Sophia Uehara, a mixed-race filmmaker and Unitarian Universalist, documents her congregation’s upheaval in adopting the 8th Principle, an anti-racist pledge, exploring the challenge of holding a mostly white religious community accountable to its ideals, exposing tensions between belief, allyship, and action.
Co-writer of The Eight Principle, the ground breaking anti-racism principle introduced to center racial justice within Unitarian Universalist values. Also the 2025 winner of the Distinguished Service to the Cause of Unitarian Universalism, the highest service honor of the religion.
Comes from a history of Japanese American internment camp reparation work, founding other BiPoc UU Cohorts, and Racial Justice Task Forces. Hiroshi previously led two other UU congregations to successfully adopt the 8th Principle, in 2021 and 2022.
The current Racial Justice Committee chair, she has taken on the work of spearheading initiatives in the congregation regarding accountable allyship with the introduction of the 8th Principle, through its final adoption, taking the role after both Celia and then another congregation member stepped down from the role.
One of the only Black members of the congregation, she has often felt tokenized within the community, and has actively removed herself from racial justice work at Tapestry to protect herself.
Is half Black, the spouse of Liz B., and whose father was one of the leading members of the UU Black Caucus during the historic lack of support by the UUA in the 1960s.
Used to be a member of the Racial Justice Task, and was a prominent anti-racism educator within Tapestry used to lead sermons, talks, and workshops, and quit in the last year from this work within Tapestry over how much pushback she was receiving from White members of the congregation.
Has been the reverend at Tapestry for the last 10 years. He has been a guiding force within intentionally introducing the congregation to the anti-racist 8th Principle.
Marched from Selma to Montgomery, and was actively involved in civil rights developments with close friends of Martin Luther King Jr. She is now in her 80s, but still is an active member in racial justice advocacy work at Tapestry.
My mother, and a guiding force in the production of this film. She has been an active member in the racial justice initiatives at Tapestry, and often leans on her perspective as a spouse to a Japanese 1st generation immigrant.
