When Alison Aguilar Lopez Gutierrez McLeod was asked to write the story of her experiences as a professional of color by the Commission on Institutional Change at the UUA, she discovered it wasn't a simple matter of putting pen to paper and writing about a particular incident. She found herself writing and drawing out numerous storyboards, each one more detailed than the last. "This is an art show," she finally decided.
When she told Rev. Kathleen Owens at First UU Church of San Diego about her work, Rev. Owens asked her to consider mounting the exhibit in at First Church in Bard Hall. It fit in with the First UU's ongoing mission to become more aware of the microaggressions and macroaggressions people of color experience in our congregation and in our faith. Alison decided to use the storyboards and some art pieces to create a show sharing her experience of racism within her job as a religious educator and within UUism.
When she told Rev. Kathleen Owens at First UU Church of San Diego about her work, Rev. Owens asked her to consider mounting the exhibit in at First Church in Bard Hall. It fit in with the First UU's ongoing mission to become more aware of the microaggressions and macroaggressions people of color experience in our congregation and in our faith. Alison decided to use the storyboards and some art pieces to create a show sharing her experience of racism within her job as a religious educator and within UUism.
The name of her show is "A Few Little Nips" or "Unos Cuantos Piquetitos," based on a story by Frida Kahlo. The "few little nips" are a metaphor for the small and large hurts lived over and over again by people of color within our congregations. One of the art pieces will be a large pair of scissors hanging from the ceiling. Thirty-seven story boards and two other large pieces of art complete the exhibit. The first piece will show what it feels like to be a person of color in our denomination and our society. The second will be titled "Why I Stay," a collage of photos from Alison's participation in our faith.
Alison's story begins in San Diego, at First UU, where her parents, Doug and Sue McLeod, brought her to Religious Education classes. There were no other children of color in those classes. The curriculum also didn't speak to her, so she made her own space where she could serve, as a volunteer in the bookroom. This came from a belief in her family that you need to help or contribute to the community you participate in. The family moved to Pullman, Washington when she was 14. There, Alison grew up and experienced more racism as one of the few people of color in that city.
She became a Director of Religious Education at San Dieguito UU Fellowship in 2007. Part of her work has involved coming back into covenant with youth and young adults of color in the Pacific Southwest District, wanting to create a safe space for them, where none had existed for her. "We benefit when theconversation (about racism, etc.) is multigenerational," according to Alison. She also wanted to be candid and open about her experiences, hoping it will become a teaching tool for First UU. "Starting conversations is how we heal. We need to be more aware of how we all contribute to the white supremacist society we live in."
The art exhibit connects to three workshops that will explore the issues raised by the art show, mediated by Alison. The first will be on April 30, with the other two in May. The art show itself opens with a reception on April 12 at 7 pm and will run through the end of May.
Alison's story begins in San Diego, at First UU, where her parents, Doug and Sue McLeod, brought her to Religious Education classes. There were no other children of color in those classes. The curriculum also didn't speak to her, so she made her own space where she could serve, as a volunteer in the bookroom. This came from a belief in her family that you need to help or contribute to the community you participate in. The family moved to Pullman, Washington when she was 14. There, Alison grew up and experienced more racism as one of the few people of color in that city.
She became a Director of Religious Education at San Dieguito UU Fellowship in 2007. Part of her work has involved coming back into covenant with youth and young adults of color in the Pacific Southwest District, wanting to create a safe space for them, where none had existed for her. "We benefit when theconversation (about racism, etc.) is multigenerational," according to Alison. She also wanted to be candid and open about her experiences, hoping it will become a teaching tool for First UU. "Starting conversations is how we heal. We need to be more aware of how we all contribute to the white supremacist society we live in."
The art exhibit connects to three workshops that will explore the issues raised by the art show, mediated by Alison. The first will be on April 30, with the other two in May. The art show itself opens with a reception on April 12 at 7 pm and will run through the end of May.
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