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 website for past articles, training information and ongoing resources. | | Playback Theatre Workshop Series | | Telling Our Stories: Healing the Wounds of Racism, Becoming Beloved Community | | |
In 4 interactive sessions of theater and discussion, participants see themselves in one another’s stories of race and racism as they are brought to life on stage by members of Playback For Change, a multi-racial, improvisational theatre company based in Philadelphia dedicated to using Playback Theatre as a vehicle for social change.
Audience members’ real stories become the source material. The performance is spontaneous - it is theater created through a unique collaboration between performers and audience. Someone from the audience tells a story or moment from their life, chooses actors to play the different roles, then watches as their story is immediately recreated on “stage.” Learn more.
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Sat. Oct. 11, 2025 from 2 to 4:30 pm at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas
6361 Lancaster Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19151
A performance for Black people, Indigenous people and Non-Black People of Color to come together to face their legacy of internalized racism and colorism, and to promote healing and community building as they affirm their resilience.
| | ARC Anti-Racism Trainings | | Racism and Active Accountability | | |
Sat. Oct. 25, 2025 from 9 am to 12 pm on Zoom
Fee: $20. Scholarships are available, especially for postulants and candidates for ordination. Email diopaarc@gmail.com.
| | This training will challenge us to think about the ways in which we can be actively accountable for identifying, resisting, and responding to the racism that shows up in our lives and the institutions in which we participate. We will explore various ways to act, resist and transform systemic racism to create anti-racist environments. | | |
The Anti-Racism Commission's anti-racism training series is facilitated by Lailah Dunbar-Keeys, M.S., M.Ed. 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. For more information, questions or concerns, please email diopaarc@gmail.com.
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Sat. Nov. 1, 2025 from 10 am to 1 pm at Calvary-St. Augustine
814 North 41st Street Philadelphia, PA 19104
Free and open to anyone who self-identifies as African American
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Sat. Nov. 8, 2025 from 10 am to 1 pm at St. Augustine of Hippo
1208 Green St, Norristown, PA 19401
Free and open to anyone who self-identifies as African American
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The Anti-Racism Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is offering racial healing circles facilitated by Lailah Dunbar-Keeys, M.S., M.Ed.
Grounded in historical, cultural, sociological, and spiritual understanding, racial healing circles will provide a safe space for small groups of like-minded people to share their stories about the challenging realities of systemic racism. Learn more.
For questions about ARC's racial healing circles, or if you are interested in hosting a racial healing circle for people who identify as African American at your church, please email The Rev. Andrea Gardner (deaconandreagardner@gmail.com).
| | Around the Diocese of Pennsylvania | | Singing the African American Spirituals with Integrity | | A workshop for clergy, musicians, and congregants | | |
Sat. Nov. 22, 2025 from 2 to 5 pm at St. David's Episcopal Church
763 South Valley Forge Rd, Wayne, PA 19087
Open to all
Tickets: $20. Scholarships are available. Email diopaarc@gmail.com.
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Clinicians:
Ruth Naomi Floyd
Dr. Jay Fluellen
Carrie Lessene
Dr. Thomas Lloyd
Guest Choir:
Intermezzo Choir Ministry, Carrie Lessene, Director
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This workshop is offered for church musicians, clergy, and lay people who seek to learn more about how to introduce the repertoire of the African American Spirituals to their choirs and congregations. During the first part of the workshop, the four clinicians will take turns modeling how they teach the Spirituals to their adult, youth, and children’s choirs, as well as to their congregations.
Music for these selections will be provided to attendees as part of the workshop. Special attention will be given to the historical context of the music, and the ways in which those who are not direct descendants of the enslaved people who originated the Spirituals can develop their own authentic connection to the music with respect and integrity. The afternoon will conclude with a short service of singing, prayer, and a homily.
| Photo: Clinician Dr. Jay Fluellen, Organist/Choir Director, African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, taught several different versions of the Spiritual "I Want to Be Ready" at Singing the African American Spirituals with Integrity on Oct. 5, 2024 at St. Peter's Glenside. |
| Reckoning, Reform, Reconciliation | | 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 (stpeter654rector@gmail.com) or The Rev. Ernie Galaz (frernie@christchurchmedia.org), ARC co-chairs. | | Photos: Local people of faith and goodwill gathered to participate in the Interfaith Procession and Vigil in Solidarity with Our Immigrant Neighbors on Sep. 14, 2025 in Norristown. The event was sponsored by the Anti-Racism Commission and planned by local clergy and faith leaders as a response to heightened Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the region. Read more: Pennsylvania faith leaders, community unite in interfaith vigil for immigrants. | | | | |
