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LEARN | PRAY | ACT
Let's commit to being about the work of
Becoming Beloved Community
that is God’s dream for all creation.
LEARN
"Go and Learn What This Means"
GENERAL:
Have a courageous conversation:
“Courageous Conversations” is used to help people learn how to have difficult conversations in healthy ways. One of the most important things we can do to help bring healing is to simply have dialogue where we seek to learn from and understand the other instead of becoming hostile, combative, and more entrenched in our own positions. Included in this link is a downloadable booklet that is grounded in scripture and following Jesus.
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/courageous-conversations-overview
Start your own glossary and write a definition to key terms involved with racism
This list of definition comes from the Commissions Resource list and was created by the Kellogg Institute: http://www.racialequityresourceguide.org/about/glossary
The following is a very thorough and up to date glossary that includes source references for each definition. It was created by the research organization “Racial Equity Tools” and recommended by the YWCA: https://www.racialequitytools.org/glossary
This is a series of 7 minute long videos exploring about 12 different words from various participants -There are Black, Asian, White and Native American voices: https://projects.seattletimes.com/2016/under-our-skin/#
Watch this 14 minute video “Color Blind or Color Brave?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKtALHe3Y9Q
Read this article from Bryan Stevenson
Explore The Episcopal Church’s Response
https://episcopalchurch.org/responding-to-racist-violence
Expand Perspectives
Book list for Native perspectives: https://www.firstnations.org/knowledge-center/books/
Native history and ways to take action and prayers: https://networkadvocates.org/recommittoracialjustice/legacy/
Visit the Commission on Racial Justice and Reconciliation of the Episcopal Diocese of the Gulf Coast web page:
https://www.diocgc.org/racial-justice-and-reconciliation
WHAT IS WHITE PRIVILEGE?
Complete the white privilege checklist:
"White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack." By Peggy McIntosh. This is an excellent introduction to understanding white privilege, Peggy McIntosh, Senior Research Scientist of the Wellesley Centers for Women, gently shares how she became aware of her own privilege and offers a series of questions to help others understand theirs. Below is a link to a video and her checklist.
Checklist: http://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/mcintosh.pdf
Video (6 minutes) http://youtu.be/DRnoddGTMTY.
Watch the following videos:
A conversation between authors Robin DiAngelo and Ibram Kendi (6 minutes): https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-privilege-racism-ibram-x-kendi-robin-diangelo/
Phyllis Unterschuetz has spent the past fifteen years engaged in field research on the dynamics of racial conditioning. Phyllis received the Weinberg Prize for Social Justice With her husband Gene, she wrote, Longing: Stories of Racial Healing. (12 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A89xhMV63rQ
Cracking the Codes: Joy DeGruy "A Trip to the Grocery Store." Examines white privilege and how it can be used for the positive (4 minutes): https://youtu.be/Wf9QBnPK6Yg
Deconstructing White Privilege with Dr. Robin DiAngelo. Dr.Angelo coined “white fragility,” is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation. (22 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwIx3KQer54
WHY DO SOME BELIEVE THAT RACISM IS A MATTER OF SOCIETAL SYSTEMS?
Explains the nature of systemic racism in America. (4 minutes): https://youtu.be/YrHIQIO_bdQ
Explains why neighborhoods became segregated and remain segregated today: https://youtu.be/ETR9qrVS17g (6 minutes)
"A Conversation With Native Americans on Race,”( 6 minutes) grapples with the racist contradictions of a country that, many feel, would prefer it if Native Americans didn’t exist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siMal6QVblE
FOR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS
“What I Learned from My White Grandchildren about Race” (19 minutes) by Anthony Peterson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5GCetbP7Fg
Additional resources for parents and grandparents include the following outstanding lists of books to use with children of all ages. One comes from the New York Times, one from the Coretta Scott King Book Awards:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/parenting/kids-books-racism-protest.html
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/coretta-scott-king-book-award-winners
And we want to highlight one OUTSTANDING book for teens and adults from 7th grade up
"Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You." A Remix of the National Book Award-winning "Stamped from the Beginning." By Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (2020). This is a New York Times best seller described as “…NOT a history book. This is a book about the here and now. A book to help us better understand why we are where we are.” Reviews also says that it “reveals the history of racist ideas in America” [that] takes you on a race journey from then to now” [in] “a gripping, faced paced, and energized narrative” It’s also highly recommended by schools and the American Library Association.
Great video for teens and young adults about the white privilege check-list: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XydTQPabl3g
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
"America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America" (2017).
By Jim Wallis, with a foreword by Bryan Stevenson. “Wallis offers a prophetic and deeply personal call to action in overcoming the racism so ingrained in American society. He speaks candidly to Christians--particularly white Christians--urging them to cross a new bridge toward racial justice and healing.”
Link to study guide for America’s Original Sin: http://americasoriginalsin.com/study-gui
"How to Be an Antiracist" (2020).
By Ibram X. Kendi. From the New York Times: “[This may be] “the most courageous book to date on the problem of race in the Western mind, a confessional of self-examination that may, in fact, be our best chance to free ourselves from our national nightmare.
"So You Want to Talk About Race" (2019).
By Ijeoma Oluo. From the National Book Review: “Oluo gives us—both white people and people of color—that language to engage in clear, constructive, and confident dialogue with each other.” This New York times bestseller is described on Amazon as “...a hard-hitting but user-friendly examination of race in America."
"White Fragility" (2018).
By Robin DiAngelo. From Publisher’s Weekly: “Thoughtful, instructive, and comprehensive…This slim book is impressive in its scope and complexity; DiAngelo provides a powerful lens for examining, and practical tools for grappling with, racism today.”
"Just Mercy, A Story of Justice and Redemption" (2015).
By Bryan Stevenson. Bryan Stevenson is the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, AL, and the developer of the newly opened Legacy Museum and the National Memorial to Peace and Justice.
PRAY
"They Devoted Themselves to Prayer"
Diocesan Prayer Vigil: link to recording of vigil held on Friday, June 19, 2020.
READING AND REFLECTION
Scriptures for Justice, Lament and Solidarity:
Exodus 10:17-21; Exodus 22: 21-23; Isaiah 58:6-7; Isaiah 61; Micah 6:8; Psalm 10; Psalm 13; Psalm 89; Psalm 103; Luke 4:16-21; Ephesians 6: 12-15; Hebrews 13:1-3
Read the article “We Have Refused to Listen”by Chris Hall:
Pray the litany in this same article.https://www.renovare.org/articles/we-have-refused-to-listen?fbclid=IwAR29zb8ExeqRQsLNeJkR8vAcPGVvx7lc-5VkeChJ-NboFr2tOqwDWjLNUhI
Use the 24 Day Prayer Challenge by UMC:
https://www.awfumc.org/newsdetail/14016104
Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis Prayers of The People For Racial Reconciliation:
Faithward:
Prayers for Peace and Reconciliation: https://www.faithward.org/prayers-for-racial-harmony/
Use the "Book of Common Prayer" prayers:
For the renewal of our Baptismal Covenant BCP 416, For Social Justice BCP 823, In Times of Conflict BCP 824, For the Poor and Neglected BCP 826, For Guidance BCP832, etc.
LITANIES & LITURGIES
Episcopal Litany for Social Justice:
https://episcopalchurch.org/library/article/episcopal-litany-social-justice
Episcopal Prayers For Racial Reconciliation:
Padriag Tuama, Daily Prayer with The Corrymeela Community:
Northern Ireland’s Oldest peace and reconciliation organization. This prayer book captures the essence of the Corrymeela prayer experience to help you incorporate its spirituality into your practice of prayer.
https://www.corrymeela.org/news/85/daily-prayer-with-the-corrymeela-community-by-paacutedraig-oacute-tuama
Alicea Davis, From Hatred To Healing, Eight Racial Reconciliation Poems:
Readers are moved by Davis' verses of inner peace and acceptance that can help to positively change one's perspective as well as race relations in society: http://www.fromhatredtohealing.com/
ACT
"Let Your 'Yes' be 'Yes!'"
IN COMMUNITY
Join groups that have people of different skin color if your usual circle of friends or acquaintances lack that diversity:
Civic Groups, Affinity Groups (based on a shared hobby [fishing, soccer, basketball, tennis, sailing, BBQing, model airplanes, gardening, movies, bookclubs, tailgating] or shared interest, skill, etc.) You will be enriched!
Based on genuine interest and maybe a new friendship, share worship experiences with each other (as pandemic health issues allow).
Put your feet under the same table as the feet of People of Color.
Soup with a Group:
Simple Meals, Engaging Conversation (a new initiative by the Commission on Racial Justice & Reconciliation for small groups for evening meals and discussion. Visit Commission website for brochure coming soon.
Race and Gravy:
Lunch meals among business men and women of different skin color to talk about community issues through a racial equity lens. Visit Commission website for brochure coming soon.
Dinner Out:
Go out to eat a restaurant (as health issues permit) that’s a favorite of a Person of Color friend; reverse the roles a few weeks later
Dinner In:
Invite a couple or two couples to share a meal at your respective homes…no agenda, no goals, no paperwork, no wrong answers…just respect and mutual invitation.
Explore Your Blind Spots:
Get a group of White Skinned Guys together watch/discuss the video “White Men: Time to Discover Your Cultural Blindspot” Michael Welp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR5zDIjUrfk (12 minutes)
Improve Your Conversation:
Engage in a Courageous Conversation with someone of a different race. Watach TEDX's "How to Have a Good Conversation": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1vskiVDwl4 (17 minutes)
75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice:
https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234
AT WORK
Based on genuine interest, friendship, seek out Persons of Color who might mentor you in understanding. Support events and programs which highlight Black History Month, Indigenous Peoples Month, Asian-Pacific Islanders Month, etc.
IN YOUR LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD
Say you’ve never stopped by to say hello to The Jones who moved in. Take a cake or loaf of fresh bread by and introduce yourselves. It’s not hard. You were once new to your neighborhood, as well. You’ll likely be surprised at how much you have in common. Neighbors who know their neighbors make for enjoyable and safe communities.
Clergy, organize a “Clergy Walk”:
Join your clergy colleagues in your community to highlight issues like gun violence, racism, sexism (there are lots of “isms”), improve education, improve access to healthcare. Invite your laity to join you and your clergy colleagues. There are many models for doing this. Just Google it.
PILGRIMAGES AND SHARED EXPERIENCES
Equal Justice Initiative and Legacy Museum, Montgomery, AL www.eji.org
Annual Jonathan Myrick Daniels and All Alabama Martyrs, Second Saturday in August, Hayneville, AL
Whitney Plantation, Edgar, Louisiana www.whitneyplantation.org 225.265.3300 where the emphasis is not the lives of the wealthy plantation owners but the lives of the enslaved people.
First Sunday in March, Bloody Sunday Memorial March Across Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL
Dora Franklin Finley African-American Heritage Trail, Mobile, AL www.dffaaht.org 251.725.2236
National Memorial to Peace and Justice in Montgomery, AL: https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/memorial
Monroeville, AL www.visitmonroevilleal.com site of 1) Annual Festival focused on To Kill a Mockingbird theater which book focuses on wrongful prosecution and extrajudicial execution and 2) the death of a young women which lead to the wrongful prosecution of Walter McMillan who was charged and wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death, all of which was reversed on appeal many years later. It is the basis of the book and movie entitled Just Mercy (the highly acclaimed book by Bryan Stevenson).
MUSEUMS
Equal Justice Initiative and Legacy Museum, Montgomery, AL www.eji.org
Native American Museum Poarch Band of Creek Indians, Kerretv Cuko, Building of Learning, www.pci-nsn.gov Atmore, AL 251.368.9136
Rosa Parks Museum, Montgomery, AL www.troy.edu 334.241.8616 rosaparks@troy.edu
Southern Poverty Law Center Civil Rights Museum and Memorial, Montgomery, AL contains classroom for education, a Wall of Tolerance, a fountain designed by acclaimed Maya Lin (she designed the Vietnam Veteran Memorial in Wash, DC) www.splcenter.org
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham, AL www.bcri.org 205.328.9696 which is across the street from 16th Street Baptist Church, the site of the bombing which killed four young girls. www.16thstreetbaptist.org 205.251.9402 and which is across the street from Kelly Ingram Park, where monuments and exhibits demonstrate the infamous Bull Conner’s attack dogs, firehoses, etc. set upon peaceful protestors. It’s an incredible corner for time well spent.
National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, Selma, AL www.nvrmi.com 334.526.4340
Selma to Montgomery Trial Interpretative Center, Lowndes County, AL www.nps.gov/semo/index.htm 334.877.1983
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, Tuskegee, AL
National Museum of African American History & Culture, Washington, DC www.nmaahc.si.edu
ADDRESS IMPROPER POLICING AND CRIME
Review “8 Can’t Wait” by Campaign Zero
Make an appointment with government leaders and city police or county sheriff to confirm whether their policies include De-escalating Training, Ban Use of Choke-Holds, Ban Use of Knee to Neck and Back Tactics, etc. Commit to helping law enforcement in proper policing procedures, but call out abuse and improper tactics.
Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing Series on “Reimagining Policing in America” a 3 part series: 1) To Serve and Protect 2) When the Hype is Over and 3) The Colors of COVID: The Media and Your News Feed www.centerforracialhealing.org
Together, Participate in a Parish-Wide Prayer Vigil
On-line or in person as health conditions allow, using resources from the PRAY section or some of your own.
ADDRESS SYSTEMIC ISSUES
Whether in housing, wages, access to health care, tax structures, etc. Based upon historical research and confirmation, many of the inequities faced by Persons of Color are rooted in city ordinances, county laws, state statutes that arose during Reconstruction, made more broadly applicable during Jim Crow years, and we live with the results of those now.
Some of the organizations which address systemic issues (where the wrong is sanctioned by local or state law or policies) in Alabama are:
Alabama Arise, primary interest in alleviating the plight of low income, impoverished people www.alarise.org
Alabama Appleseed, primary interest is in addressing archaic laws for prosecution of simple crimes, unconstitutional sentences www.alabamaappleseed.org
Hispanic Interest of Alabama, primary interest is to help Latinix persons and families become better residents and citizens, fully realizing integration into society as productive, lawful citizens www.hicaalabama.org
Poor Peoples Campaign, addresses systemic issues of poverty, living wages, ecological degradation especially around housing of persons of color, etc. www.poorpeoplescampaign.org
Equal Justice Initiative, the premier organization championing wrongfully convicted persons who were sentenced to death or sentenced as a child to a life in prison without parole, educating the public on Mass Incarceration, improper policing, wrongful convictions, etc. www.eji.org
NAACP, stands for Civil Rights for All, focusing on Federal Advocacy, Education, Economic Opportunity, Criminal Justice, Health, Environmental & Climate Justice www.naacp.org
Some of the organizations which address systemic issues (where the wrong is sanctioned by local or state law or policies) are below. The first, Movement for Change is in Florida, the others are nation wide endeavors.
Movement For Change, where the mission is to increase the community's awareness of social justice issues, to advocate and conduct actions to improve human and civil rights, and through its programs enhance the educational and economic opportunities for the residents of Northwest Florida.
https://www.movementforchange.org/
The National Immigration Law Center: Mission: NILC legally defends the rights of low-income immigrants and their families to open the world of opportunity to everyone, regardless of race, religion, gender or immigration status.
Contact: 213-639-3900; volunteer@nilc.org
https://www.nilc.org/
Dream Defenders: Mission: Created after the death of Trayvon Martin, the Dream Defenders are a group of students and other young people that seek to lift communities of color through the power of organizing.dreamdefendersorl@gmail.com
https://dreamdefenders.org/
Campaign Zero: Mission: Campaign Zero seeks to hold police accountable by tracking police-involved deaths and changing policies to improve relationships between law enforcement and communities of color. feedback@joincampaignzero.org
https://www.joincampaignzero.org/
National Action News Network: Mission: Founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, the National Action Network is a leading civil rights organization committed to criminal justice, voter protection and anti-violence for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality and other factors. Contact: 212-690-3070; crisis@nationalactionnetwork.net https://nationalactionnetwork.net/
Brennan Center for Justice: Mission: This nonpartisan law and policy institute based out of New York University School of Law works to improve the system by holding institutions of power accountable on issues such as voting rights and campaign finance reform Contact: 646-292-8310; brennancenter@nyu.edu
https://www.brennancenter.org/
ADDITIONAL ACTIONS
Attend a Diocesan Sponsored Beloved Community Workshop:
These fast-paced, interactive gatherings provide a better understanding of issues, topics, definitions, the myth of race, historical context, introduction to White Privilege, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, Implicit Bias, Prejudice, ways to confess of Racism, live together and grow in community.
Nominate a Youth Leader for our planned Racial Reconciliation Youth Curriculum Training:
We are arranging to bring to the Diocese the two women who wrote the Youth Curriculum. It’s an all-day training, but it has received high marks for content, interactive nature, quick learning, etc. A pre-requisite is that the attendee had to have participated in a Beloved Community Workshop in advance (see above).
Join in the 21 Day Challenge:
It is a dynamic resource, chock full of ways to improve your understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity. There is also an excellent bibliography included at this website. It is powerful and especially helpful for those of us with white skin.
https://www.eddiemoorejr.com/21daychallenge
Join the Speaker Series, sponsored by the Commission:
Hosted On-Line (or in-person when health concerns allow it). Following the event, get together to discuss this as a group in the neighborhood, at church, etc. Visit our calendar for dates and link information.
Together, Sponsor a Movie Night at your church or in your community:
Many of these suggested titles have a study/discussion guide. Many are suitable for discussion with youth along with a Youth Leader Facilitator.
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13th Film – Discussion Guide https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741
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Death in Dixie – Discussion Guide https://eji.org/news/eji-screens-death-in-dixie/#:~:text=EJI%20hosted%20a%20premiere%20screening,after%20spending%20over%2025%20years
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Emanuel – Discussion Guide https://www.emanuelmovie.com/
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The Hate U Give – Discussion Guide https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/The-Hate-U-Give/81004850
View these shorts:
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Slavery to Mass Incarceration https://eji.org/videos/
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The Lunch Date https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty_hn7l1zKE
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Terror Lynching in America https://eji.org/videos/
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The Lynching of Private James Neely https://eji.org/videos/
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The myth of race, debunked in 3 min https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnfKgffCZ7U
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Too Quick to Judge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzn_AKN67oI
View this series:
When They See Us https://www.netflix.com/title/80200549
Additional titles:
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Just Mercy
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Selma
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King in the Wilderness
Volunteer at a Title I School:
Read to classes, be a mentor, help with sports, etc.
Participate/organize a Voter Registration Drive:
The League of Women Voters has incredible resources to assist. Your local Board of Registrars does, too.
THE ARTS AND RACIAL JUSTICE
In the linked document, you will find listings to close to 60 documentaries, docuseries, movies, theater, etc.
Sponsor a Music Concert, or Theatrical Performance at your church, and be intentional about inviting the entire community around your parish campus. See this link (Please insert link to document entitled “Arts and Racial Justice) . We have been granted the rights to produce “Jonathan Myrick Daniels: The Martyr of Lowndes County” written by Marianne Weber.
We have also been given permission to produce “Guess Who’s Coming Together?” which is a light hearted way to poke light fun at our pre-conceived notions, revealing just how outlandish many things we think really are. There are many dramatic and humorous offerings available via quick search.