As the District Executive for the (currently named) Thomas Jefferson District of the Unitarian Universalist Association, I moved to Charlotte, NC in the Spring of 2006. I came to the district after dual careers in non-profit administration and in technology. As I travel around this beautiful district, I spend my free time enjoying hiking, photography, kayaking, and women’s basketball.

 The South has come a long way since the days of my childhood in Arkansas. In the 60s and early 70s, the word “liberal” was most closely connected with ”n-lovin’ Yankee students” who came down to the South to cause trouble. Now, I’m not saying that identifying oneself as a liberal doesn’t still raise eyebrows in parts of the South but these days, it usually stops there.

I grew up a virtual neighbor to Sam Walton in Rogers, Arkansas when Rogers had the only Wal-mart in the world. My family and I were Yankees from Detroit and stood out not only because of that but because we were Roman Catholics and Republicans to boot. There weren’t many of either of those in the cloistered South.

But today, just 30 miles from Rogers, I’m pleased to report is one of the gayest small towns in America. Some estimates say that Eureka Springs, Arkansas is now 40% gay and lesbian (http://www.eurekavacation.com/alternative/ourworld.phtm).

Since I started as District Executive, I’ve traveled from Bruswick, GA, to Fredericksburg, VA, and from Morehead City, NC to Memphis, TN visiting UU congregations throughout this region. And one thing is clear to me — the South is changing! The Mason-Dixon line is no longer a secured border — the wall has come down and people from all over the world are flocking to this part of the country. Unitarian Universalists have an incredible opportunity to literaly overthrow the radical religious right in its home territory. We can topple the influence of the late Jerry Falwell, Billy and his even more conservative son Franklin Graham, Bob Jones, Pat Robertson, and all those who espouse that there is only one truth.

But for us to do this, it can’t be business as usual. Each and every congregation has to seek out and embrace new ideas, has to be open to working together, has to be open to forming coalitions with like-minded people from other faiths, has to be open to innovation, has to become truly welcoming of people of all races, ethnicities, cultures, and lifestyles. And all of these things require radical change from the way we’ve always done it. It requires moving outside our comfort zones and it means letting go of the petty disbutes that tear our congregations apart.  

The New South requires an entirely new way of being in the world. This blog is one way I hope to share ideas with you, generate conversation, encourage risk-taking, and equip us with the tools we need to seize this day to spread our beloved faith to those who so desperately need our saving word.  

Yours in faith,

Annette Marquis