Beloveds,
Thank you for the outpouring of celebration and support as I announced my candidacy to serve as the next President of our Unitarian Universalist Association. It has been a balm to my spirit. Thank you for your excitement. Thank you for the sense that this is work we can truly do together, in community. Thank you to our Presidential Search Committee for their months of hard and faithful work.
As many of you are likely aware by now, I am currently the only nominee in the election process, though others may run by petition. While we cannot know until February 1st (the deadline for submitting petitions) what the landscape of this presidential election will be, my campaign team and I are committed to actively campaigning from now until the vote in June. We know that the conversations, reflection, and collective visioning that are a part of this process are too important to put on hold.
We believe in freedom and in the democratic process that has long been at the heart of our living tradition. For the first time in our history, our election season is just six short months. It offers us a profound opportunity to discuss the values of our faith, our spiritual commitments, and the work of our collective liberation. No matter how many names are on the ballot in June, we will be available to discuss my vision, your hopes, and what facing the unknown together asks of us as a community.
If on February 2nd no other candidate is running, we will continue campaigning. If on February 2nd there are one or more other candidates running, we will continue campaigning. We have work to do. Democracy is not simply the vote, it is also the engagement and conversations, the listening and imagining that precede that vote. I hope you will take this time between now and June to let us know what matters most to you about our faith, and what is most on your heart about our future. Every Unitarian Universalist has the right to make an informed decision about the UUA Presidency. In the meantime, I hope you will take the opportunity to read more about my vision for communal care, collaborative leadership, and facing the unknown together.
We look forward to being in conversation over the next six months with all Unitarian Universalists.
Faithfully,
Sofía
Rev. Sofía Betancourt, Ph.D. 