Episcopal Diocese

of Northern California

Beloved Community

Resource Newsletter

Published by

The Commission for

Intercultural Ministries

February 2023

Episcopal Church Becoming Beloved Community

Newsletter Highlights:

The focus of this month's newsletter is on Black History Month where you'll find a number of resources that celebrate and inform about the lives of African Americans, including two strong personal reflections and a personal story.
The Inconvenient Gospel, Lenten Book Study Hosted by St. John's, Roseville
I Will, With God's Help: Journey Toward Racial Healing and Justice Upcoming Workshops
Called to Speak Out in the Public Square: The Rt. Rev. Betsey Monnot, 10th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, will speak about her call to social justice.
Commission on the Environment: Help Is On The Way! Let’s Work Toward Carbon Neutrality!
Energy Audits for Carbon-Neutral Churches
I am a Queer Christian, Not an Oxymoron
My Visit to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Honolulu, Hawaii
Humboldt Interfaith Fellowship Hope and Healing Service
The Simplicity of Adding an Action Alert Link to Your Church Newsletter

It's Black History Month. Here are 3 things to know about the annual celebration.

NPR I Scott Neuman I Posted February 1, 2023

Vice President Harris (center) marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 6, 2022, in Selma, Ala., to commemorate the 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images

February marks Black History Month, a tradition that got its start in the Jim Crow era and was officially recognized in 1976 as part of the nation's bicentennial celebrations. It aims to honor the contributions that African Americans have made and to recognize their sacrifices.

Here are three things to know about Black History Month:

Shout-out to the Bishop's Office Staff!

Kudos to the Bishop's office staff, and in particular to Father Mack Olson, Missioner for Church Life, for including resources for Black History Month on the Diocesan website! Please visit their page for information about books published by or about people of African descent to include a book written by five Black Episcopal women bishops; read about Absalom Jones, America's first Black priest; civil rights icon Pauli Murray; and many other informative resources.

Telling the Truth About our Churches and Race

Book of Common Prayer, page 816, #7

Gracious Father, we pray for thy Holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen

We Must Stop Forgetting

By Stephanie Spellers

Becoming Beloved Community - The Episcopal Racial Reconciliation, Healing & Justice Newsletter I January 2023

I have not watched the film of five Black Memphis police officers beating 29-year-old Tyre Nichols to a pulp. I have not seen the EMTs who did so little while a beloved child made in God’s image lay dying at their feet.

I have not looked, yet it is all I can see. Just reading the account is enough to conjure the most horrific, tortured images—worse than anything Hollywood could script. I have not seen the video, but I cannot unsee it, and I honestly don’t want to unsee it. We have become too good at forgetting.

Even if brutality like this has happened before and will happen again, we need to sit with this particular incident. We need to sit and wonder why traffic stops so quickly escalate into police brutalization and then to tragic loss of life. Sit and acknowledge the depravity human beings are capable of when mob mentality kicks in. Sit and feel our own broken, haggard spirits, still raw from deaths too numerous to count.

Please, Stop with the Outrage!

A Guest Blog by The Rev. Gayle Fisher-Stewart

A Few Shades Braver I Dr. Catherine Meeks I Posted February 20, 2023

Another black man, killed for being black, killed for daring to be in white space that is the United States. The protests, the tears, the cries for police reform. We’ve heard it all before and just like before, nothing will happen. In a few weeks, Tyre Nichols will be another hashtag, another name to join the litany of names of those who have been killed by the police, to be brought up, recited at the next murder, the next march, the next church vigil.

The police, the most efficient and effective governmental agency that exists; they do what they were created to do – to surveille, contain, and kill, if necessary, black bodies to keep white space white.

For fifty (50) years, I’ve been a part of policing. I joined policing in 1972, the largest group of women to be hired since women were permitted in policing, part of the first wave of women hired for regular patrol. It was thought that having more women on police departments would improve police-community relations in black communities and also have a civilizing, a calming effect on the male police officers. We did not. I investigated racism in the department. Not only did the police discriminate against the black community, but they also discriminated against their own.

Seven Last Words of the Unarmed

By Joel Thompson

Michael Brown. Trayvon Martin. Oscar Grant. Eric Garner.

Kenneth Chamberlain. Amadou Diallo. John Crawford.

These African-American men–each killed by police or other authority figures–are the subjects of a powerful multi-movement choral work by Atlanta-based composer Joel Thompson titled “Seven Last Words of the Unarmed" followed by "Glory" from the motion picture, Selma, arr. by Eugene Rogers. The piece was premiered by the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club in 2015 under the direction of Eugene Rogers, director of choirs and professor of conducting at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. This is an excerpt of a documentary created in 2016 by Bob Berg and the Michigan Media. For the complete documentary and educational materials, please visit sevenlastwords.org.

Songs by University of Michigan Men's Glee Club about Black men who have died by police violence.

Miriam Casey's Story

Miriam and George

David and Miriam

Editor's note: This is first in a series of stories from people in our Diocese who have personal experience with racism.

Hello. My name is Miriam Casey. I am Co-Chair of the Commission for Intercultural Ministries in the Diocese of Northern California. This is my story.

People ask me how I got involved with social justice and racial healing work. My answer is that I was called to the work by life, and by the Spirit.

As a new nursing graduate in 1974, I met a young medical student, George Casey. George was an African-American gentleman who grew up in a large family in St. Louis, Missouri. We developed a close friendship and fell in love. Three years later (1977) we got married. In 1980 we had a son, David. George and I were married 15 years. He died in 1992 after a long illness. Today, my son is 42 and lives in San Francisco.

Since the morning I met George in February 1974, I have loved and lived with family members, my husband and son, who experience the hurtful reality of racism toward African-American people, especially Black men. These experiences range from unjust police stops, inflated pricing on automobiles and houses, discrimination in higher education and job promotions and other situations. The harm that is created by these experiences is emotional, economic, and physical…challenging a person’s capacity to live a life to its fullest potential. And it is frightening for those who love them, and pray for their safety from police brutality and other expressions of racial harm.

When I retired from a long career in nursing, I turned my attention more fully to racial injustice in our country. The Episcopal Church has a long-term vision to create the Beloved Community, a community where we love and respect each other as family. In the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, the Commission for Intercultural Ministries, through its ministries, is dedicated to supporting churches and individuals in the Diocese as they strive to build the Beloved Community. This work is the work of my heart.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to acknowledge and repent for the racial harm in our communities. We are called to imagine what our communities would be like if everyone was treated in an equitable and just manner. We are called to grow in our capacity to love each other, even those who are different from us. And we are called to engage with our communities to right the wrongs created by racism.

The Inconvenient Gospel

By Clarence Jordan

Lenten Book Study Hosted by St. John's, Roseville

Sundays, March 5-26, 2 pm

Beginning Sunday, March 5th, and continuing through Sundays until March 26th, St. John's will study The Inconvenient Gospel, a collection of the talks and writings of Clarence Jordan, rooted in the teaching of Jesus, drawing out the radical implications this has for war, wealth disparity, civil rights, and true community.

On 440 depleted acres in Sumter County, Georgia, a young Baptist preacher and farmer named Clarence Jordan gathered a few families and set out to show that Jesus intended more than spiritual fellowship. Like the first Christians, they would share their land, money, and possessions. Working together to rejuvenate the soil and the local economy, they would demonstrate racial and social justice with their lives.

The Zoom link is:

https://us02web.zoo/j/81747311192?pwd=bUxmV2E2Z2doSS9TWmxkUldUS3UzZz09

The Meeting ID is: 817 4731 1192

The Passcode is: 283596

The book can be purchased from Amazon here: The Inconvenient Gospel

Congregations and individuals can use this five-session curriculum to reflect on the Lent readings and our shared hope to heal the human family of God. Download and share Preparing to Become the Beloved Community.

February 2023 Sacred Ground Offering

Instead of a webinar we want to try something new this month: office hours! Several of us from the Sacred Ground church-wide team, joined by experienced SG facilitators and organizers, will be available to answer your questions or help you think through a situation or challenge you are facing. Please come with your questions/challenges ready and you will be paired for a 10-15 minute one-on-one session with an experienced member of our community.

Office hours will be held on Monday February 27th from 1:30 to 3 pm ET (12:30 pm CT, 11:30 am MT, 10:30 am PT, 9:30 am Alaska, and 8:30 am Hawaii). Please register at the link below and we’ll let you know what system for queuing and using breakout rooms will be used. We will likely give each registrant a “timed entry” time slot.

February Office Hours Registration

March 2023 Sacred Ground Webinar

Please join us Wednesday March 8th from 6-7:30 pm ET (5 pm CT, 4 pm MT, 3 pm PT, 2 PM Alaska, 1 PM Hawaii) for the March webinar.

This training is designed to offer guidance to Sacred Ground facilitators interested in understanding and responding to potential tensions and conflicts that may arise within their Circles. Areas to be addressed include: cultural differences in how tension and conflict are manifested; common conflict management styles; and the importance of assessing and addressing the conflict or tension within the Circle. This training stresses the importance of the role of the facilitator in establishing and maintaining ground rules for respectful engagement; responding thoughtfully when sensing conflict avoidance or withdrawal; and slowing down the process so conflict can be addressed when it arises.

Workshop Leaders:

Kathy Deal: is an experienced clinical social worker and university professor, She has developed trainings and facilitated various types of groups in a range of settings, including universities, churches, jails, mental health facilities, and community agencies. She has facilitated Sacred Ground Circles since 2020 and currently works as a spiritual director and dream work facilitator.

Norma Williamson: A consultant in conflict resolution and change management, Norma Williamson has extensive multicultural experience, both as the child of missionaries and as a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service. She has facilitated meetings and retreats for the State Department in Washington and at US Embassies abroad, and has been a Sacred Ground facilitator since 2020.

March Webinar Registration

Keeping Track of Sacred Ground

Are you forming a Sacred Ground Circle? Let the Commission for Intercultural Ministries know by registering it here: https://forms.gle/hriHCPKmLwjUHEyEA

Are you interested in joining a Sacred Ground Circle? Sign up here: https://forms.gle/G26EPxDzEFSpnsZW7

I Will, With God's Help:

Journey Toward Racial Healing and Justice

Schedule of Upcoming 2023 Workshops

Watch for registration links in the Diocesan E-News and in the Beloved Community Resource Newsletter for these upcoming workshops:

Saturday, April 29, 2023 - St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Auburn
Saturday, September 9, 2023 - Virtual online workshop
Saturday, October 7, 2023 - St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Napa
Saturday, October 28, 2023 - St. John's Episcopal Church, Roseville

Members named to the Constituting Group for Episcopal Church Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice

Office of Public Affairs I Posted February 7, 2023

Less than a year after a coalition was first proposed to focus on The Episcopal Church’s racial equity and justice work, members of the constituting group—representing the broad diversity of the church—have been appointed by the presiding bishop and president of the House of Deputies.

The 80th General Convention voted to establish the Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice in July, approving a resolution first unveiled in a March 2022 report by the Presiding Officers’ Working Group on Truth-Telling, Reckoning, and Healing, of which House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris was a member.

The coalition is described as an organizing and networking body “of Episcopal dioceses, parishes, organizations, and individuals dedicated to the work of becoming the Beloved Community.”

The constituting group—selected by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Ayala Harris, and the group’s chair, Ryan Kusumoto—will focus on the organizational, canonical, and legal aspects needed to shape the coalition’s work. That information will be presented at the 81st General Convention in summer 2024.

The Rt. Rev. Betsey Monnot, 10th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, will speak about her call to social justice (10 am PT): https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=X8_Q3fp11kA

Commission on the Environment:

Help Is On The Way! Let’s Work Toward Carbon Neutrality!

As you will recall the Carbon Neutrality Resolution was adopted at last year’s Annual Convention. To help us all complete the mandated Needs Assessment in a timely manner, the Commission on the Environment promised to maximize its support for our churches. This will help us all achieve our goal of completing the Needs Assessment by 2025, as we strive to reach Carbon Neutrality by 2030.

We are pleased to report that Help is on the way! The commission has been very busy locating, researching, and securing funding assistance for our churches in this task.

The Diocesan Board of Trustees has approved funding for two initial contracts to help churches proceed. One contract is with Sarah Paulos, Executive Director of Interfaith Power & Light (“A Religious Response to Global Warming”) to conduct two one-hour Zoom trainings.

Join us for a webinar, Planning the Energy Future of your Congregation, hosted by Interfaith Power & Light and our partners. The webinar will address the importance of

benchmarking or creating a snapshot of your facilities’ energy use to shape your congregation’s plan to cut energy costs and care for our Sacred Earth. This is the first step to making a plan to take advantage of federal funding for energy and resiliency

improvements from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that will be available later this year.

J oin us on February 21, 2023, at 1 pm Eastern/10 am Pacific. Click here to register .

Jerry Lawson, the National Manager of EPA’s Energy Star for Small Businesses and Congregations, will explain the EPA’s free energy tracking tool, Portfolio Manager, which is the gold standard in the field of energy tracking. The Islamic Center of Evansville in Indiana successfully utilized EPA's Portfolio Manager receiving the Energy STAR certification in 2021.

And for smaller congregations who prefer a simpler tool, Sarah Paulos, IPL’s Program Director, will explain IPL’s Cool Congregation carbon footprint calculator. Tom Hackley, from People’s Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan, will share the congregation’s well-conceived plan for reaching zero carbon emissions by 2030, as an example of a congregation that has already made a plan. People’s Church is a Certified Cool Congregation that has already achieved a 20% reduction towards their 100% goal.

Find the recording of the December 2022 webinar, Federal Funding Resources for Nonprofits and Houses of Worship: An Overview, and other resources on IPL’s

Resource page.

IPL hopes to offer more webinars in the coming months on accessing federal funding for the energy upgrades at your houses of worship.

As people of faith and conscience, this is our opportunity to help bring about climate justice based on our shared values: caring for one another and our common home.

Energy Audits for Carbon-Neutral Churches

By Matt Weiser

We’re not gonna sugar-coat it. Making our churches in the Northern California Diocese carbon neutral is a hill to climb. It can be done, but it will take some work.

As with all worthy and complicated endeavors, it pays to start with baby steps. One of those is to arrange an energy audit of your church facilities. These are offered free by most local electric utilities, and they will help you find where you’re wasting energy and, therefore, where to make the biggest dent in your planet-warming emissions.

An audit involves analyzing recent energy consumption patterns. It also includes a physical assessment of buildings to find wasteful appliances — from light bulbs to air conditioners. And it will include a search for air leaks that cause heating/cooling systems to work overtime.

I am a Queer Christian, Not an Oxymoron

We are here and we refuse to be erased.

By Matthew Taylor, Christ Church, Eureka

My entire existence is a tightrope balancing act between two facets of myself, that are constantly told they cannot exist together. Yet these facets cannot be divided from me nor from one another. I am queer. I’m a person of faith. I am a trans and bisexual Christian.

As Lent rolls in, I often find myself having to reflect upon these two identities. I take this time of the year to re-orientate myself back to my spiritual core. It is a beautiful process that reminds me of my humanity and the love I receive everyday from my Creator, but it is a side that I often feel compelled to hide, just as I am often compelled to hide my queer side from the greater Christian community.

It is a fine line. I’m constantly aware of my fellow queer peers’ religious trauma, something I’d never want to make them relive. It hurts though, to know that my faith comes with so many automatic assumptions of my character. Some have ideas that I’m conservative in my politics or that I don’t affirm my own queer identity. I am neither of those, and neither are many other queer people of faith.

So, I stay silent. Yet in this very silence I only continue to feed into the false narrative that all religious persons or persons of faith are non-affirming of queer identities, bigoted, or close minded.

Growing up, I was extremely lucky to live in both a queer affirming and religious household. I was raised predominantly in a Christian denomination that had already begun to take the steps towards full LGBT+ inclusion by the time I was born. It is a huge privilege, one I constantly try to stay aware of, but I also believe it is a statement of hope. I am living proof that one can grow up as Christian, as a religious person, and still fully affirm their own queer existence.

It is because of this very truth that I continue to live knowing these two identities are not mutually exclusive. I don’t wish to proselytize or to convert any person to my own faith, nor to any religion in general. There is truth, validity and importance to be found in both agnosticism and atheism. All I wish is to break the narrative that all people of faith are non-affirming.

This perception erases the amazing work that queer people of faith all around the world are doing to create rightful places for us in these sacred spaces. More frightfully, it gives more power to those of faith who may wish to silence us, oppress us or destroy us both within these religious spaces and out of them.

I want to extend my love and validation to any fellow LGBT+ people out there who also desire to stay in or are currently part of any certain religion, whether you be Christian, Jewish, Muslim or belong to any other faith. There are people out there just like you, and there are resources out there that can allow you to flourish fully and wholly as you are.

This Lent, as many like me take this moment to pause and self-reflect on ourselves, I hope to show through my actions and pure existence that religion and spiritual expression are as much a right to LGBT+ people as they are to others.

(Originally posted in Cal Poly Humboldt's The Lumberjack, an independent student-run newspaper, on March 2, 2022.)

My Visit to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Honolulu, Hawaii

By Jo Ann Williams, Commission for Intercultural Ministries

My husband and I returned from a trip earlier this month to Honolulu where we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. We started our married life in downtown Waikiki where we lived for two years due to my husband's Air Force military career as a young airman assigned to Hickam Air Force Base. We thought it would be just the place to celebrate our wedding anniversary 50 years later.

Prior to our trip, I had researched the websites of the Episcopal churches on the island of Oahu so I could attend a Sunday service while we were there. There are many beautiful churches there with the aloha spirit, but St. Mark's Episcopal Church caught my eye in particular due to the Pride flag on their website. It appealed to me because of its inclusiveness, so I attended a Sunday service there.

I am so glad I chose to attend St. Mark's. For one thing, it is an Episcopal Church in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. This tradition in the Episcopal Church was new to me to experience. The service was very liturgical with liberal use of incense. It was a beautiful Solemn Mass and the music was glorious! The people were friendly.

Here is a link to a video of one of their Solemn Masses: St. Mark's Epiphany 3 Solemn Mass.

St. Mark's mission statement is: "St. Mark's is a growing and inclusive church. We are dedicated to sharing the good news of God in Christ through our celebration of the Sacraments, Liturgy and Music, and by attending in Jesus' Name, to the needs of our members and the wider community. We are a welcoming ohana [family], cherishing our Anglo-Catholic and Hawaiian mission roots, and we rejoice in our diversity."

I encourage you to attend a service at St. Mark's Episcopal Church if you are in Honolulu!

Applications open for committee to discern, search for new LGBTQ+/women’s ministries position

Office of Public Affairs I Posted February 13, 2023

The Episcopal Church Department of Reconciliation, Justice, and Creation Care is seeking volunteers for a discernment and search committee to help cast vision and interview candidates for a new staff officer for LGBTQ+ and women’s ministries. Committee applications close Feb. 28; apply online.

Episcopal laity and clergy with experience in ministry and advocacy around LGBTQ+ and women’s issues are encouraged to consider applying for the committee, which will help craft a vision for the position, solicit and interview candidates, and make hiring recommendations.

Queer and trans elders find overwhelming barriers and discrimination in search of safe housing

Daily KOS I Mikhal Weiner I Posted January 24, 2023

The U.S. is falling short of meeting housing needs, but for LGBTQIA+ elders, finding safe and affordable housing can be a matter of life and death.

As the baby boom generation enters its golden years and average lifespans increase, the U.S. is becoming home to more older adults. In 2019, there were over 74.6 million Americans over the age of 60, according to recent data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS). The agency projects that there will be 80.8 million seniors in the U.S. by 2040, a demographic trend that has particular ramifications for aging transgender people, for whom access to safe and affirming housing is already a critical need.

According to SAGE, a national advocacy organization for LGBTQIA+ elders, there are an estimated 3 million LGBTQIA+ adults over the age of 50 in the U.S., and that number is expected to double by 2030. These adults face more discrimination and experience poorer health outcomes, such as chronic illness, hypertension, and depression, than any other sector of the overall aging population, and those with overlapping marginalizations face even more dire consequences.

Join the virtual listening session by going to https://bit.ly/CTHCZOOM.

Join the School of Theology March 1 for the Rev. Melissa L. Kean, T'19, Memorial Lecture to be given by the Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton. As a Shackan member of the First Nation, Taber-Hamilton represents the Episcopal Church on the board of the Anglican Indigenous Network and is the Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Everett, WA. Her lecture entitled “The Barbie & Pocahontas Dialogues: Healing the Cultural Divide Between Indigenous Episcopalians and the Church,” will take place on Wed., March 1 at 6:30 p.m. CST [4:30 p.m. PT] in Convocation Hall on the campus of the University of the South. The lecture is free and open to the public. All are welcome and encouraged to attend either in person or via livestream webinar. Read more here.

Steps to Land Back: Native Advisory Councils at

Pepperwood Preserve with Clint McKay

Clint McKay speaks about Native Advisory Councils

Increasing Native representation is essential to our restoring relationships to land.

More and more, organizations are building Native Advisory Councils as a way of rebuilding Indigenous sovereignty and strengthening ancestral relationships to our ecosystems for the shared benefit of all.

What does it mean to restore relationships to land? What is a Native Advisory Council?

To answer these questions and more, take a peek at Redbud’s newest film release- Steps to Land Back: Native Advisory Council at Pepperwood Preserve.

Featured in the film is Clint McKay, an enrolled member of the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo and Wappo Indians. He is a basket weaver, a knowledge bearer and serves as the Indigenous Education Coordinator for Pepperwood Preserve, whose mission is to restore Indigenous stewardship and relationship to the land.

As a council leader for Pepperwood’s Native Advisory Council, Clint shares the importance of using “Indigenous ways of knowing” to guide organizational decisions from a cultural lens.

Going Beyond Land Acknowledgements Resource Database

Humboldt Interfaith Fellowship Hope and Healing Service

An Evening of Music and Inspiration

L-R: Ted Hernandez, Father Daniel London, Valletta Molofsky, and Skip Lowry

One way to get to know your Indigenous and other diverse neighbors is to participate in meaningful events with them. The Humboldt Interfaith Fellowship offered a Hope and Healing Service in April 2021 which was MC'ed by Father Daniel London, Rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka.

The Hope and Healing Service began with a healing prayer from Skip Lowry, a Northern California Indigenous descendant of Yurok and then remarks from Ted Hernandez about the Return of Tuluwat.

The event included speakers from the local Yurok and Wiyot communities, the Jewish community, the Sufi community, the Black community (Valletta Molofsky of HC Black Music & Arts), the Baha’i community, and the Christian community.

At the end of the service, the Christ Church Eureka Choir sang Leonard Cohen's song, "Hallelujah" with Father Daniel singing and playing the guitar.

Building an Accessible, Inclusive, and Safe Church with

Julia Ayala Harris

The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry

In this episode of the Way of Love podcast, Bishop Curry talks with Julia Ayala Harris, who was elected president of the House of Deputies by her peers in the House of Deputies at the 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in 2022. She is the first Latina and woman of color to hold the position.

President Ayala Harris has more than two decades of experience working in the nonprofit sector, particularly with faith-based nonprofits, and she holds a Master of Public Administration.

Prior to her election as president of the House of Deputies, she served the church in multiple roles, including on Executive Council as chair of the Joint Standing Committee for

Mission Within the Episcopal Church.

Bishop Curry and President Ayala Harris's discuss her priorities as PHOD, how the faith traditions she grew up in formed her for this role, and also how focusing on accessibility, inclusivity, and safety fosters institutional accountability.

A note of caution for our listeners - this episode contains descriptions of sexual violence that some listeners may find particularly difficult.

Listen to Podcast

Traveling exhibit in Rancho Cordova explores complex history of Japanese internment camps

CBS News Sacramento I Sakura Gray I Posted February 9, 2023

A new traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian has made its way to Rancho Cordova and takes a look at the complex history of World War II Japanese American internment camps.

A star-spangled flag signed by Japanese internment survivors is a complicated part of American history that is often glossed over in school textbooks and is now coming to life at the Mills Station Arts and Culture Center (MACC).

The new exhibit, titled "Righting a Wrong," takes a look at the history and impacts of Executive Order 9066, which led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to follow the way of love that Jesus teaches us, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

We understand that the laws enacted at the federal and state levels impact the systems that operate within our communities. They either contribute to building just systems and the Beloved Community, or they diminish justice and equity within societal systems. As people of faith, we have an opportunity to advocate for laws that are just and help to build the Beloved Community.

The Action Alerts provided below are supported by the General Convention and/or the Executive Committee. Please review these Action Alerts and consider submitting a letter to elected officials encouraging them to support legislation that builds justice and the Beloved Community.

Congress is in session and poised to consider, and even pass, significant legislation that the Episcopal Church is advocating for. It’s imperative that we advocate for these issues that directly affect our efforts to build the Beloved Community in Northern California.

Select the issues that interest you and click on them. You will be taken to The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations Action Alert. There you can easily write to your legislators and advocate for this vital legislation.

The key issues include:

Urge Congress to Support the Equality Act. The Equality Act would help ensure that the dignity of LGBTQ+ persons will be respected in the federal laws of the United States.
Urge Congress to Pass Voting Rights Legislation. We urge Congress to make voting reform a priority in this session by defending and expanding the access to voting, particularly in response to state legislation that marginalizes certain populations.
Actions on Police Reform. Write your members of Congress in support of legislation like the George Floyd Justice in Policing bill from 2021 that would set national standards and attempt to bring about lasting change to the ways that police departments operate.
Tell Congress to Continue Addressing Human Trafficking. Thank Congress for supporting the Abolish Human Trafficking Reauthorization Act, and ask them to please continue to lead on the issue of human trafficking.
Make Lift Every Voice and Sing Our National Anthem. Urge Congress to introduce and support legislation establishing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as the national hymn of the United States.
Support Statehood for D.C. By passing such a bill, Congress can correct a longstanding constitutional deficiency, address a lingering racial injustice (given D.C.’s majority-minority demographics), and further our founding mandate to build a “more perfect union.”
Tell Congress to Help Welcome Our Afghan Allies. Please join us in asking the new Congress to prioritize Afghans, the majority of whom were key allies to the United States in Afghanistan, and to ensure they have the support to rebuild their lives.
Urge Congress to Advance the Study of Reparations. Urge Congress to co-sponsor H.R.40/S.40. This bill received record support in the 117th Congress. Now is the time to pass this legislation. 250 years of slavery followed by 100 years of segregation and discrimination has caused persistent and significant disparities in education, healthcare, and wealth in the white and Black communities. These disparities and multi-generational grievances must be addressed today.

For more information contact Bob Wohlsen, Advocacy Team member, bob.wohlsen@gmail.com

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California

Commission for Intercultural Ministries

Miriam Casey, Co-Chair (edncbbc@gmail.com)

Lynn Zender, Co-Chair (zenderlynn@gmail.com)

Karen Nolan, Sacred Ground Coordinator (norcalcim@gmail.com)

Jo Ann Williams, Editor (bjwilli@surewest.net)

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