Public invited to attend discussion on healing racial divisions

On Oct. 25, the public is invited to participate in conversations on a topic that is sure to be close to the hearts of many active Christians and other concerned citizens in the South Sound – how to deepen racial understanding in our communities starting in our churches and extending out from there to the broader community. Jointly facilitated by Tacoma Ministerial Alliance and Associated Ministries of Tacoma/Pierce County, the gathering will be held 8:30 a.m. to noon at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 4818 Portland Ave.

This event stems from a well-attended meeting held this past summer at Peace Lutheran Community Center that came together upon the recommendation of longstanding community activist Melannie Denise Cunningham, president of the Business Masters Exchange Club of Pierce County, a business networking and service organization she founded to promote progress and better standards of life for local youth and families.

She said that the vision for the project came to her as a result of her participation in Get Smart Tacoma!, an ongoing and coordinated effort among local government, businesses and community partners focused on creating a vision for Tacoma’s future. “I saw a need for continued conversations and a deep understanding about how race affects us in the Tacoma community,” she said, “so I asked God for a safe way for the community to approach this conversation because it has to be had.

“It’s a faith-based approach unlike we’ve seen before, with a built-in level of safety because we’re coming from a biblical perspective.”

At this first meeting, which included local religious leaders, community activists and concerned individuals, D. Christine May, director of Racial Justice Ministries in Chicago for Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), presented an overview of two community training resources on white privilege and internalized racial oppression developed by ELCA. At the upcoming second meeting, these curricula will be further examined with the intention that participants will choose to implement the programs in their churches.

“Troubling the Waters for Healing of the Church: A journey for white Christians from privilege to partnership” was written by Caucasians for Caucasians as a workshop study resource to focus on the concepts of white privilege and cultural and structural racism. Participants engage in activities and discussions to examine white privilege as the spillover effect of racial prejudice and white institutional power in order to more deeply understand the unconscious and invisible force of systemic socialization.

“Breaking the Bonds: A Workshop on Internalized Racial Oppression” was written by people of color for people of color. This two-part workshop focuses on the concepts of internalized racial oppression and systemic racism. Exploring their own roles in cooperating with oppression, participants share their stories and experiences of self-hate, family distress, skewed expectations and pressures to adapt in order to seek greater healing and wholeness.

Cunningham noted that it is important for all people to seek understanding within their own race before they are able to “broaden the circle,” as she stated it. “White privilege must be dealt with in white communities and internalized racial oppression needs to be addressed in communities of color.

“We first have to deal with these issues in our own families before we can come out of the house.”

David Alger, executive director of Associated Ministries, said evaluations gathered from the first meeting overwhelmingly showed that participants believed the information May presented is relevant to local communities and that they wanted to see the programs implemented in some way. “It is our hope that we can begin using this curriculum with a smaller group of churches and, if it is successful, expand in 2009-2010 to much larger participation,” he said.

Rev. Arthur Banks, executive director of Tacoma Ministerial Alliance and pastor of Tacoma’s Eastside Baptist Church, said he is looking forward to getting the program going. “I’m glad to see this happening. If anything it’s overdue,” he said, noting that divisions among people of faith within the church, and among the general populace, continue to exist along color lines. “Oftentimes we’re together in some cases in Sunday events, but when it comes down to addressing issues facing our society on a daily basis we’re divided.

“Particularly in the household of faith we should be able to come together and find common ground in Christ Jesus to help society’s ills. It’s necessary that we come together.”

Cunningham pointed out that when something happens negatively, “we fight because it’s a problem. Right now, while we’re peaceful and nothing is going on, why can’t we be talking? The issue is there and we’ve never resolved anything or agreed to disagree, so let’s use these peaceful times to have these sacred conversations and get an understanding of how the Tacoma and Pierce County communities handle these issues.”

Diane Powers is a longtime community activist in the Puget Sound region. She said the turnout for the first meeting was “much more than we anticipated,” attracting participants of multiple ethnicities and backgrounds from beyond Tacoma and Pierce County to Renton and North Seattle. “People were really passionate about it.”

She noted that this “isn’t a one-time thing. This is a yearlong endeavor to engage individuals and churches to really delve deep into this issue. The idea is that once individual churches go through the one-year training, that they’ll reach across the aisle and have a similar vocabulary with which to engage others.” She said a two-day training to “train the trainers” is tentatively set for this November.

Banks said that above all, people should feel welcome to attend and be open about their thoughts and feelings around these sensitive topics in a safe environment. “People can attend this and express their opinions and views without being attacked. They will be provided an opportunity to help heal some wounds they may have individually and collectively.”

“I encourage people to step outside of their comfort zone and come check it out,” Cunningham said. “There’s no dispute that we need to have these sacred conversations, so be at the table.”

For more information, contact Associated Ministries at (253) 383-3056.

Commenting rules