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Race relations in Episcopal church
Daybook, from Episcopal News
Service
February 10, 2006 – Friday Forum
Call for Comment: Race
relations in the Episcopal
Church
[ENS] The Anti-Racism Committee
of the Episcopal Church’s
Executive Council, motivated by
the stories and images of the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,
and the profound poverty and
racism it revealed, is praying
that the Episcopal Church will
recommit to addressing
institutional and systemic
racism.
In a recent statement, the
committee expressed concern
about the “apparent linkages
between poverty and racism” and
that “it was predictable that
those who would suffer so much
as a result of Katrina would be
poor, forgotten, marginalized,
and people of color.”
“Beyond the apparent lack of
timely and humane response to
traumatized people desperate for
basics like food, water, and
shelter, the ravages of Katrina
exposed America’s lack of
progress in addressing
institutional and systemic
forces, which continue to
marginalize and oppress people
of color,” the committee’s
statement said.
The full statement is below.
Statement of the Anti-Racism
Committee of the Episcopal
Church’s Executive Council
At our meeting in Atlanta,
Georgia, we devoted part of our
agenda to reflecting on the
plight and pain of the poor,
exposed so graphically by
Hurricane Katrina. Like all
Americans, we were confronted
with horrific media images of
people in New Orleans, mostly
African American, in immediate
and desperate need.
In the context of our work, we
are troubled by apparent
linkages between poverty and
racism. Our view is that it was
predictable that those who would
suffer so much as a result of
Katrina would be poor,
forgotten, marginalized, and
people of color.
Beyond the apparent lack of
timely and humane response to
traumatized people desperate for
basics like food, water and
shelter, we believed, sadly,
that the ravages of Katrina
exposed America’s lack of
progress in addressing
institutional and systemic
forces, which continue to
marginalize and oppress people
of color.
Through the first hand account
of one of our members, we were
heartened to learn of the
generous assistance in the form
of funds, materials, emergency
assistance, and volunteers
flowing from many Episcopalians.
These are reaching those in
need, and appear to be having a
positive impact, and making a
real difference throughout the
Gulf Coast. At the same time, we
were disheartened to hear
anecdotes about some volunteers
selectively asking demeaning
questions of people of color
seeking emergency assistance.
We have often asked, “What would
the Episcopal Church look like
without racism?” In reference to
Katrina, we ask the larger
question, “What would America
look like without racism?” More
specifically, what would the
aftermath of Katrina have looked
like without racism?”
We are convinced that the human
situation would have looked
quite different.
Katrina’s devastation and human
toll played out before us
through the media, making it
impossible to ignore. We pray
the Episcopal Church will
recommit to addressing
institutional and systemic
racism, which, in the end,
impoverish us all.
------------
ENS seeks its readers’ comments
and observations on race
relations today in the Episcopal
Church and how related issues
are viewed.
The ENS staff will appreciate
any and all responses, ideally
prior to February 28.
Please send responses to news@episcopalchurch.org
including “Call for Comment” in
the subject line. Thank you.
------------
SIDEBAR:
Looking ‘past the anger is where
the healing begins’
Diocese of Louisiana anti-racism
team member is more committed
since Katrina
by Daphne Mack
[ENS] “I said that once I get
situated, and because of what I
do for a living, I would come
back and volunteer my services
to help ease the situation,”
said Brenda Thompson, a member
and social worker at Trinity
Church, New Orleans for 16
years.
Thompson, co-chair of the
Diocese of Louisiana’s
Anti-Racism team, along with her
daughter and four grandchildren,
fled New Orleans the day before
Hurricane Katrina. They then
began “aimlessly wondering
through the wilderness like the
children of Israel,” she said.
The experience took them to
Mississippi, Tennessee, Baton
Rouge, and Hammond Louisiana and
to Houston, Texas seeking
assistance and medical
attention. Thompson said the end
result has enabled her to find
greater purpose in the work of
combating racism.
“At just about every place we
ventured to, there were few who
were culturally competent,” she
said. “They all meant well, but
did not know how to effectively
serve others of different
cultures.”
“When I first went there [St.
James Episcopal Church,] some of
the people who were volunteering
weren’t too comfortable with the
people coming in for help,” she
said. “I don’t know what
happened before I came, I
imagine something frightened
them. I [know] I was not getting
anywhere until I started
dropping names and they began to
feel more comfortable.”
It was during this experience,
that she had a chance to watch
the reception that other people
received as they arrived at the
church seeking assistance.
“They [volunteers] were afraid,”
she said. “I can understand
because the news was reporting
that criminals and gangs from
New Orleans were converging on
Baton Rouge, but I was still
appalled at how people were
treated when they came to the
door. Some were even turned
away.”
She added that “a people coming
to the door appearing to be
homeless or not members of the
church were not treated the same
as if they were.”
“There are times that you may
not be able to help, but you can
certainly listen,” she said.
“This experience validated what
our team had talked about.”
The team, TURN (Trinity Un-doing
Racism Network), was created in
compliance with the mandate of
1991 General Convention
resolution D113, which called
the church to a nine year
commitment to address the sin of
racism within the church, world
and society. Two additional
resolutions (A047 and B049) at
the 2000 General Convention
recommitted the Church to
continue its work with
particular emphasis on abuse of
power and privilege, and
required lay and ordained
leadership of the church to take
anti-racism training.
“TURN often talks about how
people of color are treated
differently when they come to
receive services, attend church
services or are just seen in
general by white people,” she
said. “When you don’t know
people, you just believe what
you generally hear.”
She explained that economic
classification does not shield
African Americans from racism.
“Middle class African Americans
still face these same issues and
it does not go away because of
class,” Thompson said. “We are
all grouped together and white
people do not take the
opportunity to get to know the
individual.”
Thompson added many white people
have said they should not be
held accountable for the actions
of their ancestors, but she said
the original injustices are
perpetuated when they hear
disparaging remakes about
African Americans and “allow it
to continue.”
“You have to start having
discussions with some anger,”
she said. “But when you look
past the anger, [that] is where
the healing begins.”
Since returning to New Orleans,
Thompson’s office has provided
services to nearly 400 people
each month. These services
include phone calls, clothing,
food, toys, limited financial
assistance with utility bills,
referrals and taking the time to
listen to their concerns.
She expressed an interest in
seeing the Episcopal Church and
schools of social work in New
Orleans collaborating in the
near future.
“The Episcopal Churches are
doing great things already, and
I plan to meet with Bishop
Jenkins soon so that the church
can work even more effectively
with the citizens of New Orleans
from all cultures,” Thompson
said.
--- Daphne Mack is staff writer
for Episcopal News Service.
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Groups vow support for many faithsCriticism of prayer prompts pledge BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter. Daily Gazette, Schenectady, NY. May 27, 2005 Appalled by one woman's criticism of Muslim prayer during 1onday's Schenectady City council meeting, more than 17 groups .plan to meet at City Hall to-day to pledge their' support for religious tolerance. They have endorsed one statement, which will be read at 1 p.rn. in room no. Afterward, they will answer questions. The Rev. Phillip,Grigsby, executive director of the Schenectady Inner City Ministry, said he and several other religious leaders met to discuss a public statement after Monday's city council meeting. During that meeting, resident Karin Maioriello said the Muslim prayer that was read to open the meeting was inappropriate because Americans are fighting Muslims in Iraq and Mghanistan.
Grigsby said he and others wanted to make it clear that there are many people in Schenectady who do not agree with MaiorieIlo.
The Rev. James Brooks-McDonald of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church added, "It is not that we in the faith community tolerate the practice of many faiths in our community; we celebrate and encourage this diversity." The Rev. Dominic Isopo of. St Luke's Church said today's event should also be the beginning of a discussion about religious intolerance. "It's new for Schenectady, but it's out on the table now. Let's discuss it," he said. "The more these issues are out for public debate, the more opportunity there is for education and healing." Faisal Ahmad, a teacher at the Salaam Mosque in Albany who read the Muslim prayer, agreed. He said he thinks public discussion of the incident has already "turned a bad situation into a learning experience for everyone." The statement was co-written by 12 Christian church leaders, one rabbi, Schenectady Inner City Ministry (SICM), the Schenectady County Human Rights Commission, Schenectady YWCA and the Labor Religion Coalition of the Capital District. The city council will also participate in today's event.
Juvenile
Death Penalty Update PBS: Religon and Ethics Newsweekly KIM LAWTON,
guest anchor: Also this
week, in a 5-to-4
decision, the High Court
ruled that executing
people for crimes they
committed before the age
of 18 is unconstitutional.
This means that the dozens
of people on death row for
crimes committed as
juveniles will now have a
sentence of life in
prison. The case that
brought the issue to the
Supreme Court involved a
young Missouri man named
Chris Simmons. Tim O'Brien
has the story. n a
friend of the court brief,
18 recipients of the Nobel
Peace Prize had urged the
court to rule as it did,
including former
Presidents Jimmy Carter,
Mikhail Gorbachev and Lech
Walesa - also South
Africa's Desmond Tutu and
the Dalai Lama. They told
the court that "the
death penalty for child
offenders is contrary to
internationally accepted
standards of human
rights."
|
ED
KEMP (Jefferson County
Sheriff's Department):
While in the home, the
victim woke up, recognized
both subjects. They bound
her, put her in her own
vehicle, transported her
to a bridge and threw her
over - alive.
O'BRIEN:
The younger boy was
sentenced to life with no
parole. Simmons, 17, got
the death penalty.
Justice
Antonin Scalia penned an
angry dissent, dismissing
the court's majority
opinion as nothing more
than "the subjective
views of five members of
this court and like-minded
foreigners." Scalia,
joined by Justices Thomas
and the ailing Chief
Justice William Rehnquist,
said the views of the
international community
should have no bearing on
what the U.S. Constitution
means.
Dr.
RATNER: And in a
nutshell, it is that the
brain has not really
matured; you do not really
have an adult brain until
you are in your early 20s.
Lugar Condemns Plan To Jail Detainees for Life
Reuters
Monday, January 3, 2005; Page
A02
Washington Post
THE SIMMONS ARGUMENT AT SCOTUS (The Supreme Court of the US)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29955-2004Oct13.html
Episcopalians join Mideast Interfaith Peace-builders Delegation
Church leaders meet Blair in third NCC-led peace delegation