A Nantucket church is drawing attention after announcing it will cancel its annual Fourth of July celebrations, citing concerns about racial inequality and recent Supreme Court decisions.
Rev. Erin Splaine of the Second Congregational Meeting House Society, a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Nantucket, Massachusetts, informed the community that the church would not hold its traditional Independence Day events this year. Those events have typically included public readings of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.
In a letter published by the Nantucket Current, Splaine said the decision was influenced in part by a recent Supreme Court ruling involving congressional redistricting. She argued that the ruling, along with broader concerns about voting rights and racial equity, prompted church leaders to reconsider how they commemorate the nation’s founding documents.
According to Splaine, the rights outlined in those documents have not always been applied equally to all Americans. She wrote that many citizens, particularly people of color, have historically experienced unequal treatment despite the promises contained in the nation’s founding principles.
As a result, church leaders concluded that celebrating the holiday without acknowledging those historical realities would fail to provide necessary context.
“Celebrating without context,” Splaine wrote, risks overlooking injustices that have affected generations of Americans and continue to shape public life today.
The minister also noted that members of the congregation have been engaged in ongoing discussions about race, history, and their own perspectives since the Supreme Court decision was issued earlier this year. She described those conversations as part of a broader effort to deepen the congregation’s understanding of American history and its complexities.
“We are working as a congregation and as members of this community to expand our knowledge — to learn the entirety of our American history,” she wrote.
Wtf. Erin Splaine, the “Reverend” of the woke Unitarian Universalist Church in Nantucket, just canceled July 4th celebrations because White people are “privileged” and honoring American history “perpetuates the harm, injustice, and anti-democratic process.”
She then forbids… pic.twitter.com/uv9SDih7gn
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 29, 2026
Splaine encouraged those with questions or concerns to contact her directly rather than engage through social media. In her letter, she said meaningful discussions on sensitive topics are better suited to personal conversations than online exchanges.
The church is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association and is listed as an LGBTQ-welcoming congregation. According to the association, congregations that receive that designation have completed a formal program focused on inclusion and support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.
The Nantucket congregation describes itself as a community that embraces a wide range of beliefs and backgrounds. Information on the church’s website states that membership does not require individuals to abandon other religious traditions or practices.
Splaine is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and, according to the church’s website, lives with her wife.
The decision to cancel the Independence Day events has generated discussion within the community and beyond, as residents and observers debate the role of historical reflection in national celebrations. As of publication, the church had not publicly responded to additional requests for comment regarding the decision.
