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At its July 22, 2020, meeting, the Session approved a statement on
The Sin of Racism and a Call to Action and committed to the work of
anti-racism.

Click below to read the statement.
The Session invites St. Andrews’ members and friends to join us in growing as people of faith whom God calls to confront the racial inequity that is endemic to our society for the purpose of becoming allies with people of color who are working to effect change. We will do this by taking the 21 Day Racial Equity Challenge. Each day we will choose to read, watch, or listen to different perspectives from a list of provided resources and then reflect on what we have experienced. Those who desire may also choose to participate in a weekly small group either via Zoom or outdoors with social distancing. Each group will have a facilitator who will guide the discussion using open-ended questions. Watch for a follow-up email with discussion details.
The Challenge

Pick one of the resources listed every day for 21 days.

Diversify your understanding by doing some of each.

Track and reflect by using the planning tool.

Share your reflections in a small group if you choose.

Pray for the places you are challenged and for those you are learning about whose lives may be different from yours.
Resource Guide
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)

13th , 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) 

READ


Climbing the White Escalator , by Betsy Leondar-Wright

Guide to Allyship , Created by Amélie Lamont


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



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 


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.
 
  • Who is and is not represented in ads?
 
  • What are the last five books you read? What is the racial mix of the authors?
 
  •  What is the racial mix of the main characters in your favorite TV shows? Movies?
 
  • Who is filling what kinds of jobs/social roles in your world? Can you correlate any of this to racial identity?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

From the PC(USA)

From Debbie Irving, racial justice educator and writer
St. Andrews Presbyterian Church
8190 Lincoln Rd.
Beulah, MI 49617
231-882-4241