Today, we come together in agreement and recognition about the great injustice of chattel slavery, along with its many afterlife vestiges of institutional racism.  We see and understand how state actors at all levels have all participated, knowingly or unknowingly in systems that have denied Black American’s their constitutional rights and the promises afforded to other Americans for centuries.   We see this evidenced in many ways including the Racial Wealth Gap, The Homeownership Gap, the Educational Test Scores Gap, Health Outcomes and Mortality Gap, among others.  This undeniable data show up throughout our country and here in Berkeley.   Yet in our “agreement” and “outrage” our words ring hollow and cheap.  At this moral moment, understanding that Federal Reparations remain a long-term goal, we can act now.  Let us imagine and explore the possibilities of what real repair can look like right now… Our teachers tell us we are not required to complete the journey, but we are required to begin…Let us begin walking toward that promised day of a repaired and healed community. 

David Mayer (he/him)
David is Co Founder of  Reparation Generation, an interracial movement of citizens across the U.S.  Reparation Generation imagines models of repair and healing, then tests the  and evaluates these programs in real time.  David was the Co Founder of BeHOME (Berkeley Housing Opportunities for Municipal Employees) a community-based project that supported the creation of work force housing for city employees.  This project was a catalyst for the successful establishment of 110 units of educator housing now in construction on San Pablo and Virginia in Berkeley.  David runs a small medical device company and lives in Berkeley

Awele Makeba (she/her)
Awele is a nationally/internationally known actor and storyteller.  Known throughout the country for the production of the annual the OUSD, MLK Oratorical Fest, an annual competition which challenges today’s students to deliver speeches inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.   The MLK Oratorical was featured in the HBO documentary, WE ARE THE DREAM.  Awele produces and is often seen in theater productions around the SF Bay Area.  Awele volunteers as Reparation Generation’s National House Meeting Coordinator, which is a key roll in the Community Engagement and Activtation (CEA) Program.  Awele teaches Theater Arts a Skyline High School in Oakland. Awele lives in Oakland. 

We meet in person at 1924 Cedar Street and on Zoom for Worship Services on Sundays at 10:30 AM. If you’d like to attend via Zoom, please email worshiponline@bfuu.org for the meeting ID and link. You can also stream the service live and catch the replay on BFUU’s Youtube channel.