Our church embarked on a journey that led us to identify racial justice as one of two “strategic pathways” that will guide our mission priorities in the coming years.
We have identified we have work to do, especially in the following areas:
- Deepening our understanding of historical and systemic racism in our nation.
- Our complicity in the structures that perpetuate the evil of racism.
- Replacing our “willful ignorance” about race in America with willful and conscientious solidarity with people of color in our land.
- Listening to the voices and the rage of our black and brown sisters and brothers in our congregation, in our city, and in our nation.
- Understanding that in this society it is not possible to be “neutral,” or to be “non-racist”
- Listening and learning so that we can become trusted, active allies of our partners as we work together to dismantle the deeply embedded institutional racism all around us.
William Dickerson, Executive Director of BIC and one of our partners, tells us that if we are not willing to step forward to seek justice, then we are part of the problem. In that case, he says, we should at least get out of the way.
As a congregation, we publicly commit ourselves to doing the work we know we have to do and not to live with the complacency of simply getting out of the way. We pray for the courage to take the risks demanded of us as people of faith called to seek justice for all of humanity.
News Coverage of our Press Conference on 12/9/2020:
