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 our website for past articles, training information and ongoing resources.

Photo: 25 people attended Introduction to Movement Chaplaincy, a program facilitated by Melissa Berkey-Gerard, MDiv, that prepared clergy and faith leaders to offer pastoral presence and support at a protest, on June 23, 2026 at St. John’s Church at Diocesan Center, Norristown.

Introduction to Systemic Racism

Sat. Aug. 22, 2026 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 explores the multi-layered manifestations of prejudice, privilege, race, and systemic racism. The next training will be Racism and Identity on Sep. 26.

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.

KUSANYA: "The Gathering"

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).

Deep Dive into Institutional Racism

• Dear White Christians: For Those Still Longing for Racial Reconciliation by Jennifer Harvey
• Episcopalians and Race by Gardiner H. Shattuck, Jr.
• Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet A. Washington
• The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap by Mehrsa Baradaran
• The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
• #RACEAND Webinar Series by Race Forward

Email diopaarc@gmail.com and let us know what resources would help you in your anti-racism work. Visit our website for more anti-racism resources.

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, email ARC co-chairs Ernie Dixon (marzelldixon@icloud.com) and The Rev. Ernie Galaz (frernie@christchurchmedia.org).