By Karishma Gottfried
This spring, over 100 members and friends of DRUUMM participated in a community-wide survey, offering rich insights into our spiritual lives, identities, and hopes for the future. Thank you to all who took the time to participate and share your reflections on the present and future of Unitarian Universalists of color. We’re excited to share some of what we learned with you!
Outside of the quantitative data, we also offered respondents a chance to share more personally about their identities and spiritual practices.
For many, DRUUMM events have been an important bridge to connection. The most attended events were the GA DRUUMM Village and Public Worship. Other well-loved offerings included Elder Odysseys, Open Houses, local gatherings, and seasonal caucuses.
Respondents asked for more spiritual programming and resources, local gatherings, and both in-person and online opportunities. Respondents also expressed interest in BIPOC chaplain access, more inter-ethnic connection, and support for Indigenous and formerly incarcerated UUs.
We discovered that only about a third of respondents participate in The Gathering Place on Facebook, and just over a quarter use our DRUUMM Slack community. Many said they weren’t yet familiar with these virtual spaces – this is your chance to get involved!
We’re so grateful to everyone who shared their time, stories, and ideas with us. Your voices are helping shape DRUUMM’s future, and we are listening. May the insights from this survey help us grow stronger together, grounded in our spiritual lives, connected across distance and difference, and deeply rooted in community.
About the Author
Karishma Neva Gottfried (they/she) was raised on fair trade coffee and love in the UU Fellowship of Corvallis, Oregon. They were an active youth leader regionally and nationally, served The Sanctuary Boston as Campus Ministry Organizer, and is currently a student at Union Theological Seminary. When not sharing their love of Unitarian Universalism, Kari can be found listening to audiobooks, playing viola, or sharing a cup of tea with a friend.
