Join the Diversity and Reconciliation Commission on April 27th from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church for a spring workshop on “Undoing Racism.”
Working for justice is difficult at best, excruciatingly difficult at worst. Most of the time it seems as if the more exact word for this long-hoped-for state of being is ‘just-us’ and even ‘just-me.’ It is one thing for churches, and yes, this is true of many denominations, to pass resolutions that repudiate this blight on our nation and repent this personal and institutional sin, to say that we are against racism and exclusion, and that we are working for justice. It is one thing for us to say that we decry the artificial and illegal barriers erected between those who have power and those who seek their rights, between those who enjoy the rich economic resources of this country and those who cry themselves to sleep from continuous hunger and deprivation. It is another thing altogether to be the seeker and the advocate and the trainer and the record keeper and … only the super strong can labor in that vineyard alone. Only robotics can be immune to the waves of fatigue, self-doubt and hopelessness that frequently assail us as we work to actualize that which everyone professes to want without the pain of getting there.
The purpose of this workshop is to assist the diocese in eliminating the sin of racism. There are three essential steps to be followed when a diocese makes this commitment to focus on the sin of racism, its elimination from the church, the community, and the world in which we live. First, there needs to be an organized and functioning anti-racism committee; secondly, the support of the diocesan bishop; and thirdly, a comprehensive plan for proceeding with this ministry.
This training fulfills the intent of several General Convention resolutions, which call for leaders at all levels of The Episcopal Church to receive training on the Church’s teaching about racial diversity and other forms of diversity present within the human family.
This event will be in-person only.
