In the week following the death of George Floyd and the beginning of the Black Lives Matter protests, we discussed sharing the message “Black Lives Matter” on social media. We did not do so, feeling that this could become a token action rather than reflecting a congregational commitment to anti-racism work.
Instead, on social media we tried to lift up Black voices, particularly ones in the United Church. Since then, racism has been discussed in conversation time and at the June church council meeting. Council made a commitment to continue this conversation at the council level at the next meeting as well. Two weeks ago I organized a viewing of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s talk “The Danger of a Single Story,” which five people attended. Last week we shared a mid-week reflection written by a member of our congregation discussing white privilege, and actions we can take. On Sunday, I invited people to stay following the service and a short conversation time to watch a video shared by the UCC Black Clergy Network. Thirty people stayed, listened together, and shared in discussion. I can now say that we are beginning this work as a congregation.
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