Black Women of the Chalice
Second Thursdays of the Month
BWoC meets monthly and gathers around a particular topic. A safe space for Black Women UU Faith Professionals, we reconnect and renew our commitment to each other and our faith. In the 2024-2025 program year, we are excited to expand our membership to include all Black UU Women Faith Professionals. 2023-24 programming centering seminary support was a successful first step, we have also heard the desire for ongoing support for the wider fellowship of Black UU Women.
This shift in audience will include the creation of a leadership council who will serve alongside the UU Women’s Federation to plan, guide and implement Black Women of the Chalice for the coming program year.
Our Mission:
Black Women of Chalice is a group for Black Women who are Unitarian Universalist faith professionals, supporting and uplifting one another on this journey, centered on Black womanhood, Black Joy, and excellence. During our monthly gatherings, we use deep check-ins to reconnect and reaffirm our commitment to each other and our faith.
Community Definition:
- Black: a person of the African diaspora experience
- Women: self-identified; queer and femme presenting/ gender expansive
- Unitarian Universalist: a primary faith path
- Faith Professionals: Seminarians+ Professionals in UU Settings
Gathering Dates & Themes
2025-2026
| Date | Theme/Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| September 11, 2025 | Spiritual Gardening Party | BWoC Leadership Council |
| October 09, 2025 | Homecoming | Planting the Seeds of Success w/ Rev. Kimberly Quinn Johnston |
| November 13, 2025 | Wisdom Share | Love Notes from the South w/Jessica York, Director of Congregational Life at the UUA |
| December 11, 2025 | Kwanzaa | w/ Simone Monique Barnes |
| January 08, 2026 | Co-Working Space | BWoC Leadership Council |
| February 12, 2026 | Wisdom Share | w/ Featured Speaker |
| March 12, 2026 | Wisdom Share | w/ Featured Speaker |
| April 09, 2026 | Art Space | w/ Featured Speaker |
| May 14, 2026 | Flower Celebration | Give Her/Her Flowers w/ BWoC Leadership |
2024-2025
| Date | Theme/Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| September 12, 2024 | Homecoming | Black Women Politics w/ Nicole Pressley, UUA Staff Member |
| October 10, 2024 | Mental Health | Spiritual Coaching Wellness w/Marchae Grair, Spiritual Director |
| November 14, 2024 | Centering Joy Post-Election | “This Is Our Space Too!” w/Lena K Gardner, Executive Director of BLUU |
| December 12, 2024 | Rituals of Renewal | TBA |
| January 09, 2025 | Job Search and Finances | TBA |
| February 13, 2025 | Falling In Love with Blackness | TBA |
| March 13, 2025 | In the Intersections + At the Margins | Sisterhood and Friendship w/ Elizabeth Ann Terry & Melanie Harris |
| RECESS | No April Gathering | RECESS |
| May 17, 2025 | Flower Celebration | Give’r Her/Her Flowers w/UUWF Staff |
Leadership Council
Director of Membership and Spiritual Life at Wildflower Church
Simone Monique Barnes
(she/her)
Austin, TX
An interdisciplinary artist, writer, educator, and lay minister, Simone serves as the Director of Membership and Spiritual Life of Wildflower Unitarian Universalist Church, in Austin, TX. Her professional, personal, and spiritual pathways are influenced by the religious lineages, histories, and traditions of the Black Church, Buddhism, spiritualism, yoga, meditation, and the arts. She loves walking labyrinths, spending time outdoors in nature, swimming, and having afternoon tea. Simone is a Harvard-trained educator, who is also trained in the teaching practices of Laughter Yoga and Afro Flow Yoga which help provide the fuel she needs to stay in “good trouble” doing the work to build and nurture the beloved community.
Communications and Community Engagement Specialist at UUWF
Candace Hasan
(she/her)
Atlanta, GA
Candace is primarily responsible for our communications and social media management. This includes ongoing support for developing programming and creating digital content, such as the newsletters and infographics we share with our larger community. She is a native of New Orleans, has an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Xavier University of Louisiana, and has recently earned her Master’s in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Georgia State University. Outside of work, Candace supports people accessing abortion and centers her work on the nuances of Black womanhood and strategies of anti-misogynoir.
3rd year Master of Divinity Student (Star King); Intern Minister, UUC Shelter Rock & Co-Founder of Black Women of the Chalice
Dana N. Moore
(she/her)
Manhasset, NY
When not nurturing her two beautiful children, Dana is committed to being a social justice warrior through her ministry work with youth and young adults. Dana is completing her studies at Starr King School for the Ministry, the Unitarian Universalist Seminary in the Bay Area. She is recognized as a St. Lawrence and Hilda Mason Family Scholar. She enjoys being in the role of a student, always allowing her natural curiosity to lead her toward deeper learning. Dana continues to be inspired by her studies of feminine leadership and world religion.
Congregational Life Resident at UUA & Co-Founder of Black Women of the Chalice
QuianaDenae Perkins
(she/her)
Ann Arbor, MI
QuianaDenae is in her final year of Seminary at Starr King School for the Ministry. She is a Unitarian Universalist Ministerial Candidate with a goal of ordination. She currently serves as the Learning Resident for the UUA Mid-America Region. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her teenage children. She loves reading, multimedia art, nature walks, and backyard bird-watching.
Membership and Community Engagement Specialist
Antoinette Scully
(they/them)
Los Angeles, CA
Antoinette is primarily responsible for relationship-building, both within and outside of our UU universe. This includes ongoing program development and supporting resources we create. Outside of work, they support local activist projects in the Los Angeles area. They have a background in racial justice facilitation, as well as conflict mediation, and are a mother of two. They hold a Master’s in Teaching from the University of Southern California and a dual Bachelor’s in Humanities and Philosophy from Stetson University in DeLand, FL. Antoinette likes to read and kayak in their free time.
