Presbyterian Church
WELCOMING, GROWING, SHARING GOD'S LOVE, EMBRACING EQUALITY AMONG PEOPLE
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Anti-Racism Conversation Group and a Revised Purpose
statement for St. Philip
The Session received, at its April 19, 2021 meeting, a statement
that was formed by the Anti-Racism Conversation Group.
The statement is:
We believe that as we gather and share ideas and experiences,
our awareness of racism grows. We understand that real change
can take place when we listen and interact with each other.
We live in a diverse community and want to be a truly welcoming congregation. We pray this conversation will lead us to be more faithful to our calling to love everyone as we love ourselves, and to grow to be more aware and inclusive. Together we embrace the truth that in God there is no inequality among people.
We understand we cannot change the past, but as we grow together, we can seek to overcome the racism built into our society. We can learn to see and recognize all people as equal and dearly beloved children of God. By leaning on each other, we will be encouraged and inspired to speak out and speak up for those who face and live with racism.
We welcome all members of the congregation and community to join us in this discussion.
The Anti-Racism Conversation Group asked the session to take note of one sentence (see bold sentence above) and consider adding this sentence to St. Philip’s Purpose statement. The Session voted to add this statement.
Our revised Purpose Statement states:
To be a welcoming and growing church, as we share God’s love in the community and meet the spiritual needs of our members. Together we embrace the truth that in God there is no inequality among people.
The Challenge
Follow the directions below:
Pick one of the resources listed every day for 21 days.
Diversify your understanding by doing some of each.
Track and reflect by using the planning tool below.
Share your reflections at the end of the challenge.
Pray for the places you are challenged and for those you are learning about whose lives may be different than yours.
Watch
Racism is Real, A split-screen video depicting the differential in the white and black lived experience. (3 minutes)
Confronting 'intergroup anxiety': Can you try too hard to be fair? Explores why we may get tongue tied and blunder when we encounter people from groups unfamiliar to us. (5 minutes)
CBS News Analysis: 50 states, 50 different ways of teaching America's past, Ibram X. Kendi reviews current history curriculum production and use across the U.S. (5 minutes)
The Disturbing History of the Suburbs, An "Adam Ruins Everything"
episode that quickly and humorously educates how redlining came to be. (6 minutes)
What Kind of Asian Are You? Humorous two minute YouTube video that illustrates the utter silliness of the way many white Americans interact with Asian Americans. (2 minutes)
Birth of a White Nation, Keynote speech by legal scholar Jacqueline Battalora, offers a blow-by-blow
description of the moment the idea of, and word for, "white" people entered U.S. legal code. (36 minutes)
13th, Netflix documentary by Ava DuVernay, about the connection between US Slavery and the present day mass incarceration system. (1 hour, 40 minutes)
This is Us, Dr. Eddie Glaude explains why blaming current racial tensions on Donald Trump misses the point. (3 minutes)
How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them, TED Talk by Vernā Myers, encourages work vigorously to counter balance bias by connecting with and learning about and from the groups we fear. (19 minutes)
The danger of a single story, TED Talk by Chimamanda Adiche, offers insight to the phenomenon of using small bits of information to imagine who a person is. (18 minutes)
How to deconstruct racism, one headline at a time, TED Talk by Baratunde Thurston that explores patterns revealing our racist framing, language, and behaviors. (10 minutes)
Indigenous People React to Indigenous Representation in Film And TV, Conversation with a diverse range of Indigenous people by FBE about media depictions of Indigenous people, Columbus day, and Indigenous
identity. (15 minutes)
What Being Hispanic and Latinx Means in the United States, Fernanda Ponce shares what she's learning about the misunderstanding and related mistreatment of the incredibly diverse ethnic category people in U.S. call Hispanic. (12 minutes)
Tyler Merrit Project: Before You Call (3 minutes)
Read
10 Ways Well-Meaning White Teachers Bring Racism Into Our Schools,
by Jamie Utt
21 Racial Microaggressions You Hear on a Daily Basis, by Heben Nigatu
Climbing the White Escalator, by Betsy Leondar-Wright
Explaining White Privilege To A Broke White Person, by Gina Crosley-Corcoran
Guide to Allyship, Created by Amélie Lamont
It's Not Just the South: Here's How Everyone Can Resist White Supremacy,
by Sarah van Gelder
Making America White Again, by Toni Morrison
Understanding the Racial Wealth Gap, by Amy Traub, Laura Sullivan, Tatjana Mescheded, & Tom Shapiro
What White Children Need to Know About Race, by Ali MIchael and Elenora Bartoli
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, by Peggy McIntosh
Presbytery of Charlotte letter from Antiracism Team
My President Was Black, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Caught Up In God, by Willie James Jennings
Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?, by Ibram X Kendi
Black Lives Matter, by Karen Asante
Listen
Code Switch, hosted by journalists Gene Demby and Shereen Marisol Meraji
Black Like Me, host Dr. Alex Gee
Scene on Radio - Seeing White Series, host John Biewen and collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika
TED Radio Hour - Mary Bassett: How Does Racism Affect Your Health? host Guy Raz speaks with Dr. Mary T. Bassett, Director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University
Here & Now - Without Slavery, Would The U.S. Be The Leading Economic Power?
host Jeremy Hobson and author Edward Baptist
NPR Morning Edition - You Cannot Divorce Race From Immigration journalist Rachel Martin talks to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas
Pod Save the People, Activism. Social Justice. Culture. Politics. On Pod Save the People, organizer and
activist DeRay Mckesson
Notice
Test Your Awareness: Do The Test,
This video shows us the importance of paying attention, and how much more we see when we are looking for particular things around us.
Use each question below separately as one day's challenge.
Who is and is not represented in ads?
What are the last five books you read? What is the racial mix of the authors?
What is the racial mix of the main characters in your favorite TV shows? Movies?
Who is filling what kinds of jobs/social roles in your world? Can you correlate any of this to racial identity?
Many thanks to Myers Park Presbyterian Church for inspiring this challenge, which is adapted from Eddie Moore's 21 Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge.