July 1, 1991, carnegie newsletter

Page 1

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NEWSLETTER SO1 i h i n

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R . C . (604)605-2289

Y,OlJT-'FTHE J!J!ll!WLE" them a;e :

I am w r i t i n g i n response t o t h e q u e r i e s about F i r s t United Church and i n s u p p o r t of C h r i s Downing's l e t t e r i n t h e last newsletter. C h r i s i s a woman w i t h g u t s . When s h e c h a l l e n g e d u s on s t a f f a t F i r s t United Church about racism s h e was t a k i n g a chance. How many of us w h i t e m i d d l e - c l a s s people l i k e t o f a c e up t o o u r i g n o r a n c e and p r e j u d i c e ? Well, some of u s w h i t e middle-class t y p e s did hear on s t a f f and on t h e board what C h r i s and J a c k i e and Tracy a r e s a y i n g about r a c i s m and c l a s s i s m , and we j o i n e d them i n naming t h e i s s u e s and w a n t i n g t o change t h i n g s . Things have changed a l r i g h t but n o t f o r t h e b e t t e r . S t a f f have been f i r e d , have become ill o r have q u i t . And t h e community worker group i s no l o n g e r i n existence. What a r e t h e q u e s t i o n s b e i n g asked t h a t l e d t o t h e c r i s i s ? Well, some of

- why i s n ' t t h e r e community r e p r e s e n t a t i o n on t h e church governing board (Oversight Board)? - why do w h i t e middle-class p e o p l e who d o n ' t l i v e anywhere n e a r t h e downtown a r e a and who a r e n ' t even c l o s e t o b e i n g p o o r g e t t o make a l l t h e r u l e s about what s e r v i c e s poor people g e t ? - why a r e w h i t e m i d d l e - c l a s s people running s e r ~ i c e s / ~ r o g r a mwhen s the people coming through t h e d o o r s a r e mostly N a t i v e ? - why i s i t okay t o c r i t i c i z e g o v t . p o l i c i e s f o r b e i n g r a c i s t and opp r e s s i v e t o poor pebpI.e and n o t okay t o examine o u r own o r g a n i z a t ions? Because t h e r e h a s been such f o r c e f u l and s w i f t s t a f f changes a t FUC and because some of u s have been a b l e t o speak o u t about i t , many p e o p l e a r e now aware t h a t t h e FUC a d m i n i s t r a t i o n


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