We wanted to share this warm letter of thanks from the sponsor for our September events – “Widening the Circle,” a month-long series dedicated to uplifting the history, culture, and traditions of people of color. Details of our activities and guest speakers can be found on our Facebook Event Page here.
This letter is from Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons, a Community Minister with DRUUM since 2019. Rev. Joseph splits his time between the Pacific Northwest and the Philippines, where he co-leads the Center for Organizing, Renewal, and Leadership (CORAL), working alongside civil society organizations across the Asia-Pacific.
Dear Beloved Community,
I write to you with deep gratitude on behalf of DRUUMM—Diverse & Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries—to congratulate your Racial Justice Task Force for the hosting of this (BIPOC)
Black Indigenous People of Color Ministry event.
DRUUMM is honored to provide both financial and moral support for your local event. Such gatherings—whether worshipful or celebratory, reflective or prophetic—are vital to the spiritual lives of UU members and central to the multicultural transformation of our shared faith. Your congregation’s role in making this space possible is a powerful act of accompaniment and solidarity.
DRUUMM is a national collective and ministry of UU People of Color committed to the work of anti-racism, spiritual renewal, and systemic transformation within our faith.
We were founded over two decades ago by BIPOC UUs seeking community, support, and justice in a religious tradition that often failed to fully recognize and honor our presence. Since then, we have grown into a vibrant network of hundreds of individuals and allies across the country. We gather for worship, healing, mentoring, organizing, and prophetic witness—rooted in values of sacred work, accountability, intersectionality, leadership development, and the consciousness of our collective history.
I warmly invite you to stay connected and deepen your relationship with DRUUMM. We offer a wide range of virtual and in-person programming each month to support our members and wider community.
Our upcoming Fall Caucus will be held online on Saturday, November 8th, 2025, from 1 to 3 PM EST, and will focus on the Stages of Life—an exploration of how we navigate identity, ministry, and meaning through our spiritual journeys across generations.
Looking further ahead, we are excited to host our national conference, The Haven, from March 26–29, 2026, at Unity Village outside Kansas City, Missouri. This will be a unique opportunity for deeper connection, reflection, and visioning among UU People of Color and our trusted allies.
To learn more about our work, access resources, or become a member, please visit us at www.druumm.org. Thank you again for walking with us.
Together, we are creating the beloved community our faith calls us to become.
In gratitude and faith,
Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons
Community Minister DRUUM