General Assembly 2012 and Phoenix: Values, Ends, Policy, Costs, and the Future

At a Special Meeting of the UUA Board on May 6, the Board voted to include a resolution on the agenda of the General Assembly in Minneapolis:

Whereas the state of Arizona has recently enacted a law—SB 1070—that runs counter to our first principle, affirming the worth and dignity of every person,

Whereas the Association stands in solidarity with allies using a widespread economic boycott of Arizona as leverage for Love against this hateful legislation;

Be it resolved: we will not meet in a state of fear.

Accordingly, the Assembly hereby:

• Directs the UUA General Assembly Planning Committee to recommend to the Board of Trustees an alternate location for General Assembly 2012 at a location outside the state of Arizona;


• Pledges to generate from Member Congregations the amount sufficient to cancel arrangements in Phoenix for GA 2012;


• Pledges further to generate an equal or greater amount to fund ongoing efforts to Stand on the Side of Love in Arizona.


• Pledges to renew and redouble our efforts to become a multicultural, anti racist Association; to live as a people standing faithfully in opposition to systematic racism in our congregations, local communities, and in our own lives.

This resolution represents a statement of the UUA Board’s conviction that Arizona SB 1070 requires action by our Association and by our congregations. Further, it asks our congregations, as represented at our General Assembly, to own this action—not merely by boycotting Phoenix in 2012, but by taking additional steps to support justice work in Arizona and in our local communities. The Board plans to hold one of its quarterly meetings in Phoenix this year to pursue justice work in Arizona.

This decision was based upon our values, in particular our First and Second Principles: to affirm “The inherent worth and dignity of every person” and “Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.” But it also required that we examine the policy implications of our decision and how it affects the future of our Association. In our governance model, we are asked to determine “what benefits, for whom, at what cost.”

There are costs associated with this decision. Cancelling our plans to meet in Pheonix will cause us to incur penalties of up to $615,000; it is also likely to increase the cost of future contracts for General Assemblies. There is also a cost for lower income people who work in the travel industry in Arizona, many of them the same people who are hurt by SB 1070. We can meet the additional costs to the UUA by special fund raising, but this will probably impact other fund raising we might do.

There are also costs for not making the decision. The cost to people in Arizona who might be subject to arrest or violence because they “look illegal” is obvious, and is a far from theoretical issue for many members of our own congregations. The impact on our Association from Unitarian Universalists who would boycott a General Assembly in Phoenix is another. But the most serious cost would be to our authenticity in declaring our support for the inherent worth and dignity of every person. If we are not willing to support our principles with action, we sacrifice the heart of our covenant with each other.

It is not easy to predict the success of our effort. It seems likely that SB 1070 will be overturned in court, or that Arizona will eventually back away from this law as they did from their refusal to recognize the Martin Luther King holiday. But this will take time. The UUA Board’s decision recognizes that we cannot wait for justice.

Similar situations are certain to occur in the future. Indeed, in considering alternate sites, it is clear that many other locations have issues that might give us pause. We can also ask whether our presence can provide a voice for justice in places where it is needed most. Would we never meet in any place that is not a bastion of liberal values? There is a clear need for policies that outline the ways in which we will live our faith in the choices that we make as an Association. This is ongoing work for the Board.

Our concern for the future also forces us to consider the Beloved Community we hope to create, and how our actions can transform the world with our love. The UUA Board has a responsibility to act on behalf of our congregations, but also for future generations of Unitarian Universalists, for the heritage, traditions, and ideals of Unitarian Universalism, for the vision of Beloved Community, and for the Spirit of life, love, and the holy.

May it be so.