Our Mission

Our mission is to play a leadership role in the work of resisting and dismantling racism and the policies and practices that flow from it and sustain it, within and beyond our congregation.

We will help our congregation recognize and set aside a culture of white supremacy and truly realize its aspiration of being a welcoming, equitable, and inclusive community. We realize that the dominant culture of white supremacy harms all our community members, but most particularly those who are Black, Indigenous, and other people of color as well as those impacted by the intersectional effects of gender oppression, heterosexism, ableism, and classism.

In pursuing these ends, we will…

• work to dismantle white supremacy culture;
• maintain an antiracist focus that promotes equity, justice, and inclusion;
• continue to educate ourselves and others about all aspects of white supremacy culture, and how we might dismantle it;
• work to maintain cultural diversity within our action group;
• take direction from, support the efforts of, and collaborate with communities of color;
• support and collaborate with other marginalized communities;
• join hands with the Portland faith community and with local and national advocacy and activist groups to help build a city, state, and nation committed to justice, equity, and personal wellbeing; and
• be mindful that mistakes will be made, that we will seek to rectify them and humbly begin again in love.

Celebrating Black History Month

In celebration of Black History Month, ARJAG has shared stories about the ways in which Black people have helped to shape our city, state, and nation — as well as our religious tradition.

In 2021, our congregation adopted the 8th Principle of Unitarian Universalism.

We covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse, multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.

This represents both individual and congregational commitment and accountability.  One way we can begin to fulfill this covenant is to learn about, engage with, and support the Black organizations that serve, support, and advocate for individuals and communities in the metropolitan area and in Oregon.  

The Black Community Guide is a great resource for learning about a great many organizations. And here are brief descriptions of just a few, to whet your curiosity.

Albina Music Trust is the only full service community archive in the United States, dedicated to the revitalization of a Black community’s historic music culture. Our community archive preserves Albina’s arts and cultural legacy, serving as a living resource for education and creative engagement.

Albina Vision Trust (AVT) is a community-driven non-profit 501(c)(3) created to buy back land, rebuild community, and reroot Black legacies and Black futures in the heart of Portland’s central city.

The mission of the Black United Fund of Oregon (BUF-OR) is to assist in the social and economic development of Oregon’s underserved communities and to contribute to a broader understanding of ethnic and culturally diverse groups.

Brown Hope is building a movement of interdependence, working with neighbors from all different backgrounds to inspire the racial justice and healing our communities need and deserve. Brown Hope is planting and nurturing seeds for racial justice and healing. 

Imagine Black helps our Black community imagine the alternatives we deserve and build our political participation and leadership to achieve those alternatives.Imagine Black envisions a world where people of African descent enjoy the rights, resources, and recognition to be a thriving, resilient, and connected community.

Oregon Black Pioneers is Oregon’s only historical society dedicated to preserving and presenting the experiences of African Americans statewide. For more than 30 years, they’ve illuminated the seldom-told stories of people of African descent in Oregon through engaging exhibits, public programs, publications, and historical research. Additionally, they partner with local organizations to identify, interpret, and preserve sites with African American historical significance.

Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI) is dedicated to guiding underserved youth to realize their full potential.  Working with schools, families, and partner community organizations, SEI provides support, guidance, and opportunities to achieve personal and academic success. SEI brings hope to individual young people and enhances the quality of community life.

Taking Ownership is a community and reparations-based organization in Portland, Oregon founded with the intention to activate and utilize community members and their resources for equitable change.  Together we renovate and revive Black-owned homes and small businesses that have requested our help, with an emphasis on enabling Black homeowners to age in place, generate wealth and simultaneously deter predatory investors and real estate professionals to deflect the gentrification process.  

Urban League of Portland is one of Oregon’s oldest civil rights and social service organizations, empowering African-Americans and others to achieve equality in education, employment, health, economic security and quality of life.

Read our earlier post about Unsung Black Heroes here.

Read our earlier post about Black Unitarian Universalists here.

Read our earlier post about Black History in Oregon here.

Anti-Racism Learning Circles

One of our most important programs are the Anti-Racism Learning Circles. The Antiracism Learning Circles are small discussion cohorts that go through a book or podcast. These Circles were formed in the Fall of 2020 as an educational response to the unrest due to the murder of George Floyd.

Upcoming ARJAG Programs

Justice Delayed, Finally Gained: How Portland Families Displaced by Urban Renewal Won Restitution

Whatever happened with EDPA2? 
Find out on Sunday, February 22, 2026
12:00-1:30 pm, Eliot Chapel, First Unitarian Church

Very light refreshments provided before the event. Please BYO if you need more sustenance.
Childcare is available with advance notice. Please email Rev Leah with your request: longiri@firstunitarianportland.org.

Ms. Byrd (pictured above, speaking to the reporter), the founder of Emanuel Displaced Persons Association 2 (EDPA2), with whom our congregation has been long connected, returns to recap and update the efforts that led to their remarkable settlement with the City of Portland last year.  Under Byrd’s determined and creative leadership, EDPA2 persisted for many years as an ad hoc, community-based social justice organization made up of people whose family homes and businesses had been demolished in the 1970s to make way for a hospital expansion that never happened.  Byrd dedicated almost ten years of her life to advocating and agitating for justice, for restitution. It was Byrd’s scholarship, study, research, and persistence that led to the filing of a lawsuit that
resulted in an unprecedented settlement. Don’t miss this uplifting story about a successful struggle to achieve redress that took more than 50 years.

To contact Ms. Byrd: Contactedpa2@gmail.com