Archive Letter Sheds Light on Social Change Within Unity

As a spiritual movement, Unity has evolved in its consciousness of race relations. Letters written in 1956 between a congregant and minister provide a snapshot of the social landscape and how attitudes were being challenged. 

It was 1956, and racial conflicts were escalating in the United States.

Although a Supreme Court ruling upheld "separate but equal" facilities in 1896, African-Americans were beginning to challenge institutional racial segregation. Brown v. the Topeka Board of Education had outlawed segregation in public schools in 1954.

In Detroit, under the leadership of popular minister Eric Butterworth, Unity congregants had finally achieved their mission to build a home of their own, holding their first service in their new building on Thanksgiving, 1955. Yet there were tensions in the community, as suggested by a letter one constituent wrote to Butterworth on August 3, 1956.

"I write … in the hope that I may in some small way become a channel of enlightenment concerning the colored situation in the Detroit Unity Association," the letter writer stated. "Unity is such a mighty channel of Truth," she wrote. She suggested, however, that whites were "deprived of their good" by the integration of blacks in the congregation. She proposed that Detroit blacks start their own Unity center. She cited passages from the Old Testament that she said proved God's will for races to be separated.

She went so far as to suggest the wording for an announcement that Butterworth could write to propose a separate Unity center for blacks, where "they can more efficiently and wisely serve their own people in their own enlightened way."

In the 1950s, many white Americans harbored similar viewpoints. How could spiritual communities model elevated principles of compassion and liberty, when their constituents were divided?

Evolving Consciousness

Unity began in a community with decidedly Southern mores—Kansas City, Missouri. Cofounded by Myrtle Fillmore, women had been prominent leaders in the movement from its inception, and the divinity of all humanity was its key message

Unity welcomed African-Americans to classes from the beginning. Blacks attended Sunday school classes and became full members of the Unity Society of Practical Christianity in Kansas City, Missouri.

But segregation—whether self-imposed or not—was common among Unity's earliest congregations.

In the early 20th century, a group of African-Americans asked Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore about coming to Sunday services and requested they be given a section to sit in as a group.

According to letters written by Rev. L.E. Meyer (1902–2000), Fillmore reportedly gave them their choice of seats. Perhaps to avoid scrutiny from white congregants, the group selected the back of the sanctuary, but over time moved to the balcony. On occasion, a black parishioner would ask to be seated elsewhere, and there would be disagreements between white ushers and black congregants over seating, Meyer said.

"We cannot say Unity was a leader in social justice," says Tom Thorpe, professor of Spiritual Education and Enrichment. "Unity had some catching up to do."

Unity ordained its first two black ministers in 1952. Johnnie Colemon, a popular Chicago minister, was ordained by Unity in 1958, but had difficulty finding housing near the ministerial school at Unity Village. Thorpe noted that early African-Americans found that "Unity's ideas were liberating, even if its people were sometimes less than welcoming."

But changes were in the works.

'A Segregated Unity Is a Paradox'

On August 7, 1956, Eric Butterworth crafted a four-page response to the letter from his segregation-minded congregant. His reply managed to honor her while calling her higher. He acknowledged her concerns and fears. He also countered each point of her letter.

He explained that he sought a solution "based upon spiritual principle." He noted that while the Hebrew Scriptures contained multiple examples of prejudice, the people in the ancient stories were "floundering in their aspiration for spiritual growth." Jesus offered new ideas of love, forgiveness, tolerance, and peace, he said.

Butterworth clarified that freedom and inclusion followed divine law and United States law.

He wrote that "A segregated Unity Center is a paradox …" For him, "Unity, as the name implies, stands for oneness—one God, one creator, one creation." He suggested that the teachings of Jesus should be used in "a practical, livable manner—in our lives and in our Unity Centers" or they were not worthwhile.

In the past 50 years, Unity has affirmed equality in its spiritual communities. In 2003, Unity CEO Tom Zender officially apologized on behalf of the organization for its past discriminatory actions, particularly with regard to housing policies for ministerial students.

Rev. Tom Thorpe advised, "We must recognize the error, release attachment to the past, and redirect our energy. We continue to move forward in an inclusive way. The past doesn't negate our teachings. They are still valid."  

Different Paths to Social Justice

Equality in society is achieved by people changing their own consciousness, by groups changing public policy, or by both.

Many spiritual communities and nonprofits organize causes to support health, human rights, and environmental safety. Unity, with its focus on personal responsibility, historically emphasized "education and prayer as ways to attain social justice," says Charles F. Andrain, author of Political Justice and Religious Values. Individuals may then help causes they feel drawn to serve.

Religious groups such as the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, the United Church of Christ, and the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), regularly engage in social action. The American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization, takes public action for peace and organizes efforts to expose the human and economic costs of recent U.S. wars.  

Consciousness About Social Justice Continues to Grow and Evolve

It's helpful to realize that what was accepted as normal in the 1950s is viewed quite differently through a contemporary lens. Today Unity prides itself on being more tolerant—more accepting.

More recently, discussion of sexuality divides many religious communities and families. Unity and other spiritual communities welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. As Eric Butterworth affirmed 56 years ago: "Unity, as the name implies, stands for oneness."

Editor's Note: The letters cited in this article are part of the Eric Butterworth Collection, preserved in the Unity Village Library and Archives.