Efforts to Address Racism Ripple Throughout Episcopal Church
Episcopal News Service. October 1, 1992 [92199]
Like ripples on a calm body of water, concerns about racism are spreading out to the farthest reaches of the Episcopal Church. Across the country, parishes, dioceses, national commissions and the church's House of Bishops are stirring the waters, calling on the church to quicken the pace of change toward a church of racial justice.
Recent events served as stones disturbing the placid status quo. An intense debate surrounded the church's decision to hold its 70th General Convention in Arizona, a state where voters rejected a paid holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. Results of an audit conducted during the General Convention offered clear evidence that the Episcopal Church itself was affected by institutional racism. And then the riots in Los Angeles jarred Episcopalians and demonstrated that just below the surface, dangerous undercurrents of anger and unfulfilled promises threatened to engulf American society.
"The problem of racism will not go away, and we are not going to let go of it," said Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning in an address at the House of Bishops in Baltimore last month. "We are going to acknowledge it, take hold of it -- and fight it. And, I pray to God, we are going to make a difference."
The General Convention's determination that the church spend the next nine years "addressing institutional racism in our church and society" is beginning to galvanize some Episcopalians. People are expressing their frustrations, coalitions are forming and the hard work of grappling with the pernicious sin of racism is beginning.
On September 26, more than 400 persons representing diocesan racism commissions across the United States gathered around television monitors in 41 sites for an unprecedented opportunity to carry on a national conversation about the church's response to racism.
The teleconference, sponsored by the church's Commission on Racism, was an attempt to link the energy and expertise of persons at all levels of the church -- and to forge a common strategy to confront institutional racism.
For two hours, a panel that included members of the Commission on Racism addressed questions, solicited information about successful antiracism programs at the diocesan level and sought to construct a realistic definition of racism that could guide future efforts.
"Very often people confuse prejudice, bigotry and racism," said the Rev. Canon Henry Atkins of the Diocese of New Jersey, a member of the Commission on Racism. Atkins said that prejudice is an attitude of bias -- usually unfavorable -- toward a person or group that is not based on reasonable data. Bigotry, Atkins said, is putting prejudice into action. "When you have prejudice and bigotry and add the power dimension -- that is racism," he said. Atkins contended that the most obvious forms of institutional racism exist where one racial group has control over the access to power in the wider society.
Participants in the teleconference engaged in a wide-ranging discussion regarding practical solutions to the problem of racism. "What resources are available for congregations?" asked one caller from the Diocese of Pittsburgh. "What kind of resistance have congregations and dioceses shown in regard to audits and surveys on racism?" asked a caller from Milwaukee.
One member of the teleconference panel offered a suggestion that pulled together the variety of antiracism efforts in the church. "I think there is a need to convey a willingness to hear stories of people who have traditionally been left out," said the Rev. Diana Akiyama from the Diocese of Eastern Oregon, a member of the Commission on the Status and Role of Women.
In a multitude of meetings and venues across the church, the emphasis on storytelling and "story listening" is emerging as an important first step toward eradicating racism. A significant number of parishes and dioceses are conducting their own surveys and audits to collect information that will illuminate the depth of the problem in their areas.
At the recent House of Bishops meeting, three bishops spoke of their efforts to confront racism -- in themselves and in the church and society. Many dioceses -- among them Atlanta, Virginia, Kansas, Maryland, Chicago and Eau Claire -- are hosting seminars and workshops on racism that provide an opportunity to share personal experiences and creative solutions.
At a recent antiracism workshop in the Diocese of Chicago, one participant confessed that "it's not hard to participate in racism, because we're taught to deny it, to ignore it, rather than confront it." Another participant concluded, "We need to listen to one another's ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The pain of exclusion and racism exists, and it is only by continued conversation and education that we will be able to grow together."
One creative approach highlighted in the teleconference is a unique project in the Diocese of Delaware. "We are forming a temporary, experimental, multicultural congregation," said Max Bell of the Diocese of Delaware, chair of the Standing Commission of Churches in Metropolitan Areas. According to Bell, the diocese will "borrow" an equal number of white, African American and Hispanic members from existing parishes to form a parish for 10 weeks.
According to Bell, the members of the experimental parish will build community, work on common definitions, attempt to envision what a nonracist church would look like and then return to their original parishes to share their insights from the experience.
In Maryland, white congregations and predominantly black congregations have begun a "pairing and sharing program" aimed at fostering a better mutual understanding. The parishes exchange clergy and sponsor joint worship services and activities.
In Massachusetts, a task force has been appointed to guide a diocesan antiracism process. The process will include surveys of congregations, the development of antiracism curricula tailored to ethnic congregations and proposals for implementing antiracism changes within the diocesan structures.
"Every diocese is going to face a very difficult and different task in combating racism," said Martha Dunn-Strohecker, co-chair of the antiracism task force. "It is a long-range task and it is going to take years, and we don't expect to move through all of our congregations in 1993. We know that some congregations will not be ready for it."
Many believe that the Episcopal Church's effort to eradicate racism will test how clearly it understands and how ready it is to implement its mission, based on the baptismal covenant. "Any discussion of the Decade of Evangelism that does not see antiracism work as a part of that decade is not serious about evangelism," said the Rev. Canon Edward Rodman of the Diocese of Massachusetts and coordinator of the Episcopal Urban Caucus.
"This is an ambitious undertaking, but at its root is the fundamental concern of how we are going to learn to live together in peace and justice in the church and in the world," Rodman added. "I believe this is a sufficient priority to warrant extraordinary effort. At the same time, it is important to restate the fact that the commitment to this task is for the long term, and that our time frame is the next nine years."