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May 26, 2025, marks the 200th anniversary of the chartering of the American Unitarian Association, which played a key role in social justice movements, including abolition and women’s rights.
Theologically, the AUA was distinct from other Christian denominations for its unitarian—rather than trinitarian—understanding of God. And those who worked and worshipped as part of the AUA are the spiritual ancestors of Unitarian Universalists.
As we celebrate this milestone, we honor the AUA’s legacy of liberal faith and progressive values that live on through the Unitarian Universalist Association and in UU congregations. The following is a curated collection of stories on AUA history that remind us of the continued relevance of the struggle for collective liberation.
He Said, He Said: A (Slightly) Dramatic Retelling of the American Unitarian Association Founding
by Nancy McDonald Ladd
Who Was Theodore Parker, the Radical American Unitarian Minister and Theologian?
by Dean Grodzins
‘We Are All Bound Up Together’: Honoring Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s Impact on Unitarian Universalism
by Kenny Wiley
A Trail Blazed by Faith: How the Iowa Sisterhood Paved the Way for Women in Religious Leadership
by Ethan Loewi
Loyal to the Truth: Rev. Egbert Ethelred Brown on Why He Became a Unitarian Minister
by Egbert Ethelred Brown and Mark D. Morrison-Reed
Exploring ACLU Co-Founder Roger Nash Baldwin’s Defense of Civil Liberties
by Kris Willcox
This Unitarian Duo Defied the Nazis and Saved Lives during the Holocaust
by Michelle Bates Deakin
Unitarian DIY Fellowship Movement: Catalyst for Growth or Precarious Break from Tradition?
by Warren R. Ross
Seeking Reconciliation, Cincinnati Church Reckons with Its Past and Apologizes to Black Minister’s Family
by David Whitford
Archive: Did James Luther Adams Really Predict ‘Christian Fascists’?
by George Kimmich Beach