An Anti-Racism Resource for the Churches of the Holston Annual Conference

An Anti-Racism Resource for the Churches of The Holston Annual Conference

Table of Contents Bishop’s Pledge More Effective Anti-Racism Campaign ................................................. Jim Patterson, UMNS Renewed Vigor in the Fight Against Racism ................................................................... Jim Patterson, UM A Word from the Editor .................................................................................................. Rev. Terry Goodman Do All Lives Really Matter? ............................................................................................. Rev. Joshua Swanson I. Still. Can’t Breathe........................................................................................................ Rev. Leah Burns We Need to Know the Story Behind the Name .............................................................. Rev. Terry Goodman What does The United Methodist Church say about racism? ........................................ Ask the UMC Article Unsnarling US and church racial history ......................................................................... Heather Hahn, UMNS A Glossary of Terms ....................................................................................................... Rev. Terry Goodman Racism and Latinos: The wall of separation and fear ..................................................... Rev. David Maldonado

This publication is a resource of The Holston Annual Conference, created by a collaboration between the Office of Clergy Services and the Conference Communications. Information in this resource was originally published in July 2020 and October 2020 editions of The Clergy Connexion. This quarterly publication is produced by the Office of Clergy Services for the pastors of the annual conference. However, this material is relevant to more than just the clergy. Therefore, it has been reformatted to be shared with the laity and the churches of the annual conference.

All questions or comments should be directed to Rev. Terry Goodman at clergyservices@holston.org

The placard on the cover says what I feel: “I understand that I will never understand. However, I stand.�

This resource will not change where you have come from and who you are as a result of your life story. I hope, however, that it will, in some way, make you think about where you are going from this point forward. I have a lot of learning and growing to do in my own life. I suspect that many of us also have similar growing edges.

Let this material engage you and let it begin to change you. That is my hope and prayer.

Rev. Terry Goodman

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

Let me begin with the obvious. I am a privileged white man that has experienced little to no discrimination in my life. I come from a middle class, East Tennessee background. I went to an elementary school, grades 1-8, that had no persons of color. I had no neighbors of color. My high school had few persons of color. That is where I come from. That does not, however, have to determine where I am going.

Bishops pledge more effective anti-racism campaign

By Jim Patterson June 19, 2020 UM News This time will be different, vowed United Methodist bishops participating in an online launch of a new anti-racism campaign on a day set apart for commemorating the end of slavery.

“I will not lead or participate in another effort full of ‘sound and fury, signifying nothing,’” said Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi of the Western Pennsylvania Conference during the announcement of the campaign on Juneteenth (June 19), a significant day in the history of slavery. The announcement was broadcast on UMC.org/EndRacism and Facebook.

“The lives of my people, of all people of color who have been systematically disrespected, disregarded and extinguished by the sin of racism are too important to settle for anything … less than uncompromising action in dismantling racism,” she said.

The new program, “Dismantling Racism: Pressing on to Freedom,” is a multi-agency effort that includes participation from the Commission on Religion and Race, the Council of Bishops, United Methodist Women, Discipleship Ministries, the Board of Church and Society and United Methodist Communications. Other agencies and many annual conferences are contributing.

“We come to you intentionally on this day, June 19, a day known to many as Juneteenth,” said Bishop Gregory V. Palmer of the Ohio West Conference.

On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger announced in Galveston, Texas, that the Civil War had ended and that those who had been enslaved were now free. It was 2½ years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

“Today, on this Juneteenth, 2020, we wanted to initiate another focal point for conversation,” Palmer said. “A conversation about the hope for the movement that is afoot in our midst. It is a conversation about the resolve necessary to make sure that this time it is different. And it is a conversation that says, with resolve, ‘Enough is enough.’ But it is a conversation that will not settle for mere words, for empty pious platitudes. For we believe that without works, faith is dead.”

Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton of the New York Conference, said the “Dismantling Racism: Pressing on to Freedom” campaign would be “an intentional spiritually guided journey from this Juneteenth to a gathering in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in late August-early September 2021.”

The top legislative assembly of The United Methodist Church, General Conference, is

scheduled to meet Aug. 31-Sept. 10, 2021, in Minneapolis. George Floyd died May 25 in that city after a police officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than 8 minutes.

“We’re inviting you into a journey … that’s designed to stimulate you with frequent events — worship services, town halls, book studies, resources and honest conversations — that we believe can create a movement for lasting change,” Bickerton said.

The new movement should incorporate “deep and unwavering love for neighbor,” said Louisiana Conference Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey, president of the Council of Bishops.

“It’s the convergence of economic hardship, the lack of adequate health care, broken systems, antiquated structures, police brutality, the absence of accountability, the continuance of white privilege and power, all combining into a mass outpouring with one clear message: “Enough is enough.’”

Bishop Bruce R. Ough of the DakotasMinnesota Area, said real difference can occur when white people support Black Lives Matter and are willing to listen also to the voices of black, Asian, Native Americans and Latinx.

“It must be different this time and we together must make sure that the headline remains constant as we press on to freedom,” Ough said. “As people of faith we have to take the lead, carry the banner and keep pressing on to freedom.”

Patterson is a UM News reporter in Nashville, Tennessee. Contact him at 615-742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

Renewed vigor in the fight against racism

By Jim Patterson June 17, 2020 - UM News United Methodists should focus on dismantling racism in the church as a step toward doing so in the entire world, said a bishop who is involved in a major new antiracism initiative by the church.

“We do live in hope,” said Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi of the Western Pennsylvania Conference. “We do believe that there will be a day when we will dismantle racism.”

The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church recognize racism as a sin and commit to challenging unjust systems of power and access.

The new program, “Dismantling Racism: Pressing on to Freedom,” launches this month. It is a multi-agency effort that includes participation from the Commission on Religion and Race, the Council of Bishops, United Methodist Women, Discipleship Ministries, the Board of Church and Society and United Methodist Communications. Other agencies and many annual conferences are contributing to the effort.

The campaign begins June 19, to coincide with Juneteenth, the commemoration of the end of slavery in the U.S. An announcement from members of the United Methodist Council of Bishops will be broadcast that day at 11 a.m. Central time on UMC.org/EndRacism and Facebook.

Louisiana Area Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey, president of the Council of Bishops and the first Hispanic woman to hold that post, will participate in that event with Moore-Koikoi and other bishops.

"Words are great, words are important — but action is really important," said Harvey. "Pick up your pen, pick up your voice, pick up your feet and do something."

The campaign will include local and national worship services, town hall meetings, online courses and other resources. A national advertising campaign on social media and news websites across the U.S. directs viewers to the UMC.org/EndRacism website for information and resources. The campaign, launched by United Methodist Communications, includes digital billboards in Atlanta, Minneapolis, Houston and Louisville.

Advocacy and worship resources will seek to equip leaders, members and the public to be a part of the campaign. Materials will be available in English, Korean, Spanish, French and Portuguese translations.

The Council of Bishops is asking United Methodists to read about antiracism and speak

with children, youth and adults about the subject. They also request that United Methodists join in prayer for at least 30 days at 8:46 a.m. and 8:46 p.m. for 8:46 minutes, the length of time a Minneapolis police officer held his knee on the neck of George Floyd, killing the 46-year-old African American.

The deaths of African Americans in police custody have sparked protests all over the U.S. and beyond, with some escalating to looting and riots. Floyd’s death on May 25 has in particular aroused dissent.

“When I first saw the video, a knot in the pit of my stomach, a feeling of dread came over me,” said Erin M. Hawkins, top executive of the Commission on Religion and Race. “It was just another link in a chain of violence against black people, and particularly black men. … The thing that that came to my mind was, ‘Oh no, not again.’”

Many people are upset at the abuses black people suffer but don’t know what to do about it, Moore-Koikoi said.

“Something stirs up in their spirit, but then they’re not sure what to do,” she said. “We’re going to provide folks with resources on an ongoing basis — not just a one-time worship of repentance so we feel good about ourselves.”

The participation of white people in some of the recent rallies and protests may present an opportunity for educational campaigns to be heard better this time, Hawkins said.

“I think that certainly there is a listening that is happening,” Hawkins said. “There is a leaning in to say, ‘We need to learn more … in a way that is broader and deeper than it has been in the past.’”

A virtual denominational town hall on July 1 might provide a space “where white folks can listen,” said Moore-Koikoi. More details about this event, including how to tune in, will be forthcoming.

“All we can do is offer it, provide the structure and platform and hope they will avail themselves,” she said. “Some people say they don’t have an opportunity to interact with people of color, especially black men. So this is one thing you can do. You can listen.”

A day of prayer and worship will take place on June 24, with an online denominational worship service to be broadcast at noon Central time on UMC.org/ EndRacism and Facebook. It is billed as “Dismantling Racism: A Service of Lament.”

“We know this (service) isn’t going to provide freedom, but it’s the signal that we in The United Methodist Church are going to be pressing on towards that,” Moore-Koikoi said.

It’s hoped that United Methodists in central conferences will also take note of the cam-

paign, Hawkins said.

The United Methodist Church has created an advertising campaign, #EndRacism, in an effort to actively engage in the ministry of dismantling racism and promoting racial justice. Logo courtesy of

“There will be an invitation to United Methodists that are outside of the United States,” Hawkins said. “They should be looking at their own expressions of colonialism, tribalism, white supremacy, colorism and the parallels to racism.

“So they’ll be doing some work in town hall meetings and worship about discrimination in those cultures as well.”

The denomination’s top legislative assembly, General Conference, is scheduled to meet Aug. 31-Sept. 10, 2021, in Minneapolis, where Floyd died.

“We are headed to Minneapolis as a denomination back to this place where the spark has been lit,” Hawkins said. “We have United Methodists whose hearts and minds and actions and words have been transformed because we’ve been intentionally addressing within ourselves, our churches and our communities of the sin of racism.

“It’s a journey to transformation, so when we go back to this place that is an inflection point that happened, we are a more faithful church, and we can be at the site of that pain and be a credible witness to the world.”

Patterson is a UM News reporter in Nashville, Tennessee. Contact him at 615-742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.

——————As found at https://www.umnews.org/en/news/renewed-vigor-in-the-fight-against-racism on June 22, 2020.

Do All Lives Really Matter?

By Rev. Joshua Swanson “Black lives matter!” One of the most divisive statements in our country at this moment.

Simultaneously, it is also one of the least divisive statements in the same country. Almost no one will deny that the lives of black people do matter; however, there does seem to be a debate about what that means. To some, the call of Black Lives Matter is a call for justice and a plea for help. To others, Black Lives Matter produces images of looting, rioting, property damage, and general mayhem. As a result, a common response to “Black lives matter” is the phrase “all lives matter.”

The idea behind all lives matter is innocent and as true as black lives matter. All lives do matter. I think we can all admit that this is true; however, this statement becomes problematic when it is said explicitly in response to black lives matter. Many people see an issue with the phrase black lives matter because they believe that “only” or “more” is implied in the phrase. Instead of hearing “black lives matter,” they hear “black lives matter more” or “only black lives matter.” The silent “only” and “more” speaks louder than the actual phrase or cries for help by millions of people across this country. This assumption ignores the actual silent word in the phrase. This silent word is “too.” In other words, the actual phrase is “black lives matter, too.” The assumption that there is a silent word is correct, but usually, we add the wrong silent word.

The silent “only” or “more” that people add to black lives matter is largely responsible for the response; all lives matter. Ironically, the assumption of a silent word leads to the silencing of an entire community. The phrase, all lives matter, as a response, consistently causes people to dismiss the legitimate pleas of a group calling out for help. No one denies the fact that all lives should matter, yet many people who look like me and identify with me do not believe we live in a country or world that affirms that our lives do matter. Hearing all lives matter after being shown your entire life that yours does not becomes more than insulting. This is the part of the article when people typically post statistics to prove that point; however, I do not believe this is necessary or even helpful. If in 2020, someone has not been convinced that systemic racism exists, I do not think I am qualified to convince them that it does.

However, I do feel like I am qualified to speak about how I believe Christians should view these phrases and respond to them. Whether, a person believes that the fears and concerns of millions of people are legitimate or not I think they can acknowledge that these people are fearful and concerned. So, how do we usually respond to this? If you have a guest over to your house and they fear your Yorkie, do you make concessions? Would you put your dog in a room, or would you allow it to continually scare your guest? I do not believe I am far off in assuming you put the fears of your

guest first, regardless of if they should fear the dog or not. Why does this debate come off any different then?

Many of those who cry all lives matter do not believe the fear and concerns of the tens of millions of people who cry out against police violence, intimidation, and corruption. Yet, rather than acknowledging this legitimate or illegitimate fear as a real fear, many would instead substitute their own understanding of the world over the realities of tens of millions of people. This becomes a textbook case of arrogance, pride, and indifference to the plight of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Arrogance and pride are found in the fact that one may believe that the experiences of our singular life outweighs the experiences of more than 40 million people. Proverbs 8:13 is very clear about how God feels about pride and arrogance.

I believe that part of the reason for this scripture is because it can continue to blind us to the needs of our Christian family.

Acts 17 gives us a story of two sets of synagogues in two cities. The Jews in Thessalonica reject Paul’s message of Christ as the risen messiah. On the other hand, the Berean Jews are seen as more honorable than those in Thessalonica. Acts 17:11 “And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message.” The open-mindedness of the Berean Jews allowed them to receive the message of Christ while the close-mindedness of many modern Christians block us from modeling the love of Christ. Listening to others is not something that is championed in our society right now, but it is our job, as Christians, to do exactly that when our brothers or sisters are in need. How are we to hear the needs of our Church family if we are too busy dismissing their thoughts?

We should seek to first understand each other rather than express our opinion (James, 1:19, Proverbs 18:13, Proverbs 18:2).

As Christians, we are called to see and hear those who are being oppressed. Christ never dismissed the needs of people, yet we have convinced ourselves that this is the godly thing to do. The truth is we all have the power to make the world better for this large family given to us by God. The problem is we have not taken on their problems as our own. We have separated ourselves from the cry of the needy. 1 John 3:17 ask, “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?” John focuses on those in power, having the material goods to help their brother and sister and refuse to do so. This scripture inspires me to ask another question. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the ability to help someone and sees their brothers or sister in need and yet refuses to help? We all see and hear the cry for help; we just choose to ignore it at times. If all lives matter, that should include black lives, lives of people with felonies, lives of people whose lifestyles you might not agree with, and lives of those who make mistakes. All means all, but it must mean all in practice and not just word.

I. STILL. CAN’T. BREATHE.

By Rev. Leah Burns In a talk I gave at the Holston Annual Conference on June 27, I said that our failure to act decisively to oppose racism in our churches, our families, and in our communities provides the fertile soil for the seeds of hatred and racism to grow and thrive. As I worked on that talk, I kept recalling the words of a Psalm that I’ve re-read frequently…

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” (Psalm 13:1-2 NRSV) After George Floyd was murdered and the video of his murder went viral, more than a few friends and colleagues reached out to me to say that they were thinking of me, praying for peace, and they loved me. But now, months later, I’m still tired, I’m still scared, and I’m still mad that we are still dealing with this. I am tired of not being able to breathe. How long before we begin to imagine another way and we actually begin building a better way? How long, Lord?

In more than 150 days there has been no justice for the murder of Breonna Taylor by police officers while she slept in her home. This is a reinforcement to the rest of us that we can also be killed by the state and our lives don’t matter enough for accountability to be shown. In life and in death we deserve dignity. My people are worthy of protection. How long, Lord?

Back in 2010, I was in my car when I first heard about Sandra Bland. I remember I just sat there in my car and cried. It hit so close to home for me…because by then I had been targeted and followed by law enforcement a few times. (and sadly, those have not been the last times.) But you see, Sandra was the one that truly broke me. No longer was I able to remain stoic and strong. I could not hide my emotions anymore. As a black woman always traveling alone, I was scared, and I was frustrated. At that moment I knew that Black lives like mine were not valued. Sandra

was pulled over because of a turn signal malfunction and subsequently died under suspicious circumstances in a jail cell. What happened to Sandra very easily could have happened to me. How long, O Lord?

Laws have been passed that forbid hate crimes, but even if the laws are enforced, you can’t outlaw what resides in people’s hearts. That’s the transformation work that we need to lead. You can pass laws to make employment fair and equitable to those who seek employment but you can’t change the minds of the coworkers who think you don’t belong there. That’s the transformation work that we need to lead. You can undo unfair laws and practices, but you can’t change the minds of those who supported them to begin with.

That takes transformation. How long, O Lord?

In Luke 12:49 it is written: “I’ve come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now! I’ve come to change everything, turn everything right-side up—how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I’ve come to disrupt and confront!” (Luke 12:49 The Message) These are the words of a first century Palestinian rabbi and social activist that called us to follow him. Today most who quote this man will refer to him as “Savior” and “Lord,” but along with that prefer to remember him as a meek hillside teacher with a long flowing head of hair, soft features, and fair skin.

But this One…the One who is the most famous social agitator…this One believed that the best strategy for change was a disruption of the status quo. The Church, our churches need to be liberated from conformity with the world particularly in these contentious times of COVID-19, of anti-blackness and of economic disparity and hardship. Being the church means working to disrupt the commonplace ideas, the status quo, the structures and institutions that have hindered Black people since the early days of American Methodism.

I envision a racism-free world. I honestly don’t know if it is possible, and I am sure that it won’t happen in my lifetime, but nevertheless I am committed to doing my part to help get us all closer to that goal. As someone who dearly loves the people of the United Methodist Church, I have always believed our Church can do better and be different than we are today. I expect our Church to do more and be better. It will take us… specifically you all…to be who you are called to be. I am counting on you. Because I want to live. Other Black people want to live. Indigenous people want to live. People of Color want to live. And you get to be the ones to help lead this work as you speak and preach and teach…for the transformation of the world.

It’s been 3 months since I gave that dismantling racism talk at the Annual Conference. And I’m still tired, I’m still scared, and I’m still mad. I am tired of not being able to breathe. How long before we begin to imagine another way and better yet, before we actually begin building a better way? How long, O Lord?

I said some names during my talk at the Annual Conference and I say them again here. Do not forget them...: (Editor’s Note: Please see next two pages for those names and the reason they are so important for us to remember. — TDG) ...And so many unnamed others…

We Need to know the story behind the name…

In an attempt to help us learn why the names in Leah Burns article are so important, here are some brief excerpts explaining what happened to these individuals. Information was found by searching for their names on wikipedia and all information is copied from that site.

Rayshard Brooks -On the night of June 12, 2020, Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old African American man, was fatally shot by Atlanta Police Department (APD) officer Garrett Rolfe. APD officer Devin Brosnan was responding to a complaint that a man (Brooks) was asleep in a car blocking a restaurant drive-through lane.

George Floyd -On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill.[2] ...a white police officer, knelt on Floyd's neck for several minutes[a] while Floyd was handcuffed, lying face down, and repeatedly saying "I can't breathe" and "please", and calling for his mother

Breonna Taylor- Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American woman, was fatally shot

by Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers ...on March 13, 2020. Three plainclothes LMPD officers (wearing vests reading "POLICE"[1]) entered her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky, executing a no -knock search warrant.

Ahmaud Arbery-On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Marquez Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old AfricanAmerican man, was pursued and fatally shot while jogging near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia.[2][3] [4] Arbery had been pursued by three white residents—and was confronted and fatally shot.

Trayvon Martin– Trayvon Benjamin Martin (February 5, 1995 – February 26, 2012) was a 17-yearold African-American from Miami Gardens, Florida, who was fatally shot in Sanford, Florida...Martin had gone with his father on a visit to his father's fiancée at her townhouse ... Martin was walking back alone to the fiancée's house from a nearby convenience store...there was an altercation and (he was) fatally shot ...in the chest.

Michael Brown - On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown Jr., an 18-year-old black man, was fatally shot by a 28-year-old white Ferguson police officer...in the city of Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.[2]

Philando Castile—On July 6, 2016, Philando Castile,[a] a 32-year-old African American man was fatally shot during a traffic stop by a 28-year-old Hispanic police officer who was a member of the St. Anthony, Minnesota police department.

Sandra Bland—Sandra Bland was a 28-year-old African American woman who was found hanged in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas, on July 13, 2015, three days after being arrested during a pretextual traffic stop.[1][2] Her death was ruled a suicide. It was followed by protests against her arrest, disputing the cause of death and alleging racial violence against her.

Oscar Grant—Oscar Grant III was a 22-year-old African-American man who was killed in the early

morning hours of New Year's Day 2009 by BART Police Officer in Oakland, California.

Terrance Crutcher - On September 16, 2016, Terence Crutcher, a 40-year-old black motorist, was shot and killed by a police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was unarmed during the encounter, in which he was standing near his vehicle in the middle of a street.

Eric Garner—On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner died in the New York City borough of Staten Island after , a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer, put him in a prohibited chokehold while arresting him.

Freddie Gray- On April 12, 2015, Freddie Carlos Gray Jr., a 25-year-old African-American, was arrested by the Baltimore Police Department and subsequently charged for possessing a knife.[2] While being transported in a police van, Gray sustained injuries and was taken to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center.[3][4] Gray died on April 19, 2015; his death was ascribed to injuries to his spinal cord.

Botham Jean-On September 6, 2018, an off-duty Dallas Police Department patrol officer entered the Dallas, Texas, apartment of 26-year-old accountant Botham Jean and fatally shot him. The officer said that she had entered the apartment believing it was her own and that she shot Jean believing he was a burglar.

Atatiana Koquice Jefferson— a 28-year-old woman, was fatally shot in her home by a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, in the early morning of October 12, 2019.[1][2] Police arrived at her home after a neighbor called a non-emergency number, stating that Jefferson's front door was open.[2] Police body camera footage showed that when she came to her window to observe police outside her home, an Officer shot through it and killed her.

Tamir Rice—On November 22, 2014, Tamir Rice, a 12-year old African-American boy, was killed in Cleveland, Ohio, by a 26-year-old white police officer. Rice was carrying a replica toy gun; The officer shot him almost immediately after arriving on the scene.

Laquan McDonald - The murder of Laquan McDonald took place on October 20, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois, when the 17-year-old African American was fatally shot by Chicago Police … McDonald had been walking away from the police when he was shot.

Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley—The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing was a white supremacist terrorist bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday, September 15, 1963.[1][2][3] Four members of a local Ku Klux Klan chapter planted 19 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the steps located on the east side of the church.

EDITOR’s NOTE: The names of police officers were deliberately removed to place emphasis on those that died.

What does The United Methodist Church say about racism?

Racism has long been described as America’s “original sin.”

The 2020 killings of three African Americans — George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who died at the hands of police, and Ahmaud Arbery, chased and shot to death by two individuals — sparked a national outcry against white supremacy and institutional racism, a protest that has now spread globally.

How is the UMC responding?

United Methodist Church leaders and members have joined those voices. The denomination’s Council of Bishops called for every United Methodist “to name the egregious sin of racism and white supremacy and join together to take a stand against the oppression and injustice that is killing persons of color.”

The United Methodist Church has created an advertising campaign, #EndRacism, in an effort to actively engage in the ministry of dismantling racism and promoting racial justice. Logo courtesy of resourceumc.org.

Other voices from across the denomination, from individual bishops and general agencies to students at Africa University in Zimbabwe, have also responded and issued statements.

An engraving from 1830 depicts the slave trade in the United States. The U.S. Capitol is visible in the background. Engraving from the Library of Congress

The United Methodist Church has mounted a denomination-wide campaign, "United Against Racism," that urges its members not only to pray, but to educate themselves and have conversations about the subject, and to work actively for civil and human rights.

What does the UMC say about racism?

The United Methodist Social Principles state: “Racism, manifested as sin, plagues and hinders our relationship with Christ, inasmuch as it is antithetical to the gospel itself. … We commit as the Church to move beyond symbolic expressions and representative models that do not challenge unjust systems of power and access.”

The church recognizes the existence of white privilege as an underlying cause of inequality. It supports the concept of affirmative action to guarantee more opportunities for all to compete for jobs. It opposes racial profiling, mass incarceration, targeting of migrants and sentencing that

disproportionately penalizes people of color.

The church also recognizes that racism, tribalism and xenophobia is a global problem and calls members everywhere to oppose such practices.

The church affirms that “all peoples and individuals constitute one human family, rich in diversity. … We recognize that religion, spirituality, and belief can contribute to the promotion of the inherent dignity and worth of the human person and to the eradication of racism.”

What is the church’s history with racism?

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism and a noted slavery opponent, printed a pamphlet titled “Thoughts Upon Slavery” in 1773. Image courtesy of Drew University.

The United Methodist Church has a long history of concern for social justice, including speaking out against racial injustice, advocating for and working toward equality.

Methodism founder John Wesley was well known for his opposition to slavery. In 1773 he printed a pamphlet titled “Thoughts Upon Slavery,” in which he decried the evils of slavery and called for slave traders and owners to repent and free their slaves.

“Nothing is more certain in itself, and apparent to all, than that the infamous traffic for slaves directly infringes both divine and human law,” he wrote.

Wesley’s writings influenced political leaders of his day — including William Wilberforce, John Wesley, the founder a British Parliament member who led a movement to abolish the slave trade. The last of Methodism and a noted letter Wesley wrote, six days before his death, was slavery opponent, printed addressed to Wilberforce, urging him to continue his a pamphlet titled “Thoughts Upon Slavery” work. In that letter, he lamented that “a man who has a in 1773. Image courtesy of black skin being wronged or outraged by a white man, Drew University. can have no redress.”

However, Methodism has frequently struggled in addressing its own racism, which has been a defining force in shaping the Methodist movement in the United States from its earliest days. The denomination’s Book of Resolutions acknowledges the church’s shortcomings: “… racism has been a systemic and personal problem within the U.S. and The United Methodist Church and its predecessor denominations since its inception.”

African Americans were among the first Methodists in the United States, attending the early revival meetings. Two popular African American preachers — Harry Hosier and Richard Allen — were present at the 1784 “Christmas Conference,” where the Methodist Church was formally founded in America. Racist attitudes were already at work, as African Americans were forced to sit in church balconies and receive Holy Communion after their fellow white worshippers.

Richard Allen, a former slave, served as a Methodist bishop and was founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Image courtesy of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

In 1794, Allen, a former slave, protested increasing segregation in worship services by leading most of the black members out of historic St. George's Methodist Church and founding Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. When the African Methodist Episcopal Church denomination formed in 1816, Allen became its first bishop. Other historically black denominations — African Methodist Episcopal Zion, Christian Methodist Episcopal, African Union Methodist Protestant and Union American Methodist Episcopal — emerged over the next several decades as a response to the denomination’s positions on slavery and its discriminatory practices.

Church positions on slavery led to divisions among white Methodists as well.

At the 1840 General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, James O. Andrew was elected bishop. Andrew owned slaves, despite the denomination’s anti-slavery stance since its founding.

The issue of a bishop owning slaves was a hotly contested debate at the following General Conference in 1844. When agreement could not be reached, a Plan of Separation was adopted.

Two years later, the churches in the states where slavery was legal formed a separate denomination: The Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

The 1939 union that created The Methodist Church from the Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and Methodist Protestant Church also created the racially segregated Central Jurisdiction. The Southern church only agreed to union after a compromise created a regional structure based exclusively on race — not geography.

Nineteen black annual conferences were placed in the Central Jurisdiction and the white conferences were placed in five regional jurisdictions. Seventeen of the 19 black conferences voted against the 1939 Plan of Union.

The Central Jurisdiction was in place as the civil rights movement unfolded in the US in the 1950s and 1960s. Methodist clergy, including the Rev. Joseph Lowery and the Rev. James Lawson, were among the key figures in the movement. At the same time, Methodist bishops Paul Hardin and Nolan Harmon were among the white clergymen to whom Martin Luther King Jr. addressed his famed “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” a response to the clergymen’s public criticism of civil rights protests.

The Central Jurisdiction was not abolished until the 1968 merger with the Evangelical United Brethren to form The United Methodist Church. The EUB, which was not segregated, The Rev. Joseph Lowery, who passed away in 2020, preaches at ultimately made abolishing the segregated institution a condition Cascade United Methodist Church for union. in Atlanta in 2011. File photo by Kathy L. Gilbert, UM News.

With the dissolution of the Central Jurisdiction, black United Methodists developed a plan for lobbying and presenting

resolutions, including facilitating the creation of the Commission on Religion and Race. They also formed Black Methodists for Church Renewal, which launched initiatives such as Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century, the African-American United Methodist Heritage Center and the Black College Fund, which helps support the 11 historically black colleges and universities related to the church.

Delegates to the 2000 General Conference in Cleveland participated in a service of repentance for racism within the denomination and in 2004, General Conference delegates celebrated the African American witness and presence within The United Methodist Church and recognized "those who stayed" in spite of racism.

General Conference has held subsequent acts of repentance for other communities harmed by racism. In 2012, the act was for past injustice to Native Americans and other indigenous people. The 2016 conference featured a ceremony honoring the descendants of the victims of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, where U.S. troops led by Col. John Milton Chivington, a pastor in the Methodist Episcopal Church, charged on an unsuspecting, peaceful village of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians, slaughtering more than 160 Cheyenne and Arapaho women, children, and elderly men.

The Rev. George Tinker helps lead an "Act of Repentance toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous Peoples" at the 2012 United Methodist General Conference in Tampa, Fla. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

How is the church working to dismantle racism today?

Three denominational agencies lead the church in this work: Learn, Equip, Act What can you do?

Statements against racism Leader resources Worship resources Video series Amplify Media videos Upper Room The General Commission on Religion and Race resources, trains and facilitates conversations to help churches dismantle racial discrimination in all its forms.

The General Board of Church and Society, located in Washington, advocates for legislative policies that support the church’s position on a variety of social issues, including civil and human rights in the areas of criminal justice reform, economic justice, immigration reform and opposition to the death penalty.

United Methodist Women name racial justice as an ongoing mission focus dating back to their inception.

Their work has included campaigning against lynching in the early 20th century, monitoring hate crimes

throughout the U.S., supporting legislation to end the “school-to-prison pipeline” and establishing a Charter for Racial Justice adopted by the entire denomination.

How are individual United Methodists called to respond to racism?

United Methodists acknowledge that racism denies the teachings of Jesus and our common, created humanity. United Methodists are called to continue to live out the baptismal vows “to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.”

The church states that “every annual conference, district, and local church should be engaged, intentionally, in being an anti-racist church, not merely on paper, but in action.”

United Methodists should advocate and work toward dismantling the unjust systems that cause, or even benefit from, continued inequality. Call out policies that disadvantage certain ethnicities, work for change and vote in ways that promote equal justice. Consider ways in which personal spending helps or hurts certain communities. Encourage fair hiring practices.

Changing beliefs, changing behavior and changing society are long processes that may never be complete. The people of The United Methodist Church will to continue to work for change in all three areas.

This content was produced by Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications.

As found at https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-what-does-the-united-methodistchurch-say-about-racism on September 23, 2020

Unsnarling US and church racial history

By Heather Hahn July 1, 2020 | UM News

Methodism’s founder wanted to minister with Native Americans and abolish slavery.

But decades after John Wesley’s death, a Methodist bishop was a slaveholder and a Methodist clergyman was responsible for one of the worst massacres of Native Americans in U.S. history.

So what went wrong?

United Methodist historians and other leaders led a livestreamed denominational town hall July 1 to explore their church’s complicated and sometimes suppressed record on race.

Their aim: To help United Methodists turn away from past transgressions and join the denomination’s renewed push against the sin of racism.

“A historical perspective gives us a glimpse into how the church chose to respond at critical inflection points in our history,” Erin Hawkins, the town hall’s moderator, told UM News ahead of the gathering.

“I think it’s important to look at the times when we have risen to the challenge and when we have fallen very short.”

Hawkins is the top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race, which in this time of COVID-19 helped organize the virtual town hall across five locations. Other organizers include the Council of Bishops, the Board of Church and Society, the Commission on Archives and History, United Methodist Women and other United Methodist agencies.

The virtual town hall is part of the denomination’s anti-racism efforts spurred by the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other African Americans at police officers’ hands.

Church leaders deliberately timed the town hall just ahead of the Fourth of July — when Americans celebrate their nation’s birth and the bold statements of equality in the Declaration of Independence.

“What does it mean to sing about the ‘land of the free’ when we still hear the jarring echoes of George Floyd calling for his mama?” said the Rev. Gary Henderson, a United Methodist Communications executive, in opening the event. “How can we celebrate ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,’ when Breonna Taylor lives no longer?”

The panelists all acknowledged that The United Methodist Church — like the nation where it was first established — has a tangled history on race.

“While Black people were attracted to and proud of the staunchly bold Methodist stance against slavery at the beginning, they were too soon to experience pain and to weep at its compromise and complicity,” said the Rev. William Bobby McClain, one of the panelists.

He is professor emeritus of preaching and worship at United Methodist Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington. He is also one of the founders of Black Methodists for Church Renewal, which has worked for Black equality.

McClain pointed out that African Americans have been leaders in Methodism since its earliest days.

Preachers like “Black Harry” Hosier helped spread the movement’s plain gospel of grace across the young United States.

But even in those early days, white supremacy left its stain.

Hosier had to sleep in the carriage or barn while his white companions could sleep in the house, said the Rev. Alfred T. Day III, the top executive of the denomination’s Commission on Archives and History.

In the northern U.S., just as in the South, Day noted, the assumption was white was superior. He read from a 1780 grave marker from Attleboro, Massachusetts, that proclaimed a deceased slave named Caesar will be “changed from Black to White” in heaven.

Day listed other examples of discrimination including the 1939 formation of the Central Jurisdiction, which made segregation official church policy and remained on the books until 1968.

“There is pride and shame in our history,” Day said.

“Methodists can take great pride in their uniquely egalitarian message of God’s love to be experienced by all, and this ‘Love divine, all loves excelling’ is supposed to be impartial.”

But, he said, the shame is that too many whites did not live up to the core theology that first drew African Americans and Native Americans to Methodism.

The Rev. Lisa Dellinger, a scholar and pastor in the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, specifically addressed how Christians used their theology to justify displacing and even slaughtering indigenous people.

She said the common description of the Americas as a “New Jerusalem,” led many settlers to see indigenous people as subject to conquest like the Canaanites of the Old Testament.

A replica of an 1780 grave marker in Attleboro, Mass., proclaims that a deceased slave named Caesar will be "changed from Black to White" in heaven. The Rev. Alfred T. Day III, top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History, said the gravestone reflected the white supremacist attitudes of the time.

Photo courtesy of the Rev. Fred Day III. To view the image larger, click here.

From the 1860s to the 1960s, Christian missionaries systematically separated as many as 100,000 Native American children from their families and sent them far from home to government- or church-run boarding schools. At these schools — some of which were Methodist — youngsters were punished for speaking their native language, stripped of their belongings and in some cases, abused.

“Native peoples are complex,” said Dellinger, who is Chickasaw and Mexican American.

“But what has been a unifying experience for Native people,

and not necessarily a positive one, has been this sense of displacement — the sense of being a stranger in a strange land, and this land is your home.”

In addition to examining past sins, the panelists answered questions from viewers about ways to chart a better future.

Dellinger and McClain cautioned predominantly white churches about thinking it is the job of people of color to desegregate congregations.

“My biggest concern when we talk about integration is: Who is being asked to do the work?” Dellinger said.

“Who is being asked to show up where the primary focus is to alleviate white guilt?”

Alison Collis Greene, a professor of American religious history at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, described what an anti-racist church looks like.

“If you are talking about a predominantly white anti-racist church, that church makes real space for nonwhite voices,” Greene said.

She added that white churchgoers also need to speak to fellow whites about eliminating racism — especially those “who don’t want to talk about the past because they don’t want to talk about the parts that are hard for them.”

The town hall is the most recent step in the denomination’s initiative, Dismantling Racism: Pressing on to Freedom.

The Council of Bishops launched the initiative on Juneteenth — the June 19 celebration of the end of U.S. slavery. Less than a week later, bishops and other United Methodists followed with an unflinching “Service of -Lament, Repentance, Communion and Commitment.”

While the town hall’s focus was on U.S. experiences, Hawkins said, the hope is for churches across the multinational denomination to commit to combat racism and prejudice in their own context.

The Commission on Religion and Race hopes to next have a town hall about activism across generations.

Agencies, Hawkins said, will continue to provide resources and organize general events to help people across the denomination engage in justice advocacy.

“I would really like to see this effort that’s been turned on at the general level to move closer to the local level,” she told UM News, “because that is where the important change happens.”

McClain said that individual and systemic racism remain problems churches need to tackle.

“Until we dismantle and destroy the pillars that prop it up,” he said, “we shall be on the pain side of history rather than the pride side.”

—————————————Hahn is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.

As found at https://www.umnews.org/en/news/unsnarling-us-and-church-racial-history on September 23, 2020

A Glossary of Terms We live in a day and time where I think it is more important than ever before to understand what each of us is saying to the other. In order to help make this more readily possible, I offer the following words and definitions. These are words that we hear in our society on a regular basis. By sharing a common definition, perhaps we can more readily understand one another.

I sent out a query to members of the Board of Ordained Ministry asking for relevant words. I received a thoughtful reply back from Bob Ergenbright who suggested some words and also said: “Words have definitions as found in a variety of dictionaries but also have context, connotation, interpretation, nuance, and usage each or all of which may be time and/or place related. Therefore, it is important that everyone understands how their words are spoken and heard. It is not only in the speaking of our words but also in the hearing of them that is important to our compassionate conversation...In our world today we must be careful to use the words we mean and, in certain instance, explain what they mean to us so we, in turn, may be better understood.”

I couldn’t have said it any better myself. So, in light of Bob’s suggestion, here are some words for us to consider. Unless otherwise noted all definitions come from www.dictionary.com

Anarchism—a doctrine urging the abolition of government or governmental restraint as the indispensable condition for full social and political liberty.

Anti-racism— is a form of action against racism and the systemic racism and the oppression of marginalized groups. Being antiracist is based on the conscious efforts and actions to provide equitable opportunities for all people on an individual and systemic level. People can act against racism by acknowledging personal privileges, confronting acts of racial discrimination, and working to change personal racial biases. (as found at https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-racism)

Anti-Racist— A term coined by Ibram X. Kendi, a scholar and the author of “How to Be an Antiracist”. Activists and leading scholars have argued that it's not enough for allies to say they're "not racist." Instead, they have to actively adopt anti-racism, a set of beliefs and actions that oppose racism and promote the inclusion and equality of Black and brown people in society. (As found at https://www.businessinsider.com/words-on-race-gender-and-diversityyou-should-know-2020-7)

Asynchronous – not occurring at the same time BIPOC—an acronym that stands for: Black, Indigenous, and people of color

Capitalism -an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations, especially as contrasted to cooperatively or state-owned means of wealth.

Circumventing—to go around or bypass: Cisgender—(Also cisgendered) . noting or relating to a person whose gender identity corresponds with that person’s sex assigned at birth.

Communism—(often initial capital letter) a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party.

Comorbidity—with respect to the multiple medical factors contributing to the current pandemic crisis, (per Bob Ergenbright)

COVID –19— Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. There are many types of human coronaviruses, including some that commonly cause mild upper-respiratory tract illnesses. COVID-19 is a new disease, caused by a novel (or new) coronavirus that has not previously been seen in humans. (as found at www.fda.gov) (Editor’s note: what happened to Covid 1-Covid 18—-well, this virus was discovered in 2019, thus it is COVID-19.)

Ensconced — with respect to the hard, steadfast positions of all sides, (provided by Bob Ergenbright)

Fascism—(sometimes initial capital letter) a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.

Gender-Fluid—noting or relating to a person whose gender identity or gender expression is not fixed and shifts over time or changes depending on the situation.

Fractious—with respect to the current national political and social debate, (as per Bob Ergenbright)

Intersectional justice — In 1989, Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term "intersectionality" in a paper as a way to help explain the oppression of African-American women. Crenshaw's term is now at the forefront of national conversations about racial justice, identity politics, and policing—and over the years has helped shape legal discussions She used the term in her crucial 1989 paper for the University of Chicago Legal Forum, "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Anti-discrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics". In her work, Crenshaw discusses Black feminism, arguing that the experience of being a black woman cannot be understood in independent terms of either being black or a woman. Rather, it must include interactions between the two identities, which, she adds, should frequently reinforce one another. (as found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersectionality)

Heteronormative— noting or relating to behavior or attitudes consistent with traditional male or female gender roles and the assumption of heterosexuality as the norm:

Implicit bias — bias that results from the tendency to process information based on unconscious associations and feelings, even when these are contrary to one’s conscious or declared beliefs:

LatinX—of or relating to people of Latin American origin or descent, especially those living in the United States (used in place of the masculine form Latino, the feminine form Latina, or the gender-binary form Latin@):

LGBTQ—pertaining collectively to people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (or those questioning their gender identity or sexual orientation):

Non-Racist — not influenced by a person's race: (as found at https:// dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/non-racist

Microagression— indirect expressions of racism, sexism, ageism, ableism, or another form of prejudice. They can be in seemingly innocuous comments from people who might be wellintentioned. However, they make another person feel different, violated, or unsafe. (as found at https://www.businessinsider.com/words-on-race-gender-and-diversity-you-should-know2020-7)

Misgendering — Misgendering, per Merriam-Webster, is when someone incorrectly identifies a person, such as a transgender person, by using the wrong label (such as Mr. or Ms.) or pronoun (such as she, he, or they). It often makes a person feel invalidated as a human being. ( as found at https://www.businessinsider.com/words-on-race-gender-and-diversity-youshould-know-2020-7)

Nonbinary— "an adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman." (as found at https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms.)

Ok, Boomer—This particular phrase caused a bit of a ruckus on social media. When dismissing someone older (most commonly from the Baby Boomer generation), millennials and Gen Z-ers have taken to throwing out an “ok, boomer”. (as found at https://www.ef.com/ wwen/blog/language/10-english-slang-terms-you-need-to-know-in-2020/)

Propitiation — with respect to an attempt to appease all sides (as per Bob Ergenbright) Racism— 1.) a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others.

2.)Also called institutional racism; structural racism; a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine, as promoted by the dominant group in a society to preserve

the continued dominance of that group; racial discrimination.

3.)hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

Racist— a person who believes in racism, the doctrine that one's own racial group is superior or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others.

Reparations—the making of amends for wrong or injury done: Socialism—a theory or system of social organization that advocates the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, capital, land, etc., by the community as a whole, usually through a centralized government.

Synchronous— occurring at the same time; coinciding in time; contemporaneous; simultaneous.

Transgender—noting or relating to a person whose gender identity does not correspond to that person’s sex assigned at birth:

White fragility — Robin DiAngelo, a researcher and author of the bestselling book "White Fragility," explains the phenomenon as "a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves," including "the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation." ( as found at https://www.businessinsider.com/words-on-race-gender -and-diversity-you-should-know-2020-7)

White privilege— 1a.) a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed by a particular person or a restricted group of people beyond the advantages of most: the privileges of the very rich.

1b.) the unearned and mostly unacknowledged societal advantage that a restricted group of people has over another group: white privilege based on skin color; male privilege; children of privilege.

White Rage — Displaced anger by White Americans, especially males, typically manifested by hostility, resentment, or even violence towards people of color, immigrants, the LGBT community, and other more marginalized groups. (as found at https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php? term=White%20Rage)

Woke— having or marked by an active awareness of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those related to civil and human rights:

Editor’s Note: These words and definitions are offered as a beginning. I am sure that there are more that need to be added to the list. If you would like to suggest more words, please send them to me. I will have a new glossary in the January 2021 edition that will include your suggestions. —-TDG

The following was found at Amazon.com:

“The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality.

In this “vital, necessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence.

These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial inequality, and what we can do to

Annual Conference Responds At our 2020 Annual Conference, the Rev. Leah Burns spoke about some of the actions Holston Annual Conference will be taking in light of the race issue facing our country. In her presentation she stated: “Bishop Taylor has also said enough is enough. Here are the steps that the Holston Conference has asked me to announce that they will be taking right away because enough is enough: 1.) Our leaders…our Bishop and the Extended Cabinet have committed themselves and their time to do their part to dismantle racist systems that are embedded in our structures

and in the way we do things. They are committed to studying and participating in several foundational workshops - to help them better understand how to do their part in dismantling racist systems. They’ve elected to begin with the workshop on Robin DiAngelo’s book White Fragility. This will be followed by a workshop on How to Be an Antiracist based on Ibram X. Kendi’ s work.

2.)Beginning in the fall, the Holston Conference Communications Team will convene moderated Zoom sessions – modeled after the GCORR Real Talk Conversations - where clergy and lay will respond and

discuss current events and what faithful Christians can do to dismantle systems and expressions of racism.

3.) There is a website that is under construction by the Holston Communications Team containing resources, videos, toolkits, news, events, preaching resources, and success stories from local churches all over the Conference. All with the goal to dismantle expressions of racism.

This is what transformation can look like. And this won’t happen overnight. It will take time. It takes work. It takes commitment. It is what we are called to do…what we must do.” “#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the National Book Award–winning author of Stamped from the Beginning comes a “groundbreaking” (Time) approach to understanding and uprooting racism and inequality in our society—and in ourselves.

“The most courageous book to date on the problem of race in the Western mind.”—The New York Times NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Time • NPR • The Washington Post • Shelf Awareness • Library Journal • Publishers Weekly • Kirkus Reviews Antiracism is a transformative concept that reorients and reenergizes the conversation about racism—and, even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other. At its core, racism is a powerful system that creates false hierarchies of human value; its warped logic extends beyond race, from the way we regard people of different ethnicities or skin colors to the way we treat people of different sexes, gender identities, and body types. Racism intersects with class and culture and geography and even changes the way we see and value ourselves. In How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi takes readers through a widening circle of antiracist ideas—from the most basic concepts to visionary possibilities—that will help readers see all forms of racism clearly, understand their poisonous consequences, and work to oppose them in our systems and in ourselves.

Kendi weaves an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science with his own personal story of awakening to antiracism. This is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond the awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a just and equitable society.” (Review as found at Amazon.com)

PASTORS...you can read these books and, under CEU guidelines receive credits. This might be a great opportunity for all of us to begin getting on the same page. Let’s lay a common groundwork of terminology and understanding so that we can more freely converse on matters of racism in our country, our church, and in our own lives.

Racism and Latinos: The wall of separation and fear By the Rev. David Maldonado Sept 16, 2020 Albuquerque, N.M. The current public discussion of racism toward Black people in the United States is much welcomed. However, other people of color must not be overlooked.

Latinos are among those who have been largely ignored. Yet, Latinos are also subject to the pain and consequences of racism, systemic racism and a dark history of marginalization and violence. The El Paso massacre at a Walmart store last year is an example of the violence that has brought fear to the hearts of Latinos across the nation.

The Rev. David Maldonado Video image courtesy of IMU Latina (Iglesia Metodista Unida Latina) via YouTube by UM News.

The border wall, promoted and endorsed by many, cuts deeper than simply serving as a national boundary. It is more than a physical wall between the United States, Mexico and the rest of Latin America. The wall reflects and is symbolic of the fear many white Americans have toward Latino immigrants, and by extension, other Latinos living in the United States.

The accompanying public disdain and negative attitudes toward Latino immigrants affects the Latino population across our nation. Latino immigrants have gone into hiding once again, and the other Latinos who are not hiding experience suspicion and are often perceived and treated as unwelcome immigrants.

At the core of the anti-immigrant attitude and treatment is the sense of white superiority, fear of the foreigner and how immigrants will change the culture of this nation. In other words, the fear of the minority becoming the ethnic majority fuels much of the actions and attitudes against immigrants and Latinos who bring with them their language and cultures. The wall is a symbol of fear and separation, a physical barrier that speaks volumes about how Latinos are perceived and treated. They are viewed as foreigners and therefore different; they do not belong here. The fear is that Latinos will change our communities and nation.

Such broad fear and pushback toward Latinos is an injustice, and it challenges the core values and beliefs of our Christian foundations.

Such attitudes and actions are not new. History reminds us of Manifest Destiny and how it led to the conquest of the Southwest and the grabbing of territory along the way, both Native and Hispanic, imposing white American culture, religion and social /political structures. Manifest Destiny is solidly founded on the notion that the white American population was God’s chosen people, called to conquer, populate and control the continent. Historically, Hispanics experienced lynching, racial oppression, segregation and social/political marginalization.

The church was an integral part of Manifest Destiny as it bought into the notion that the populations encountered along the way were not only racially inferior, but their religions and cultures were as well.

Roman Catholicism was defined as an inferior and ignorant religion, and thus it was important to convert the Latino population to Protestantism. Protestantism was brought into the conquered territories, first as a service to the Anglo population, and then later as a mission to populations already here. Missionary work was meant to convert Hispanics and as a means of acculturation.

As The United Methodist Church, we are challenged by our history of racial and ethnic separation. Although language played an important role in developing separate structures and congregations, the church has been an integral player in white flight, as Anglos and congregations fled their old neighborhoods, resulting in those neighborhoods becoming poor barrios.

Rather than embracing the new Latino arrivals, many churches simply ran away from the new population seeking whiter areas in the suburbs. Instead of adjusting to the new realities of urban neighborhoods transitioning to more diversity, the church abandoned these areas and sought more compatible white areas.

Some suggest that such church action was not racist nor were its members racists, but that the church was simply following the next generation of people who were moving to the suburbs. It was reconnecting families as an effort to survive. Conversion was perceived and promoted as part of the evangelization mandate.

Our church has indeed taken steps to respond to racial issues by establishing agencies and integrating staff at the national level. At both the conference level and in local churches, the church has initiated “Hispanic ministries.” However, many of these initiatives continue the separation of our past. And the church has dragged its feet.

Addressing racism requires more than resolutions and specialized minority ministries. Overcoming the sense of white superiority will require the broader United Methodist Church to look inwardly as congregations and as connectional structures. This is not a simple call for statements of repentance but a call to take intentional steps of fully embracing the Hispanic population — especially the immigrant.

The church must go beyond public statements of support and justice, given what is happening in our streets today. The church cannot live in blind denial. The church should not go from the assumption of white superiority to white dominance. It must enthusiastically embrace God’s diverse creation and our human community as one family as its guiding theological and social principles.

This will require a new heart and a renewed spirit, rejecting the past and embracing the present and future reality in which God’s diverse creation will be celebrated and lived daily.

—————————————Maldonado is a retired elder from the former Rio Grande Conference and Perkins School of Theology. He and his spouse, Charlotte, live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

News media contact: Tim Tanton or Gustavo Vasquez at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.

As found at https://www.umnews.org/en/news/racism-and-latinos-the-wall-of-separation-and-fear on October 19, 2020

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.”

—Nelson Mandela