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.

Racism and History

Sat. Mar. 29, 2025 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 ways in which systemic racism was created over time through laws, policies and practices. We will consider selected laws, policies and practices, while examining the ways in which our society has been continuously shaped by them. The next training is Introduction to Systemic Racism on Apr. 26, 2025.

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.

Celebrating The Life and Ministry of Blessed Absalom Jones

Sat. Feb. 8, 2025 from 10 to 11:30 am at Episcopal Academy (Chapel)

1785 Bishop White Drive, Newtown Square, PA 19073

Reserve a spot at the diocesan service celebrating the life and ministry of the Blessed Absalom Jones featuring guest speaker Dr. Catherine Meeks. Learn more.

Celebration of Absalom Jones

Sun. Feb. 9, 2025 at 10 am at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas

6361 Lancaster Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19151

Join the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in welcoming Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church The Most Reverend Sean W. Rowe. Learn more.

Get to Know the Anti-Racism Commission

• The Diocesan Anti-Racism Commission: A Resource for Racial Justice and Repair (5 mins) Featuring: ARC Co-Chairs The Rev. Barbara Ballenger and The Rev. Ernie Galaz, Commission Member The Rev. Andrea Gardner, and Friend of ARC James Massey

Photo: The Rev. Andrea Gardner, Anti-Racism Commission Member, talks about participating in ARC anti-racism trainings and Kusanya racial healing circles in The Diocesan Anti-Racism Commission: A Resource for Racial Justice and Repair

Incorporating Anti-Racism into Your Spiritual Practice

• Resurrection Hope: A Future Where Black Lives Matter by Kelly Brown Douglas
• Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman
• The Night Is Long But Light Comes in the Morning: Meditations for Racial Healing by Catherine Meeks
• Preaching Black Lives (Matter) Edited by Gayle Fisher-Stewart

Examining Institutional Racism

• The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
• One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy by Carol Anderson
• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
• Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet A. Washington
• Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla Saad
• 13th Directed by Ava DuVernay (100 mins)

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.

A Monthly Gathering of Racial Justice Leaders

Wed. Mar. 5 at 3 pm on Zoom

Free and open to all

RSVP to receive the Zoom link for all upcoming meetings.

Calling all diocesan racial justice leaders! On the first Wednesday of each month, racial justice leaders and practitioners from dioceses throughout The Episcopal Church gather to discuss pressing issues, exchange best practices, and illuminate the diverse ministries making an impact across our church. This platform is not just a meeting but a sanctuary for ideas, strategies, and mutual support. For more information, please contact The Rev. Miguel Bustos, Manager for Racial Justice and Reconciliation, at mbustos@episcopalchurch.org.

Prayer for the Church

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.

From the Book of Common Prayer, Prayers for the Church (7). Other prayers for racial justice can be found on our blog The ARC.

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.