Racial Justice and Anti-racism work

congregational resources

• 10 Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism, and Social Justice

• Racial Justice Taskforce Glossary

Racial Justice task force:

@Synod Assembly 2020-21

ELCA Statement on Anti-Asian Racism

The Asian and Pacific Islander Association of the ELCA recently issued a statement, affirmed by the ELCA Conference of Bishops, calling on the church to declare a day of lament during Lent to express solidarity with, help in healing and support Asian American victims of violence. Sunday, March 21, has been named as the common date, though worshiping communities may choose a different date as appropriate for their context.

Worship resources are available HERE.

These resources are also available from the ELCA Worship Resources page HERE.  

www.elca.org

Black History Resources for Youth (Teachers and Parents) Grades 2-College Bound

“Let Us Not Forget Our Christian Youth!”

IT’S NOT TOO LATE

by Pastor Mack Smith.

One of my greatest joys in life is the privilege of being an African decent Pastor in the ELCA Lutheran Church. It’s a responsibility I haven’t taken lightly since my call at the age of 5 years old. For 40 years (March 1, 2021) I have frequently walked with people from all walks of life through their hurts, pains, disappointments, and today its racism and white privilege. I am also most thankful that over these 40 years, I have not only stood on the shoulders of my ancestors but I have also had my Joshua ad Caleb folks who helped to hold me up in the tough times. I want to share with you a few of my personal, social and church struggles. Continue reading…

On Saturday, September 19, 2020 Synod Council approved the Upstate New York Synod Resolution on Racism put forth by the UNYS Racial Justice Task Force. We ask that you take the time to read through the resolution in its entirety (linked below) so that you are familiar with its details as we continue our hard work in this arena.

We believe that Christ’s church is for all people. God calls and claims each of us by name, and it is not our job to sort, divide, categorize or exclude. When questioned by lawyers about a faithful life Jesus reminded them that we are to love God with our whole selves and to love our neighbors as ourselves. The ELCA social statement “Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity and Culture” states that “We are one in Christ. As the body of Christ, we are free to live out our connectedness with each other. Promises are kept when vision is communicated in word and deed, and members are captured by it. For this to happen, we need the leadership of all who have been given responsibility and authority: members of congregations and their pastors; boards and staff of institutions and agencies of the church; synodical bishops; and the bishop of this church.” Therefore, grounded in the words of Jesus and the witnesses of Scripture and the guidance of our whole church, the Upstate New York Synod is committed to the work of racial justice, dismantling systemic racism and white privilege.

These resources have been collated by the Synod’s Racial Justice Task Force.

ELCA: How Strategic and Authentic is Our Diversity; A Call for Confession, Reflection and Healing Action

As adopted by more than a two-thirds vote (855-13) by the fifteenth triennial Churchwide Assembly on August 9, 2019 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Learning about White Supremacy and How to Talk About it
Resources for All Ages

Wondering how to talk with your children, students and/or adult peers about race, racism, and white supremacy?  Start here with these resources for children, teens, and adults. 

Items 1-9 offer resources to help adults communicate with children and teens about race, racism, and white supremacy. They are meant for parents, teachers, and mentors.

Items 10-20 include information for adults about the lives of Black people that may not have been known or considered. It is hoped that this list will be used to increase knowledge about, empathy for, and effective allyship with Black people. This list with its many links is not meant for people to read in one sitting.  Think of it as a menu from which you can choose one issue at a time.  These issues together reveal the definition and subtle perniciousness of systemic racism.

Books, Movies, Documentaries and More

The Racial Justice Task Force has compiled a list of books, documentaries and movies to help start or continue conversation on racial justice in your home and congregation.

This list was collated by “The Every Girl” and shared with the RJTF by Pr. Dana Smith (Atonement, Syracuse)

The University of Minnesota Press has created a 22-book Reading for Racial Justice collection, free to read online through August 31.

Troubling the waters

This yearlong process begins with the premise that White Christians need healing from the effects of racism in order to find new freedom for full multicultural partnership. The journey is based in the same hope and prayer of the song “Wade in the Water,” that God will trouble the waters in a way that provides healing—healing from what has been lost in personal identity in being “White”—healing from fear and separation—healing from attitudes of prejudice and superiority. The process is based in scripture to discern where God is leading and guiding the church.

Racial Justice
Tool Kit

For the 2016 Synod Assembly the Racial Justice Task Force developed these resources for use in congregations as a place to start conversation about racism, white privilege and racial justice. Similar to “Troubling the Waters” the journey uses the language of the Church year - Epiphany, Lent, Easter - to frame the conversation and spread the work out over several months.

In addition to the Tool Kit, there are also two PowerPoint presentations. One was used during the Assembly and the other was used at the Niagara Frontier Conference Assembly leading up to Synod Assembly.

"One Body, Many Members" is a faith-based journey of discovery to learn, share and proclaim God’s intention of oneness among people of every racial, ethnic and class background. How do we find that unity in a world as diverse as ours? How can we build up “one body” as strong as that?

Answering these questions is the hope of this resource from the ELCA Ethnic Specific and Multicultural Ministries. There are three paths to enter this journey - for leaders just getting started and planning for conversation in their congregation; for congregations who are ready to meet their neighbors anew; and for multicultural congregations addressing some of the natural tensions that arise in a diverse community.