Is the Anti-Racism Task Force out of a job? Some people say that the Diocese doesn’t need an anti-racism program, because “It sounds so negative” or, alternatively, “Racism really isn’t the problem any more.”
We can rejoice that many of the harmful expressions of historical racism are gone. Yet there is a hard drive, sometimes called Institutional Racism, that keeps producing racist consequences regardless of our individual attitudes or our intentions to be inclusive and fair. A computer will produce what it is programmed to produce, and so will a society. Racism will continue to infect our communities, and our church, until we understand and change the programming.
Therefore our diocesan commitment of 2004 “to become a church committed to ending institutional and other forms of racism in this diocese…” is still timely. Congregational and diocesan leaders take a 16-hour training in spotting racism and using available tools to dismantle it. In 2009, a new 6-hour training program will be available for wider training at the congregational level. This short curriculum, titled “Hidden in Plain Sight,” was developed by the Diocese of Spokane Anti-Racism Task Force at the request of Diocesan Council. Its purpose is to broaden the base of church members who understand how racism, unnoticed by most of us, subverts our efforts to be a welcoming and inclusive church.
The next 16-hour anti-racism training will be held at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist February 16-17, 2009. As always, this training is open to community friends of any faith, as well as Episcopalians. High school youth from the age of 16 or so are especially welcome and expected. Two more full 16-hour events will be scheduled, at other locations, during 2009. Several congregations are preparing to implement “Hidden in Plain Sight” this year, as well.
Racism is hidden and deadly, like a virus. So if anti-virus and antibiotic are not negative words, perhaps we can live with anti-racism, too. The positive vision we hold is rich – mutual respect among diverse cultures, inclusion, liberty and justice for everyone, a level playing field, full opportunity for every child to blossom. That is unwieldy for a committee name, but it’s not too much to hope for. We just have to get racism out of the program.
For more information, contact me directly: djames@camasnet.com; (208) 983-9334.