We recognize racism as a sin.
We commit to challenging unjust systems of power and access.
We will work for equal and equitable opportunities in employment and promotion,
education and training; in voting, access to public accommodations, and housing; to credit, loans, venture capital, and insurance; to positions of leadership and power in all elements of our life together; and to full participation in the Church and society.
See many of the United Methodist resources presented here on our website and much more at these pages:
https://www.umc.org/en/how-we-serve/advocating-for-justice/racial-justice/
and
https://www.umc.org/en/how-we-serve/advocating-for-justice/racial-justice/united-against-racism
DISMANTLING RACISM:
PRESSING ON TO FREEDOM
VIDEO: Bishops launch Dismantling Racism
On Juneteenth (June 19) 2020, bishops of The United Methodist Church announce the launch a multi-level effort to initiate a sustained and coordinated effort to dismantle racism and promote collective action to work toward racial justice. Learn more about this coordinated effort at UMC.org/EndRacism. See it here
VIDEO: Dismantling Racism: A Service of Lament
As part of The United Methodist Church's Dismantling Racism: Pressing On To Freedom initiative, church leaders conduct a service of lament, inviting United Methodists across the connection to join in a time of repentance, communion and commitment as the church
examines racial injustice. See it here
VIDEO: Dismantling Racism: July 1 Town Hall
A Town Hall on History
Days before July 4, 2020, a day when many in the United States reflect on our nation's history, The United Methodist Church held a conversation in our Dismantling Racism: Pressing on to Freedom series. Many are wrestling with how we can most faithfully understand and interpret the realities of this present moment. We pray and hope for a yet-unrealized future where Black lives matter as much to our nation's decision-makers—and to each person of faith—as they do to our almighty God.
In the midst of this vital work of reckoning with the present and reimagining the future, we extend to you an invitation to be like the Sankofa bird: to look back, even as we move forward. See it here
Anti-Racism 101 for Allies
Webinar Series with GCORR
July 23, 2020 - Defining Anti-Racism
July 30, 2020 - Strategies for interrupting and Dismantling Racism
August 6, 2020 - Building Our Capacity to Do Anti-Racism Work
10am-12 Noon Eastern
Rev. E. Michelle Ledder, Director of Equity and Anti-Racism, GCORR
The focus of this specialized webinar is to equip allies with educational tools in an effort to develop skills to combat racism. As a Director of Program Ministries, Rev. Ledder crafts and facilitates initiatives focusing on the Institutional Equity priority of GCORR’s Ministry Model. She works to help all levels of the connection create the beloved community with systems, policies, and processes that level the playing field for everyone. Register here
See UMC Dismantling Racism Events posted at the UMC website:
https://www.umc.org/en/content/dismantling-racism-events
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Online Course – You Are Here:
First Steps for White Christians on Race and Racism
General Commission on Religion and Race
Launching August 1st. Pre-registration is now open
An online course for Christians who want to acquire a fundamental understanding of race and racism from a biblical perspective. This four-part self-directed course offers videos featuring Robin DiAngelo and Rev. Dr. Anderson Hooker, reflections, and activities to help people of faith to recognize racism and begin to challenge it in their lives.
Your instructor: M. Garlinda Burton is a United Methodist deaconess, writer, editor, and advocate for racial, gender, and LGBTQ justice, who has worked for the denomination’s communications and advocacy agencies for more than 35 years. Director of Resource Development for the General Commission on Religion and Race, she also serves on the Board of Visitors at Vanderbilt Divinity School and the board of directors of the Wesley Foundation at Tennessee State University, in Nashville, Tenn. She is also active with the Nashville Freedom School Partnership©, a summer literacy program for children of color living in poverty.
Pre-register for discount: $34.99 for the first 100 registrations
Regular price: $39.99
Learn more and take the course
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PRAYERS & DEVOTIONALS
A Video Prayer: Turning to God in Days of Trouble
Watch it here (90 seconds) and see the printed prayer also
No justice. No peace
Devotion written in response to George Floyd’s murder
by Rev. Pamela Pirtle, Director of Leadership Development & Accountability, General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, United Methodist Church
If kneeling is an act of reverence for that which one holds sacred, in honor and is committed in devotion to, what happened on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis? How does someone kneel on the back of another man’s neck, hear his cries for release from trauma, calling for his mother, and yet continue in this act of worship? This scene showed what the officer held as sacred in his heart by kneeling on that man’s neck, was a worship of hatred so deep, so dark, many of us cannot comprehend it.
See the full devotion
Prayers for the Healing of the Nations
The General Board of Discipleship
See them here
COVID-19 Prayer: God of All, We Turn to You
God of faith and science, we turn to you in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, because we trust you. We trust you because you listen to our prayers. We trust you because you act in our lives and our history for our welfare. We trust you because we know you as a God of revelation in faith and science. See this full prayer and one more
Praying for Change: Daily Prayers for Anti-Racism
June 22, 2020
June 11, 2020
The Spiritual Work of Overcoming Racism
Resources from The Upper Room
The Upper Room is committed to a ministry that is increasingly global, antiracist, and ecumenical. In these days we are called to give special and focused attention to being antiracist. This is the work of discipleship and spiritual formation. Here is a growing list of resources for the spiritual work of overcoming racism. We will be continuously updating this page in the coming days and weeks as we journey with you.
https://www.upperroom.org/resources/the-spiritual-work-of-overcoming-racism
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UNITED METHODIST WOMEN (UMW)
Racial Justice:
Advocacy and Education
United Methodist Women is deeply
committed to the ongoing work of
racial justice. We seek to be in right
relationship with one another. We
work together for the transformation of church and world, following the teaching and example of Jesus Christ.
Learn more about our racial just work:
• Access theCharter for Racial Justice
• Meet the Racial Justice Charter support team
• Explore our history: Racial Justice Timeline for the US and UMW
• Learn more about Mass Incarceration with the 1-hour webinar
and other resources
• Read the book So you want to talk about race
and sign up for a free online course
Explore all of UMW's abundant resources
for Racial Justice Advocacy & Education
Download UMW’s comprehensive guide:
"Tools for Leaders: Resources for Racial Justice" (120 pages)
Download UMW’s Abridged Resource List (2 pages)
Interrupt the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Learn more about this timely and vital UMW campaign
Download UMW's School-to-Prison Pipeline Poster (see it above)
Learn about this campaign - download the 2-page flyer
See UMW's School-to-Prison Bible Study
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Bishops United Against Racism
Podcast: Get Your Spirit in Shape, Episode 74
7 June 2020
On Friday, June 5, 2020, we spoke with 2 bishops about racism, the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the police, and the protests happening across the United States. They express their anger, how they approach the world and are treated differently because of race and gender, and some steps United Methodists can take to be part of the solution of dismantling racism.
Bishop LaTrelle Easterling of the Baltimore-Washington Episcopal Area participated in a vigil at St. John’s Episcopal Church near the White House earlier in the week. Bishop Robert Farr serves the Missouri Episcopal Area and wrote a powerful statement about the killing of George Floyd.
Watch it here (39 minutes)
Listen to it here and download the audio recording
Bishops' Statements
Bishop Farr wrote a powerful statement on the Missouri Conference website: "Bishop Farr Expresses Outrage, Need to be Antiracist"
Bishop Easterling (above) posted the statement she prepared for the vigil at St. John's: "Bishop calls for dismantling of the architecture of institutional racism"
Bishop Ough of Minnesota made a statement supported by Council of Bishops: "Council of Bishops supports Minnesota area bishop in call for Christians to fight pandemic of racism"
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Dismantling Racism: Resources
UMKR needs your support
An Appeal from UMKR
UMKR has important church legislation for our denomination's global General Conference, to be held in 2021. These resolutions address:
• protecting Palestinian children,
• defending the right to boycott,
•divesting from the bonds of occupation governments, and other timely justice issues.
We also have BIG PLANS for educating
A LOT of people throughout our church about Palestinian rights, with literature, displays, speakers, meals, and witness actions!
With very limited resources, UMKR has made a BIG impact in the global United Methodist Church! Groundbreaking divestment and boycott actions by the UMC would never have happened without UMKR's advocacy AND all the extraordinary partners and allies who helped us.
General Conference is always our BEST OPPORTUNITY to make a worldwide impactfor Palestinian rights throughout our denomination.
But, if we are to succeed in advocating for justice with thousands of United Methodists who come to General Conference from four continents,WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Click the green button and take action now:
Please give as generously as you can, and
know that whatever you are able to give
will be greatly appreciated.
Vital Conversations 1:
Realities of Race and Racism
GCORR Video Series with Study Guides
The General Commission on Religion and Race of The United Methodist Church (GCORR) presents Vital Conversations 1: Realities of Race and Racism. This Vital Conversations video series features contemporary theologians, sociologists, laity, clergy, and other thought-leaders dealing with challenges of race, culture, and oppression in the Church and world today.
Every installment has a study guide and other resources at the video's page; each video can also be found and downloaded from Vimeo.
See episodes in the series below; see the whole series here
Ongoing Acts of Repentance with Indigenous People
Reverend Chebon Kernell
calls the church to participate
more vigorously in ongoing
acts of repentance, justice
making and truth telling about
the historical and continuing
impact of racism, specifically on Native American and indigenous people. See it here
Tearing Down Fences in Baltimore
Reverend Cynthia
Moore-KoiKoi shares her
experiences in the broader
context of racial strife in the
video “Tearing Down Fences
in Baltimore.” She challenges
viewers to reach out and build relationships in their respective communities through the lens of her service and experience in racially torn Baltimore. She prophetically calls to all of us in the church to be sources of hope and redemption to communities in conflict. We are all called to be a witness to the love and justice of God in the midst of civil unrest and protest in embattled places like Baltimore. See it here
The Intersections of Oppression with
Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey
Dr. Lightsey is an associate
dean at Boston University’s
School of Theology and the
clinical assistant professor
of Contextual Theology and
Practice. She is a scholar,
social justice activist, and military veteran whose academic and research interests include: classical and contemporary just war theory, womanist theology, queer theory and theology, and African American religious history and theologies. An ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, Dr. Lightsey has pastored local churches and is a sought after writer, speaker, and organizer. She serves on the board of Reconciling Ministries Network and has been a strong presence of support and advocacy in Ferguson, Mo., where racial injustice persists.
See it here
Meaningful Conversations About Race,
Featuring Rev. Dr. Hooker
The Rev. David Anderson
Hooker outlines elements
that hinder and help fruitful
dialogue on issues of race in
the “Meaningful Conversations
on Race” video. In doing so, he
traces how myths about race define how we function in life including work and school in the form of institutional racism. Dr. Hooker says by avoiding the hard conversations about race, we short-circuit any meaningful dialogue that can result in transformation in our lives and across the country.See it here
Continued Struggles in American Race Relations
In “Continued Struggles in
Race Relations,” Dr. Phillip
Klinkner confirms that the
vestiges of racism for many
people of color remain and
has not been eradicated. Nor
have the practices of institutions in the United States been aligned with democratic ideals of liberty for all. Dr. Klinkner argues that the advance of equality has been unsteady with brief and isolated periods of improvement and long steady stretches of stagnation and retreat.See it here
Deconstructing White Privilege
with Dr. Robin DiAngelo
All of us must seek the light of
God, the light of truth in
recognizing oppression. We
begin to do so in this session,
which focuses on the
oppressive behavior that is born
out of white privilege. Dr. Robin DiAngelo is transparent about white privilege couched in explicit and implicit biases in the video “Deconstructing White Privilege,” the first in a series of Vital Conversations on Racism. Dr. DiAngelo describes the most obvious and explicit aspects of racism and white privilege, while going beyond the surface of racism. Her video serves as a foundation on understanding racism and white privilege for the remaining six videos in the Vital Conversations series.
See it here
Church: Building the Beloved Community
Dr. Miguel de la Torre’s
approach to dismantling racism
is religiously analyzing social
issues from the perspective
of the dispossessed and
disenfranchised. Dr. de la Torre
focuses on role of church in embracing marginalized communities and cultivating a true spirit of multiculturalism in his video “Church: Building the Beloved Community.” He names racism as a sin. See it here
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GCORR Real Talk
GCORR Real Talk is a series of conversations with community and faith leaders to discuss and uncover the disparities of race, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status that are deeply embedded in our social fabric.
We believe that in the midst of our efforts to “flatten the curve” during COVID-19, we must also endeavor to “close the gaps” that are widening between whites and people of color, the rich and the poor, and other communities experiencing the effects of an imbalance in access to resources, opportunity, and agency. See episodes below; find all the conversations here
• Preaching Courageously Against Racism
• Impact of COVID-19 on People with Disabilities
Join us as we talk with Dawn Gibson and Esther Choi about how COVID-19 has impacted the lives of people in the disability community.
• Xenophobia and Anti-Asian Racism during COVID-19
• Impact of COVID-19 on Pacific Islander Communities
• Impact of COVID-19 and Systemic Racism on the Latinx
Community
• CARES Act and Racial Inequity
Guests Rev. Lydia Muñoz, pastor of Swarthmore UMC and Ryan Bowers, co-founder of Activest discuss the hurdles and inequities experienced by communities and churches of color when applying for the CARES Act emergency aid.
• Native American Communities and COVID-19
Guests Dr. Billy Beets and Mr. Shawn Terry of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Department of Health join GCORR for a discussion on how COVID-19 has impacted Native American communities and its healthcare agencies.
• Systemic Racism, COVID-19, and the Inequities of the Consequences to Black Communities
Guests Rev. Moya Harris, executive minister at Metropolitan AME Church DC and cardiac cath lab nurse,and Ryane B. Nickens, founder/president of The TraRon Center discuss systemic racism and the reality of ongoing inequities experienced by black communities.
• Addressing the murder of Ahmaud Arbery: What should faithful Christians do to dismantle systems and expressions of racism?
Guests Rev. Angela Brown, JD (Minister of community engagement, advocacy, and justice of the California-Nevada Conference) and Rev. Andy Oliver (senior pastor of Allendale UMC) discuss specific actions faith leaders can take to dismantle systems and expressions of racism.
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GUIDES & TOOLS
for Learning & Action Solidarity & Intersectionality
Did you see the resources in the right column? ▶︎ ▶︎ ▶︎
Don't miss the resources on the right ▶︎ ▶︎ ▶︎
Immaculate Perception:
Jerry Kang at TEDx SanDiego 2013
A Youtube video included with the online course, Implicit Bias; click the image on the left to watch the video (14 mins)
Makers, Artmakers, Peacemakers:
Immaculate perception? Do you discriminate?
UCLA law professor Jerry Kang exposes the phenomenon of automatic processing and how it relates to explicit and implicit bias. Decades of research shows that attitudes and stereotypes influence how we see and behave. Despite our best efforts, are we all under the sway of "the rightness of whiteness?" And is there evidence showing that these biases can be reduced -- at least temporarily? Using humor and audience participation, Kang challenges our assumptions while shifting our perceptions of at least one Asian male.
DISCUSSION SERIES
for our work to continue.
UNITED
METHODIST
RESOURCES, Page 1
On this page, left side:
• Dismantling Racism in 2020
• Online Course: You Are Here
• Prayers & Devotionals
• United Methodist Women resources
• Bishops United Against Racism
On this page, right side:
• 2 Discussion Series from GCORR:
Vital Conversations and Real Talk
• Guides & Toolkits
United Methodist Resources, P.2
• What does the UMC say about racism?
Church Constitution, Social Principles and UMC Resolutions
• Sermons about Race and Racism, on video
• Resources for and about Children
• UMC-Recommended Books for Adults
See them all on UMC Resources, Page 2
See our book lists:• For Learning about Racism
• By Black American Literary Giants Find them here
More resources: See our page for Learning Activities, Articles, and
Videos & PodcastsSee them here
Don't miss: Find resources about specific topics, such as Defunding the Police
and Reparations for African Americans, with those campaigns on this page:
Dismantling Racism: Actions & Campaigns
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Racial Justice Conversations Guide
Are you seeking ways to engage others in difficult, but important, conversations—such as the topic of white privilege and/or racial inequality? The following resources are intended to help get you started and create building blocks for additional work. See them here
10 Honorable Ways to Learn
Another Culture
See it online
Download the 2-page pdf file
Creating Change Together:
A Toolkit for Faithful Civic Engagement
General Board of Church and Society (GBCS)
Download the toolkit(24 pages)
GBCS also has some simple 1- and 2-page guides:
click each to download:
• Writing to Decision Makers
• Calling Decision Makers
• Visiting Decision Makers
• Formulating Your Story
• Planning a Prayer Vigil
Learn and teach about
IMPLICIT BIAS
Implicit Bias Workbook ($10)
Implicit Bias is all about ‘what we don’t think we think’ — wait a minute, what?!? As each of us experiences life — in school, at home, in church, at work, watching T.V. — we are surrounded by a number of biases. Some of these biases we consciously accept as our own, some we consciously reject, while many more fall into the subconscious level. Even though we are not aware of implicit biases, they constantly help to form our beliefs, values, ideas, and actions every day.
As followers of Jesus, we are created and called by the God who consistently questions beliefs, values, and motives. By taking an intentional look at implicit bias and the ways it works in our brains and in our actions, we commit to rooting out the biases that are corrupted by stereotype or prejudice and separate us from the Beloved Community. Use this workbook to learn more about one of the significant barriers to reaching our true goals of diversity, community, and equity.
Learn more here
Online Course – Implicit Bias: What We Don’t Think We Think($20)
Based on the popular Implicit Bias Workbook, GCORR has created an online course for anyone who is interested in learning and teaching others about implicit bias.
We invite pastors, teachers, and anyone who is interested in learning and teaching others about implicit bias to take this on-demand online course. This course is designed for you to take at your own pace and includes bonus content specifically for preachers.
The learning engagements included in each section allow for individual work, group work, and optional sermon preparation. All of the learning engagements recognize and lift up the reality that context is known best by those on the ground. Thus, while this course provides multiple entry points for learning about, thinking through, and transforming action regarding implicit bias, it does not contextualize the information for you.
Implicit Bias: What We Don’t Think We Think honors the contextual wisdom that you and others will bring to this material. Each exercise is an invitation to the sacred journey of discovering with your church and community how God is leading you to use this material faithfully within your context
We need your support.
With very limited resources, UMKR has made a major impact in the United Methodist Church.
Groundbreaking divestment and boycott actions by the UMC would never have happened without UMKR's advocacy AND the extraordinary partners and allies who have worked with us and supported our efforts.
If we are to continue advocating for Palestinian rights throughout our international denomination, we need your support.
Click here to donate online or by mail.
Please give as generously as you are able, and know that gifts of every size make a difference.
For News & Alerts
United Methodists are responding to Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth ,a statement of faith and urgent call to action from Christians in Palestine. UMKR seeks, through nonviolent means and in partnership with Palestinian Christians, freedom, justice and equality for all Palestinians and Israelis.
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🔸 New or Recently Updated
SEE ALSO:
Antiracism - ACTION:click here
Solidarity Following the Death of George Floyd - STATEMENTS:
By UMKR: click here
From Palestinians:click here
From Palestine Advocacy Groups: click here
From United Methodist leaders and bodies: click here
Black-Palestinian solidarity,
historic and current: click here