In a significant departure from tradition, a progressive church on the affluent island of Nantucket has chosen to forego its customary Fourth of July readings, a practice upheld for the past quarter-century. This decision comes as a form of “political protest” following a controversial Supreme Court ruling on voting rights, as well as a reflection on the congregation’s “whiteness.”
The Nantucket Unitarian Universalists, known for their annual recitation of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, announced the cancellation in a letter issued by the church’s board of trustees and Rev. Erin Splaine, just weeks before the nation marks its 250th Independence Day.
The letter cited the Supreme Court’s recent decision, which they claim undermined the 1965 Voting Rights Act, as a key reason for their decision. Additionally, the church is engaged in an ongoing effort to confront and understand its racial identity and the implications of their predominantly white congregation.
Describing themselves as leaders of a “liberal and free faith,” the church expressed concern that the rights enshrined in America’s founding documents have historically been applied unequally, often to the detriment of non-white citizens.
“Celebrating without acknowledging the broader context and the entirety of our American story only serves to perpetuate harm, injustice, and anti-democratic practices,” the letter stated, underscoring the church’s commitment to a more inclusive and reflective observance of Independence Day.
“A celebration without context and the centering of the fullness of our American Story only perpetuates the harm, injustice, and anti-democratic process,” the letter said.
Splaine, a lesbian preacher, said that she will be at the church on Independence Day morning “should anyone want to talk or engage further.”
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Nantucket will fill the void and host its own reading of the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights.
“Those documents are aspirational. We may not be there yet, but we felt it was important to gather together and try to live up to the promises our country has made,” St. Paul’s Rev. Max Wolf told the Nantucket Current.
St. Paul’s intervention did little to satisfy outraged locals.
Charlie Chasin, a Nantucket resident, bashed the Unitarian church’s lame-duck excuses in a letter to the editor of the Nantucket Current.
“For all its imperfections, we’re all blessed to be living in the United States and I think it’s a shame to lose sight of that,” Chasin wrote.
Amy Riley, another islander, highlighted the church’s cowardice as it shied away from a pertinent teaching opportunity.
“Canceling the reading risks becoming an empty gesture. It may signal virtue, but it does not teach history. It does not bring people into deeper conversation. It does not honor the abolitionists, reformers, veterans, civil rights leaders, immigrants, teachers, parents, and ordinary citizens who spent the last 250 years trying to make this country more just,” Riley wrote in another letter to the editor.
“The Declaration of Independence should not be treated as a fragile symbol that can only be celebrated without criticism. It is strong enough to be questioned. It is important enough to be taught. And on Nantucket, of all places, it deserves to be read aloud,” she added.
Universal Unitarianism does not follow a specific religion and instead preaches “the best ways to offer that love to each other and the world,” according to the Nantucket Unitarian Universalists’ website.
