Faith Developments

by Sherry Warren
I have a thing for Rosie the Riveter. I have a lunchbox, a poster, an action figure, and hopefully someday a tattoo. I also have a Rosie air freshener that is long without freshening power that hangs from my rearview mirror in my truck. She proudly dangles and sways as I make my rounds about town, running errands and logging miles. Below her feminine yet strong fist, is the phrase that is so familiar to many of us: We Can Do It.

My son Harley sits in the back seat of my truck wherever we go, right behind me. He’s eight. Recently, after picking him up from school in the afternoon, he asked me about the Rosie that swings in the front seat and the phrase beneath her. Who was she? What is so fascinating about her? What exactly is it that we can do? And who are we?

I explained about World War II and the women who stepped up to fill the boots of the men who were called away from their factory jobs and off to war. I didn’t go into great detail about what happened when the war ended and the women were returned to their former roles. We’ll have that conversation later.

What came next was a conversation about isms. It started with sexism, and me trying to explain that some people think that women cannot do the same things as men, like learn the same skills, and hold the same jobs. And other people think that men can’t do things that women traditionally do, like raise children and take care of the home while someone else is earning money to pay the bills. This talk about sexism naturally progressed into racism and ageism. I tried to sum things up with a statement about why we are Unitarian Univeralists, and why we attend the Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence.

And that is when it happened! Harley said to me, “So we’re UU’s because we believe that anybody can do anything. Right?” If I had ever doubted that what I wanted for our children (as a parent and educator) was not being communicated effectively, no longer was I doubtful. Because that is what it is all about, right? It is about making sure that we, as members of our community, are communicating that anybody can do anything. That women and men of any age, orientation, skin color, educational level, or what-have-you can join the Buildings and Grounds committee, or teach our young people in our classrooms, or make a great cup of coffee and set a welcoming spread of snacks. We can do it here, and we can do it beyond the walls of the Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence. Where are you doing it?

Sherry Warren is the Director of Religious Education at the UU Fellowship of Lawrence, Kansas, and the Prairie Star District Youth and Young Adult Specialist.