Breakfast with Tony

Rev. Tony Larsen (“Tony”) of the Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church joined us for breakfast on Tuesday, October 10, 2017, at nearby Robert’s Roost, “Voted Best Breakfast in Racine,” according to their website.  Good food, even better conversation. The waitresses wear tee shirts that say “Robert’s, where Chicks Rule the Roost” on the back.

From South San Francisco to Racine

Sign in Robert's Roost

Tony is white and was born in South San Francisco. He is retiring after over 40 years serving this downtown church-- his first and only church (more about it in the blog post “Olympia Brown and the Laundromat”).  Both are institutions.  His retirement will be wrenching for him, his husband, Craig, and particularly for the congregation, but it is time for his departure.  Tony will be filling in as a guest minister in nearby UU churches in the Midwest over the next six months.  He says that he believes this will ease the transition as Sunday mornings will be the hardest time for him to not be at “his” church. Tony understands the reasons the UUA (National Association) requires a three year absence from the Olympia Brown church and hopes that the congregation will get it too; they have to be able to move on to a new Minister.

Diversity and Choosing Social Justice Focus

Like other UU congregations, Olympia Brown UU is attempting to draw a broad racial mix and wide variety of people in the community.  However, this is difficult to impossible, for UUs tend to be better educated and higher income people, mostly white and mostly older.  Inevitably these are the people who join and these are the people the church serves.

Tony came out as gay a few years after he started as the minister.  This was controversial in the congregation, but most rallied behind him.  Since that time, Olympia Brown has been a beacon for the LGBT community in Racine.  As rights have been an issue over the years, there has been some community backlash, but it is fair to say that, particularly with the legalization of same sex marriage and Tony’s marriage to Craig, things have eased.  One parishioner told us that they married twice, once in a personal and spiritual ceremony, once with a marriage license. This led us into a discussion of how the efforts that result in change often lead to a backlash and some or all of the ground that was gained can be lost.

When Tony started the big issue was abortion rights. Women got the right to choose with Roe v. Wade in 1978.   But since that time, the reaction has restricted, limited and hampered that “right.”  Even now, Congress is working to defund Planned Parenthood, even though the primary function of that organization is to provide low cost health care services of all types for women of limited means, just because their name is associated with abortion.  Tony and the congregation continue to march, demonstrate, and write letters in support of a woman’s right to choose.

Tony was one of several people we interviewed who pointed out that after 9/11, the country was united and how it was torn apart by the “War on Terror” with the anti-Muslim sentiment and the limitation of the rights of citizens introduced in the George W. Bush administration.  Since the President-ordered bombing and military presence in Afghanistan and later invasion of Iraq, Olympia Brown has been a center of protest against militarizing foreign policy.

The congregation is very active in Social Justice issues.  A look at their web page (http://www.obuuc.org/ ) shows the importance of this.  In the past the Social Action committee guided the congregation.  In the last couple of years, they have voted to allow the entire congregation, by voting on it, choose the direction of the Social Action focus of the church.  Recently they voted for supporting Mental Health services.  This vote was close, just getting a few more than “Black Lives Matter.”  This will be the primary issue of the church for two years; not that other matters will be ignored, anyone who is invested in any other matter is encouraged to continue.  By devoting two years to an issue they hope to be able to make a measurable difference, at least locally.

When the congregation put up the Black Lives Matter banner this caused some negative reaction in the community.  Again, they voted to put it up.  But the banner was defaced, so they put it higher.  The banner was defaced again, so they put it up high enough to prevent, to-date at least, further damage.  Tony then recalled with a smile discovering that someone had put stickers on the bicycle rack in front that said “I ♥ White People”.

Reverend Tony and Dave

Tony’s primary efforts have been directed toward interfaith work with other churches. This remains difficult.  The more conservative churches tend to avoid working with liberal ones.  An African American church with a large membership just pulled out of the coalition because it had encouraged a Mosque to join.  Tony also participates in a weekly protest in front of Paul Ryan's nearby office.

The Path Forward?

Peter and I asked him about the “path forward” to heal division in our society.  Tony views it as an education issue; overpowering the “opposition” will not work, but education so that we can see things more or less the same way, might.

Several years ago, Tony and a few other ministers made a promise to go to the site of every homicide in the City of Racine to lead a prayer vigil.  Tony brings his guitar and plays music.  Homicides are down in Racine; last year there were only five.  Milwaukee, and of course nearby Chicago, have much higher homicide rates.  One of Tony’s parishioners also told us about this, in awe of his dedication.

It was a warm and pleasant conversation with a man who had participated in leading change for over four decades and who is still there to witness it, despite whatever backlash is raised.
 

-- Dave