Conversations about race
Vestry member Cynthia Prosek coordinates small-group discussions that dig deeply into how white culture has promoted systemic racism and what followers of Christ can do to repair the damage. Sign up to take part in these discussions.
A compendium of books, articles, and other resources
“I can’t breathe,” George Floyd repeated many times in the last 8 minutes and 46 seconds of his life. Those words describe perfectly the way many people of color see their lives in this society. That George Floyd died in police custody on our very street, seven blocks south of Mount Olive, adds special immediacy for our faith community. But outrage and grief are not sufficient. Acting and learning how to remake a world in which all God’s precious children can breathe safely and freely, that’s our task. Our prayer is that these readings might invite a new beginning.
Syllabus: 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge
The Syllabus: 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge, from the American Bar Association’s Section of Labor and Employment Law, is designed to “advance deeper understandings of the intersections of race, power, privilege, supremacy and oppression….The goal of the Challenge is to assist each of us to become more aware, compassionate, constructive, engaged people in the quest for racial equity.” While many of the resources in this syllabus focus on the Black community’s experiences, other communities of color and sexuality are similarly affected.
The syllabus covers a range of resources in varying media (articles, videos, podcasts, etc.) and of varying length (many taking 15-30 minutes). While it’s presented as a 21-day challenge, you may find more benefit in taking a slower pace and mulling over each learning before moving on to another.
Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting
Science fiction author John Scalzi posted Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is on his blog in May 2012, and unfortunately, it remains all too relevant today. If you’re not at least somewhat familiar with video and/or role-playing card games, you may not get as much out of the extended metaphor as those who do, but the gist of the argument should be clear. As Scalzi says, it’s “a way to explain to straight white men how life works for them, without invoking the dreaded word ‘privilege’ to which they react like vampires being fed a garlic tart at high noon.”
Here are a few follow-up posts that may also be of interest:
