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They act as if my people's wounds were only scratches. 'All is well,' they say, when all is not well.
Jeremiah 6:14 Good News Translation
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This picture represents the assumption that all people benefit from the same, equal vehicles of access and support. Equality is the framework for the people who are quick to proclaim "all lives matter" in response to the black (and other communities) lives matter movement.
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This picture represents people getting what they need in order to have the same opportunity. Equity shines light on the flaw within the claim that "all lives matter." While all people are beloved children of God, not all people have access to opportunity, support and/or the things that lead to fulfillment and success.
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This picture represents justice, which addresses issues of equity by removing the barrier that prevents all God's children from taking part in what life has to offer. Micah 6:8 answers the question: What does the Lord require from you? To seek justice, and love kindness and walk humbly with your God.
Creating effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of power, privilege, supremacy and leadership is a lifestyle change. Setting our intentions and adjusting what we spend our time doing is essential. It’s all about building new habits. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started. The good news is, there’s an abundance of resources just waiting to empower you to be a more effective player in the quest for equity and justice. Thanks to a program first designed by Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr. of America & Moore, the Dayton Church has adapted the challenge and now invites you to take part!
For the next 21 days, do one action to further your understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity. Members and friends of the Dayton Church will begin to walk through resources on Monday, June 8th - but you are free to take part at any time! Because we believe that understanding white privilege and white supremacy is a powerful lens into the complexities of doing social justice work, our resources are focused upon that specific issue.
THE CHALLENGE
Each day, for 21 days, pick any one of many the different resources listed below to listen, read, watch.
Diversify your understanding by varying your choices. (one day read, one day watch, one day listen...)
Track and reflect by using this planning tool.
Share your reflections on Monday evenings at 7:30pm with our online study group
(email wendi.daytonpres@gmail.com for access),
or find friends to help you think through things.
Pray for the places you are challenged
and for those you are learning about
whose lives may be different than yours.
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Watch
This is Us, Dr. Eddie Glaude explains why blaming current racial tensions on Donald Trump misses the point. (3 minutes)
Racism is Real, A split-screen video depicting the differential in the white and black lived experience. (3 minutes)
Confronting ‘intergroup anxiety’: Can you try too hard to be fair? Explores why we may get tongue tied and blunder when we encounter people from groups unfamiliar to us. (5 minutes)
CBS News Analysis: 50 states, 50 different ways of teaching America’s past, Ibram X. Kendi reviews current history curriculum production and use across the U.S. (5 minutes)
The Disturbing History of the Suburbs, An “Adam Ruins Everything” episode that quickly and humorously educates how redlining came to be. (6 minutes)
What Kind of Asian Are You? Humorous two minute YouTube video that illustrates the utter silliness of the way many white Americans interact with Asian Americans. (2 minutes)
Birth of a White Nation, Keynote speech by legal scholar Jacqueline Battalora, offers a blow-by-blow description of the moment the idea of, and word for, “white” people entered U.S. legal code. (36 minutes)
13 Netflix documentary by Ava DuVernay about the connection between US Slavery and the present day mass incarceration system. (1 hour, 40 minutes)
How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them, TED Talk by Vernā Myers, encourages work vigorously to counter balance bias by connecting with and learning about and from the groups we fear. (19 minutes)
The danger of a single story, TED Talk by Chimamanda Adiche, offers insight to the phenomenon of using small bits of information to imagine who a person is. (18 minutes)
How to deconstruct racism, one headline at a time, TED Talk by Baratunde Thurston that explores patterns revealing our racist framing, language, and behaviors. (10 minutes)
Indigenous People React to Indigenous Representation in Film And TV, Conversation with a diverse range of Indigenous people by FBE about media depictions of Indigenous people, Columbus day, and Indigenous identity. (15 minutes)
What Being Hispanic and Latinx Means in the United States, Fernanda Ponce shares what she’s learning about the misunderstanding and related mistreatment of the incredibly diverse ethnic category people in U.S. call Hispanic. (12 minutes)
Tyler Merrit Project: Before You Call (3 minutes)
Read
10 Ways Well-Meaning White Teachers Bring Racism Into Our Schools, by Jamie Utt
21 Racial Microaggressions You Hear on a Daily Basis, by Heben Nigatu
Climbing the White Escalator, by Betsy Leondar-Wright
Explaining White Privilege To A Broke White Person, by Gina Crosley-Corcoran
Guide to Allyship, Created by Amélie Lamont
It’s Not Just the South: Here’s How Everyone Can Resist White Supremacy, by Sarah van Gelder
Making America White Again, by Toni Morrison
Understanding the Racial Wealth Gap, by Amy Traub, Laura Sullivan, Tatjana Mescheded, & Tom Shapiro
What White Children Need to Know About Race, by Ali MIchael and Elenora Bartoli
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, by Peggy McIntosh
Presbytery of Charlotte letter from Antiracism Team
My President Was Black, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Caught Up In God, by Willie James Jennings
Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?, by Ibram X Kendi
Listen
Code Switch, hosted by journalists Gene Demby and Shereen Marisol Meraji
Black Like Me, host Dr. Alex Gee
Scene on Radio – Seeing White Series, host John Biewen and collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika
TED Radio Hour – Mary Bassett: How Does Racism Affect Your Health? host Guy Raz speaks with Dr. Mary T. Bassett, Director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University
Here & Now – Without Slavery, Would The U.S. Be The Leading Economic Power? host Jeremy Hobson and author Edward Baptist
NPR Morning Edition – You Cannot Divorce Race From Immigration journalist Rachel Martin talks to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas
Pod Save the People, Activism. Social Justice. Culture. Politics. On Pod Save the People, organizer and activist DeRay Mckesson
Notice
Test Your Awareness: Do The Test, This video shows us the importance of paying attention, and how much more we see when we are looking for particular things around us.
Use each question below separately as one day’s challenge.
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Who is and is not represented in ads?
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What are the last five books you read? What is the racial mix of the authors?
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What is the racial mix of the main characters in your favorite TV shows? Movies?
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Who is filling what kinds of jobs/social roles in your world? Can you correlate any of this to racial identity?
Additional Resources Recommended by Members of our Church Family:
The Talk: Race in America PBS WHYY; 1 hour, 54 minute video
How to Talk to Your White Family about Racism article written by Sam Reed, published by InStyle
Implicit Bias Test published by the American Bar Association
Summer Reading Challenge
The congregation has been challenged to read Robin Diangelo's book White Fragility over the course of the summer. In September, we will gather over the course of a few weeks for book discussion!
