playlist – a collection of music, yoga and meditation videos that have made appearances in Rising Together gatherings or in the newsletter.
  • CUC eNews Feature – Camellia shares why Rising Together is important and her goals for the program. 

  • Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU) – the BLUU Organizing Collective is committed to expanding the power & capacity of Black UUs within our faith, providing support, information & resources for Black Unitarian Universalists, and justice-making and liberation through our faith. 
  • Diverse Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM) – DRUUMM is a Unitarian Universalist People of Color ministry and anti-racist collective bringing lay and religious professionals together to overcome racism through resistance and transform Unitarian Universalism through our multicultural experiences.  
  • BIPOC Gathering – Check out this monthly BIPOC UU space facilitated by Kamila Jacob. Contact Kamila with any questions, kamilajacob15@gmail.com or register here! 

These groups and events are for people of colour (ie. non-white folks) only. To learn more about the importance of intentional spaces for people of colour read: 

Ways you can support Rising Together as a white Unitarian Universalist: 

  • Support attendance by BIPOC kids, teens and young adults in your community (share information about upcoming events and the newsletter, introduce them to Camellia, and loop in their parents/caregivers). 
  • Subscribe to the newsletter. 
  • Donate to Rev. Rod Youth and Young Adult Subsidy Fund, which helps Unitarian Universalist teenagers and young adults access events and programming. 
  • Talk to your congregation about partnering with the CUC to support this program. 

 

Contact 

For more information about the program, contact Camellia Jahanshahi at risingtogether@cuc.ca 

For registration, or to find out how your congregation can support this program, contact young-adults@cuc.ca