The Anti-Racism Commission's monthly newsletter goes out to all ARC supporters and training participants. Please forward it to others who might benefit from our resources and workshops. And check out our blog site for past articles, training information and ongoing resources.

Sat. Aug. 24, 2024 from 9 am to 12 pm on Zoom

Fee: $20. Scholarships are available, especially for postulants and candidates for ordination. Email arc@diopa.org.

This training explores the multi-layered manifestations of prejudice, privilege, race, and systemic racism. The next training is Racism and Identity on Sep. 28.

The Anti-Racism Commission's anti-racism training series is facilitated by Lailah Dunbar-Keeys and designed to help participants understand the historic creation, preservation, and personal and institutional effects of a society built upon ideas of racial difference, which in turn support an unjust, racially based hierarchy.

Anti-racism trainings are mandatory for clergy and open to all. Completion of all 5 trainings over 2 years meets the initial clergy requirement for anti-racism education. Email arc@diopa.org to obtain a certificate of completion. For more information, questions or concerns, please email arc@diopa.org.

Download, print, and share this flyer with anyone you think would be interested in anti-racism training.

If you have a mind and heart and the skill to facilitate, and if you have taken ARC's anti-racism trainings, please consider volunteering to be a breakout room facilitator for ARC's anti-racism trainings, which are on Saturday mornings on Zoom. Email arc@diopa.org to learn more.

ARC Suggests Reading: The Color of Christ

The Rev. Barbara Ballenger, ARC Co-Chair

A discussion that often comes up during ARC's anti-racism trainings is the way God, and especially Jesus, is depicted in our parishes' stained glass windows, art and publications. What effect do these images have on people's ability to see themselves reflected in Sacred imagery, especially when Jesus is usually imaged as a White, European man? Why is the 1941 image of the The Head of Jesus by Warner Sallman so ubiquitous in our churches? Has Jesus always been pictured this way in the American imagination?

In The Color of Christ: The Son of God and the Saga of Race in America, (University of North Carolina Press, 2012) Edward Blum and Paul Harvey explore how the ubiquitous images of Jesus in American churches got to be that way. They discuss how English Puritans banned visual depictions of Jesus, ensuring that the colonial era had no authoritative image of Jesus. They investigate how visionaries of varied ethnic and cultural backgrounds in the 18th and 19th centuries imagined Jesus, and how enslaved people pictured him. They look at how the White depictions we have today took shape in the 19th century, especially after the Civil War, in mass-produced books, and then in film and mass media. And they help readers to think critically about the images that we use today, and the choices we might yet make.

I first read the book in seminary. But the discussion really belongs in our parishes and deaneries. As our parishes explore their call to make themselves spaces that are racially just and inclusive, exploring an honest history of what has shaped these spaces is an important place to begin. This readable and interesting book is a worthwhile read in parish book groups, and can help inform our assessment of the images on our windows and walls, as well as how we might adorn our worship and gathering spaces, our social media sites, and our publications in the future.

If you purchase the book, I recommend ordering from a local Black-owned bookstore. ARC often purchases from Uncle Bobbie's and Harriett's bookstores. The Philadelphia Inquirer ran this list in 2020. 

Email arc@diopa.org and let us know what resources would help you in your anti-racism work. Visit our blog The ARC for more anti-racism resources.

Talking with Youth About Race Using Resources from the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Meredith Wiggins, Commission Member

Talking with your youth groups about race? Looking to integrate modern social issues into your study of scripture with teens? The National Museum of African American History and Culture’s website will help you have a rich conversation. 

Begin with the page Talking About Race. It will lead you to topical pages: Social Identities and Systems of Oppression, Community Building, and Being Antiracist. Each one of these pages has effective and thoughtful short video clips, always an effective teaching tool with kids, plus information and talking points that would make a terrific youth class.

Pair a discussion of the Beatitudes with some material from Social Identities and Systems of Oppression, such as the power and privilege worksheet, which lets each person look at the power associated with different parts of their social identity. There are short videos on power, intersectionality, and the suppression of Native American identities. They could instantly move the discussion into a deep look at current social structures that impede kingdom values.

When unpacking the parable of the Good Samaritan, take a look at the Being Antiracist page, which has 3 great short videos on implicit bias that help us think deeply about our individual roles in becoming Beloved Community.  

There are Learning Labs on all kinds of topics that are designed as teacher resources. Take a look!

By helping teens learn to talk with each other about race in a safe context, we prepare them to have more impactful discussions at home, at school, and in the workplace. More importantly, we help them broaden their friendships and live their faith in meaningful ways.

The Anti-Racism Book Club at Holy Comforter in Drexel Hill

Tuesdays at 4 pm on Zoom

Free and open to all.

To join, email sperrone21@outlook.com.

The Anti-Racism Book Club at Church of the Holy Comforter in Drexel Hill meets on Zoom every Tuesday at 4 pm. Through selected readings, experiences, and discussions, and with God’s help, book club members hope to come to terms with their own feelings of complicity and to find a responsible way to respond to what they have learned about the virulence of racism and the experience of other cultures in the United States. The Anti-Racism Book Club extends a warm welcome to readers outside of the Holy Comforter congregation who wish to learn and grow in community. If you're looking for regular engagement in discussion, dialogue, in-person activities, and fellowship, and would like to join the Anti-Racism Book Club, contact its coordinator Stephen Perrone (sperrone21@outlook.com).

Racial Justice Resolutions Passed at the 81st General Convention

At the 81st General Convention in Louisville, KY, several resolutions that address a wide range of racial justice and reconciliation issues received approval from both houses and passed. Miguel Bustos, Manager for Racial Justice and Reconciliation, said this demonstrates the church’s “persistent commitment to resolving racial disparities and building a community based on love and justice… The Beloved Community—a vision of a world where all people are cherished and loved—is still an aspirational ideal that necessitates constant commitment and work… The resolutions are more than just symbolic gestures; they are actionable pledges that necessitate our personal participation and ongoing effort… As we move forward, remember that our job is founded on love. Love for God, love for one another, and love of justice.” Learn more.

Confronting Christian Nationalism

Mon. Jul. 29 from 7 to 9 pm at All Saints Episcopal Church, Hershey, PA

Learn more.

Monthly Gathering for Racial Justice Leaders

Wed. Aug. 7 at 3 pm on Zoom

Learn more.

Mission Advocacy, Racial Justice, and Reconciliation Retreat

Aug. 9-11 at Trinity Church Wall Street, New York, NY

Learn more.

Sacred Ground Facilitators of Color Support Network Webinar

Sat. Sep. 14 at 1 pm on Zoom

To register, email Krista Bradley (kristabrad25@gmail.com) or Jo Ann Williams (bjwilli@surewest.net). Learn more.

Sacred Ground Fall Webinar Kickoff with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

Sat. Sep. 17 from 1 to 2:30 pm on Zoom

Learn more.

Summit on Truth-telling and Reparations

Sep. 19-21 at the Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, VA

This summit is a crucial gathering for Episcopal lay and clergy leaders engaged in reparations and truth-telling ministries, so they can share strategy, best practices, resources, prayers and encouragement with one another. If your diocese, congregation or organization is in any way engaged in the work of racial truth-telling and reparations – unearthing and naming historic racial injustices, reckoning with systemic harm, discerning what constitutes healing and repair, and/or working toward concrete plans toward reparations and repair – please plan to join. Learn more.

Join the Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice

The Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice is a voluntary association of Episcopal dioceses, parishes, organizations, and individuals dedicated to the work of becoming the beloved community. All groups and individuals at every level of the church who faithfully engage in the work of truth-telling, reckoning, and healing for racial equity, justice, and the dismantling of White supremacy are invited to join the Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice by completing an online questionnaire and signing on. Learn more.

Download, print, and share this flyer with anyone you think would be interested in ARC's virtual anti-racism training and racial healing circles, and in-person workshops like Singing the African American Spirituals with Integrity or ARC's playback theatre workshop series Telling Our Stories.

The Anti-Racism Commission was created by diocesan convention resolution in 2005 with the mandate “to affect the systemic and institutional transformation in the diocese away from the sin of racism and toward the fulfillment of the Gospel and the baptismal mandate to strive for justice and respect the dignity of all persons.” Consisting of 12 members, a mix of clergy and lay and persons of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, the commission aims to increase awareness of the history and legacy of racism in our country and to engage members of the diocese in dismantling its effects. To learn more about how ARC can help your parish engage in the work of racial justice and repair, contact The Rev. Barbara Ballenger (barbballenger@gmail.com) or The Rev. Ernie Galaz (frernie@christchurchmedia.org), ARC co-chairs.

Photo: Mural painted by artist Walter Edmonds in the nave of the George W. South Memorial Church of the Advocate (1801 W Diamond St., Philadelphia).