Rev. C. John Thompson-Quartey
“Will you strive for justice and peace among all people; and respect the dignity of every human being?”…. “I will, with God’s help”.
It is only with God’s help that we are able to accomplish anything of significance for humanity. I am a proud Episcopalian (in fact, a cradle Anglican), member of the Diocesan Anti-Racism Team for the past six years and co-chair of the Anti-Racism Commission for the past two. My pride in the Episcopal Church stems from the centrality of the baptismal covenant in our corporate life of worship. It is in the baptismal covenant that we claim our new identity. As Joe Barndt aptly put it (at the recent diocesan Anti-Racism conference), we all received a new name at our baptism: “Anti-Racist”. And if we are to live into our baptismal covenant, then we have to claim this divinely given name and rid ourselves of all the other labels that society has given us. Barndt also argues that as children of God, we are all from the same family: God’s family. But how do we go about claiming this new identity and living into our baptismal covenant?
In the eleventh chapter of his excellent book on Becoming an Anti-Racist Church, Barndt gets down to the business of giving us concrete blocks with which to build our new path into the beloved community of God. It wasn’t enough that he should ground our need to resist the sin of racism in scriptures, and make it a “mandate” from God. In fact, he goes further to claim that “Organizing is a Divine Calling”. Barndt states that throughout human history, God has organized the marginalized and the disenfranchised to stand against injustice and oppression. The call of Moses to lead the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, was divine organizing. Moses was told to gather the elders among the people to organize and plan an exit strategy. When Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee choosing his disciples, he too was organizing them to be able to resist the evil, oppressive Roman governmental machinery, and the distorted temple worship. Racism is one of the evils that have plagued the Christian Church for many generations, and the Episcopal Church is no exception. Racism dehumanizes a person because it says to them that they are less than the image of God imprinted on them at creation. Racism strips us of our dignity! Barndt distinguishes between individual prejudice and institutional racism, and challenges the Church to recognize and name the sin of racism for what it is. He further argues that “When institutions are left to evolve and change without careful guidance, they will change chaotically and eventually break down or wear out like a car without maintenance.” Intentional organizing is necessary for a successful transformation!
Barndt lays out a strategy and a road map to becoming an anti-racist multicultural church through effective organizing and building a critical mass through education, motivation, agitation, the provision of technical assistance, and the empowerment of the converted.
The Good news is that we in the diocese of New Jersey began this transformation into becoming an anti-racist multicultural church some fifteen years ago! With the fervent support of our bishop and the financial backing of our convention, many people in this diocese have come to a common understanding of the sin of racism, and we have begun the work of dismantling this evil within our hearts and in our churches. But we cannot be complacent and think we’ve done enough, for the evil one lurks around, waiting for a moment to destroy all that we have accomplished so far; thus Paul’s admonishment at the beginning of the chapter is very timely. I believe we can accomplish the colossal task of dismantling racism and becoming an ant-racist multicultural church only with God’s help.
Response 2
Reginald Whitman
Joseph Barndt’s “goal of this chapter is to help us put on the whole armor of God by increasing our organizing skill in order to help the church shape a new anti-racist identity” (P. 169).
I have been a lay member of The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey for the past 31 years. On February 6, 2000, an item in our parish church’s Sunday service leaflet announced that Crossroads Ministry would be conducting a workshop at a near-by parish entitled “Analyzing and Understanding Systemic Racism”. The workshop seemed to be just what I needed if I was to begin to understand and to help dismantle the unjust double standard that exists for white people and people of color as a result of racism. With some apprehension, I went along to the 2 ½ day workshop, together with some 30 or so clergy, lay, males, females, people of color and white folks from across the diocese. At its conclusion each attendee was asked whether or not they would make a long-term commitment to anti-racism work in the diocese and become a member of an Anti-Racism Team (ART) for the diocese. I made this commitment and have been working as a member of the team in various capacities for the past 11 years.
Toward “The Organizing Task”, here is a review of the anti-racist mission, organization structure and activity being shaped in the diocese (150 churches and missions). The diocese’s Anti-Racism Commission (ARC) was born out of a period of racial tension in the mid to late 1990’s. Its 12 members consist of appointees made by the Bishop (4), Black Clergy Caucus (6) and Hispanic Caucus (2) and are funded from the diocesan budget approved by Diocesan Convention. Starting in 1997 ARC members began developing relationships with Joe Barndt and Crossroads Ministry, an interfaith and community based anti-racism training organization; in July 2000 Diocesan Council approved the long range plan to develop an Anti-Racism Team (ART), which was endorsed by Diocesan Convention in March 2001.
Toward Team development, 21 members of the ART completed prescribed phases of Crossroads anti-racism training in March 2001. Through each phase the team continued to deepen its knowledge and understanding of racism, and an analysis of the situation enabled the ARC and ART to articulate a Twenty-Year Vision for the diocese:
Our Twenty-Year Vision for the Diocese of New Jersey
(Adopted by Diocesan Council, September 2001)
The Diocese of New Jersey is recognized as a part of the Body of Christ because its congregations joyfully celebrate their anti-racist, multicultural, embodiment of Christ’s love.
The Diocese provides intentional leadership in dismantling racism in the wider community by modeling the sharing of power and mutual respect, among all people, at all levels of diocesan life. Its mission, structures, policies, and practices are used to perpetuate an anti-racist identity.
The Diocese’s anti-racist way of living together through its values of justice and equality is seen as a model for change and a sign of hope.
Based on the Twenty-Year Vision, Five-Year Goals and Two-Year Objectives were established which serve as milestones for the work of the Commission and Team. The team has now grown to 100+ members who have attended at least one 2 ½ day anti-racism training workshop. Initially the ARC was able to offer members of the diocese two or three 2 ½ and/or 3 ½ day trainings per year, but due to budget constraints only one training workshop can be offered this year. It is at the training workshops that the team and members of the diocese deepen their knowledge and understanding of: the sin of racism, training techniques, analysis and strategy development, and organizing to create an anti-racist institution. The organizing strategy of training the diocese is to eventually reach a “tipping point” where a significant number of persons who have learned “the analysis” and begun to claim an anti-racist identity can work to effect transformational change of the institution.
Ten ART members are experienced trainers, and ten additional members are gaining trainer skills, to provide a 2-hour introductory anti-racism program developed by the ART (“Ending Racism in the 21st. Century”) to parishes and missions, diocesan committees, and elected offices (required by the Bishop), episcopate and parish search committees, and diocesan youth events. Deacons in training are required to attend a 2 ½ day anti-racism training workshop. ARC has sponsored four biennial Diocesan Anti-Racism Conferences with nationally recognized guest speakers. The ARC provides monthly reports to the Bishop and Diocesan Council and annual reports to Diocesan Convention and Province 2.
The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey has made significant progress, now entering Stage 4 - “Identity Change – An Anti-Racist Church”, on the “Continuum on Becoming an Anti-Racist Multi-Cultural Church” (p. 149) and still has a considerable way to go before transforming into an anti-racist multi-cultural church. To pursue our Vision is the key to success; we must persevere, be persistent, and at the same time, be flexible. There will be new and creative ideas to develop along the way with setbacks and challenges that must be met. Armed with the Twenty-Year Vision, and led by our beloved Bishop, who is passionate about exposing and combating the sin of racism, our diocese will continue to “strive for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being” (BCP p. 305).
