Remembering the Past to Build Shalom in the Present

Remembering the Past to Build Shalom in the Present

A resource list on the history of slavery in Boston 

by Megan Lietz, Founding Director, Race & Christian Community Initiative

One lesson reiterated throughout my Christian ministry education was “know your context”: learn the history, community, and concerns of the people you serve. But this discipline is often lost when it comes to cultural and racial issues, especially the history of slavery. Despite the far-reaching social, economic, and spiritual impact the institution of slavery has had on Greater Boston, none of the three Christian institutions I graduated from even mentioned our region’s involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. When Christians avoid this history, we can find ourselves largely unaware of the ways the legacy of slavery continues to impact our communities. We will also be ill-equipped to respond to it as a part of Christ’s redemptive work today.

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By the Numbers

• Slavery was legal in Massachusetts for over 140 years.

• Enslaved Black people made up about 10% of the population of Boston by the mid-18th century.

• Boston was a major port in the North Atlantic Slave Trade, connected to at least 307 separate trafficking voyages.

• Even after slavery was made illegal in Massachusetts in 1783, our region continued to enable and benefit from slavery in the South through our local textile, shipbuilding, fishing, insurance, and finance industries.

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The Church needs to wrestle with our region’s involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Other than the fact that local congregations were complicit in and directly benefited from the trade, the institution of slavery shaped our theology, practice, and congregational landscape. What is more — like any sin — we must confess, lament, and repent from the sin of slavery to see healing and transformation.

This video, “Remember & Respond: Remembering the Past to Build Shalom in the Present,” captures footage from RCCI’s experiential learning weekend on the history of slavery in Boston. Learn more about this opportunity here. 

Theological Foundation

"For You Were Slaves in Egypt": History, Memory, and Implications for Christian Discipleship: The Bible calls us to remember the past. Dr. Nicholas Rowe explores this biblical mandate and how it can form us as followers of Jesus in the Haymanot Journal, the official publication of the Society of Gospel Haymanot.* 

Slavery and Abolition: How the Early Church Got it Right: One way we can better understand the teachings of Scripture is to see how they were understood and lived out by the Early Church. Check out this video by Mako Nagasawa, director of The Anástasis Center for Christian Education and Ministry, highlighting how Christians who supported slavery deviated significantly from the views and practices of the Early Church. 

The Freedom of the Slaves: Throughout history, the Bible has been used to both defend and oppose the institution of slavery. What do we do with Scripture that seems to support the enslavement of human beings? Explore Chapter 7 of Esau McCaulley’s book, Reading While Black, which offers one perspective on interpreting the biblical passages on slavery while maintaining a high view of Scripture.

Living History: Historical Sites to Visit in Greater Boston

Royall House & Slave Quarters: Walk the grounds of a Northern plantation and learn about the enslaved people who lived and labored in the Medford, Massachusetts, of the 1700s. The Royall House explores the history of slavery through the lens of power and speaks the truth about our history in ways that feel interconnected and intimate. If there’s one site you visit, let this be the one. 

Museum of African American History & African Meeting House: Learn about the contributions of Black people in Boston in the 18th and 19th centuries, including their involvement in the abolitionist movement. Don’t miss the African Meeting House, funded and built by Black people in 1806, also considered the oldest extant Black church building in the U.S.

King’s Chapel: King’s Chapel is one of many historically white congregations acknowledging its connections to the Transatlantic Slave Trade and working to make things right. Watch a video about the history of slavery in the Chapel and consider donating to their memorial to honor enslaved people connected to their congregation. 

Change Makers: Local Organizations Directly Addressing the Legacy of Slavery Today

Boston People’s Reparations Commission: Join the Boston People’s Reparations Commission as they seek apology, reparations, and reconciliation for the legacy of Black enslavement in Boston. These local efforts are part of a more extensive work of repair throughout the nation and state.

City of Boston’s Reparations Task Force: The City of Boston commissioned a task force in 2022 to learn about the legacy of slavery in Boston and make recommendations for reparative justice. Information about how to join upcoming meetings and recordings of past gatherings are available online.

Episcopal City Mission: Episcopal City Mission is setting an example of how to engage a denomination in the ongoing work of repair. Learn how they mobilize congregations to get involved in policy change, reparations, and solidarity economics to shrink the racial wealth gap.

Resources: Learn More About the History of Slavery in Boston

Exhibit on the History of Slavery in Boston: This exhibit provides a concise overview of the history of slavery in Boston. It is available online or for in-person viewing in the basement of Faneuil Hall, a building named after slave trader Peter Faneuil.

Mapping the Enslavement History of the Freedom Trail: Tourists come from around the world to walk Boston’s Freedom Trail. Ironically, many of the sites have connections to slavery. Explore this interactive webpage to learn how the American Revolution was entangled with and dependent on a racial caste system that did not seek freedom for all.

Embrace Boston’s “Harm Report”: The legacy of slavery has had a profound impact that still lives on today. Read Embrace Boston’s “Harm Report” to learn how this legacy continues to shape our city in seven impact areas. Embrace Boston also convenes statewide meetings for those working toward reparations, where anyone can learn about reparation efforts and how you can contribute to repair.

Learning about the history of slavery in our region is not easy. But remembering the pain of the past can help us heal. When God judged Israel with venomous snakes in the wilderness, he told Moses to make a bronze snake that anyone who had been bitten could look at and live (Num. 21:4-9). They had to look at the object that caused harm to receive healing. Similarly, the Church in Greater Boston must look at our region’s history and understand how the legacy of slavery continues to impact us. We must look to the past to build shalom today.

Are there other resources related to the history of slavery in Boston that we should share with others? Please let us know by filling out the contact form below.

Next Steps

Take time to respond to this history through the practice of lament. Learn more and explore tools to guide your own lamentations. 

Learn more about RCCI’s experiential learning weekend on the history of slavery in Boston.

Contact Megan about hosting the experiential learning weekend on the history of slavery in Boston for your community through an immersive experience or course.

Make the learning weekend experience more accessible to future participants by contributing to our scholarship fund. Donate via the link below and put “ELW Scholarship Fund” in the subject line.

Special thanks to the 2024 Experiential Learning Weekend Sponsors whose financial gifts helped make our inaugural weekend possible and supported the creation of this resource page.

Want to learn more about the impact of slavery and racism on Boston? Here is a list of resources on the city’s long and complicated racial history.

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*Nicholas Rowe. “For You Were Slaves in Egypt”: History, Memory, and Implications for Christian Discipleship. Haymanot Journal, Vol. 2, 2022, pp. 46-57. 

EGC’s (Inaugural) Shalom-Seekers Book List

EGC’s (Inaugural) Shalom-Seekers Book List

Liza Cagua-McAllister for EGC staff

The Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC) exists to catalyze kingdom-centered, systemic change for the shalom of the city and the glory of God. If you are also on this amazing mission, our staff recently put together a list of books that have influenced and helped us along this challenging journey!

We asked our team: What books from diverse authors have you read that have contributed meaningfully to your shalom-seeking in the urban context? Why were these books significant to you? 

Submissions ranged from systems thinking primers to books on racial healing, from urban ministry classics to challenging new works less than a year old. From the 28 books mentioned by our team, we selected about a dozen to display in our EGC breakroom. Here are a few of those noteworthy titles, with staff comments.

“I find this book important for shalom-seeking in the urban context because... ”

A Multitude of All Peoples 

A Multitude of All Peoples: Engaging Ancient Christianity's Global Identity by Vince L. Bantu (2020) 

In order to know where we are headed, we need to know where we’ve been. Dr. Bantu — a former EGC staff member — brilliantly challenges Western mental models and makes the case for how the Church’s very foundation is multicultural.

Buried Seeds

Buried Seeds: Learning from the Vibrant Resilience of Marginalized Christian Communities by Alexia Salvatierra and Brandon Wrencher (2022)

Rev. Dr. Salvatierra and Rev. Wrencher glean powerful learnings from faith communities facing brutal challenges and evidencing tremendous power and imagination! From these historic movements, they offer present-day applications to different audiences, which is very helpful given urban shalom-seekers’ diverse experiences and social locations.

The Color of Compromise

The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby (2020)

Dr. Tisby offers an eye-opening and thoughtful account of how the Church has been complicit in creating and maintaining the unjust structures of systemic racism in America. This is an important book for understanding one of the key issues of our times.

Ecosystems of Jubilee

Ecosystems of Jubilee: Economic Ethics for the Neighborhood by Adam Gustine and José Humphreys III (2023)

The authors richly engage Scripture to address the relationship between justice and economics, which is so central to making things right in our world. We can’t really live out the gospel without having it reshape our economic ethics, and this is a great beginning!

Seek the Peace of the City

Seek the Peace of the City: Reflections on Urban Ministry by Dr. Eldin Villafañe (1995)

Dr. Villafañe applies the “Jeremiah paradigm” for ministry in the city, laying the biblical and theological groundwork for engaging issues such as violence and reconciliation in the city with the wisdom and truth of God’s word.  

Thinking in Systems

Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella H. Meadows (2008) 

We work in a complex web of interrelated living systems. Understanding systems is fundamental to our work, and this is the classic primer on what systems are and why they matter. It’s a great starting point or great refresher for your systems journey.

Other titles you can find in the EGC breakroom:

• Beholding Beauty: Worshiping God through the Arts by Jason McConnell (2022) 

• Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in our Christian Approach to Immigration by Karen González (2022) 

• First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament trans. by Terry M. Wildman with consultant editor First Nations Version Translation Council (2021)

• Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience Paperback by Sheila Wise Rowe (2020)  

• I Bring the Voices of My People: A Womanist Vision for Racial Reconciliation by Chanequa Walker-Barnes (2019) 

• The Alternative: Most of What You Believe About Poverty is Wrong by Mauricio Miller (2017)

• The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by The Arbinger Institute (2006)

Come by EGC to borrow one of these copies, check them out at your local library, or purchase them at your local, independent bookstore through bookshop.org!

These books help us pursue the shalom of the city for the glory of God. How about you?

We’re following the lead of people of color. Here’s why you should too.

Pearl via Lightstock

We’re following the lead of people of color. Here’s why you should too.

Four reasons white people should follow BIPOC leaders

By Megan Lietz, Director, Race & Christian Community Initiative (RCCI)

It was one week after the murder of George Floyd. Communities of color were reeling. Newsfeeds were exploding. And white evangelicals, wrestling with expanding worldviews and anxious energy, were asking the well-intended but complicated question: “What can we do?”

I remember a white church reaching out to me to discuss the possibility of them hosting a panel. While their language reflected openness, the event was well underway. “Have you been in communication with Black people or sought their perspective on what they think would be a helpful response?” I asked. The line went quiet. I was rather certain they had not. Because at that point, many of the Black folks I’d spoken with were wrestling deeply with hard emotions and trauma. They had not yet gained clarity on a collective response.

This is one example of how white people can seek to respond to racism without following the leadership of those most impacted. Despite good intentions, white people tend to run ahead and take the lead, taking action that is uninformed, misdirected, and not well received by Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities.

“Despite good intentions, white people tend to run ahead and take the lead, taking action that is uninformed, misdirected, and not well received by BIPOC communities. ”

The Bible sets a different example for us in Acts 6:1-7. Here we see Hellenistic Jews, a part of the ethnic minority within Christianity at the time, speaking up because their widows were being overlooked in the daily food distribution. The disciples, who were of the Hebraic majority, appointed wise and Spirit-filled Hellenists to lead the response to this problem. The dominant group supported the leadership of godly people on the margins as they led the efforts to make things right. The result was the spreading of the gospel and the making of disciples.

As a ministry that seeks to build shalom across racial lines, the Race & Christian Community Initiative (RCCI) has not always followed this biblical example. That’s because we have been shaped by a sin-sick society too. But as we explored in a recent article, we’re pivoting to better align our beliefs with our actions, shifting from being a “leader” to a “follower” of BIPOC leadership. 

This article explores why white people are not best suited to take the lead and invites them into a role that better reflects the redemptive power dynamics of God’s kingdom. 

Positioning: People of color are best positioned to understand racism and how to respond

People of color are closer to and more experienced with the problem. Not unlike how a person might benefit by speaking to a pastor or counselor who has been through the experience that person is navigating so we should learn from those who have firsthand experience with the problem of racism. People of color are more likely to understand how the oppressive systems of racism work and what the impacted communities need in order to overcome its manifestations. 

White people, on the other hand, have not experienced oppression because of the color of their skin. They also tend to lack proximity to those who have this experience. This distance can often contribute to misperceptions, blindspots, and biases. 

I often see this play out among my fellow white evangelical brothers and sisters when we seek to address racism through personal discipleship and interpersonal relationships. While of some value, this approach doesn’t address many of the realities that established and continue to uphold racism. People of color tend to address racism through community, organization, and systems-wide approaches that generally have longer-term and broader impact. We need both approaches to nurture shalom in our communities. 

RCCI leans heavily into personal discipleship but also has a strong communal element and is learning how to support BIPOC-led efforts that contribute to longer-term and systemic impact. 

Because BIPOC communities have struggled against racism for centuries, their history includes resistance and communal wisdom about navigating racism. From assuming interdependence and mutual liberation to community organizing and creatively incorporating resistance into daily life, they have developed principles, practices, and different ways of thinking that have faithfully supported the movement for liberation over the years.

Emmanuel Gospel Center

By and large, white folks have not resisted racism throughout history. As a result, they tend to lack the examples, theological frameworks, and imagination to respond to racism most effectively. 

One of the most common obstacles I hear from my fellow white evangelical brothers and sisters is that we simply don’t know how to confront racism in our context. We are neither aware of nor know how to navigate pathways for change. The American political and socio-economic system generally works for us as white people. That’s not to say that white people don’t experience challenges, but those challenges are not on account of the color of our skin. As a result, we have not had to learn how to advocate to ensure our own well-being. 

Even I, as the leader of RCCI and someone who seeks to actively and intentionally confront racism in my personal life, feel like there are basic processes around how to advocate for racial equity in my community I still don’t know. I, like many white evangelicals, am ignorant and inexperienced in areas many BIPOC folks have had to learn out of necessity. 

To be clear, white ignorance and being ill-equipped cannot be an excuse for inaction. We must do our self-work and learn as we go, but we should go forward with BIPOC folks in the lead.

People of color also are not as invested in the status quo because, unlike white people, it’s not designed for them and doesn’t center their needs or experiences. As a result, they may be more likely to resist unjust policies that white folks see as acceptable, personally benefit from, or may not be willing to sacrifice for change. 

For example, if the admissions policies and locations of exam schools in Boston are more likely to accept and be accessible to white children, white families will be less likely to advocate for changes. Instead, they may vehemently oppose it! BIPOC families, on the other hand, will be more likely to advocate for change because it’s their children who could be excluded if they don’t. If the status quo works for you, you’ll be less likely to invest the energy and make the sacrifices needed to work toward equity. You’ll protect your advantage instead of ensuring the whole community’s well-being.

Unexamined Socialization: White people are not aware of the profound way their socialization impacts them 

Similar to anything we’re immersed in during our upbringing, it’s often hard to see: It’s the water we swim in, the air we breathe. Like any culture, we’ve been socialized to value certain ways of thinking, doing, and being over others. 

While cultural preferences are not a problem per se, because we’ve been socialized in a society that values white people over people of color, we often think that white ways are “right,” “normal,” and even normative. This is usually not determined by biblical prescription but by the dominant culture.* 

Because our socialization runs deep, we can end up defaulting to our conditioning instead of following in the footsteps of Jesus.

“Because our socialization runs deep, we can end up defaulting to our conditioning instead of following in the footsteps of Jesus.”

For example, I grew up believing meetings that began and ended on time, stuck to the agenda, and achieved pre-determined goals were better than those that did not. When I hosted multiracial workshops, these beliefs impacted my practice. I’d value starting on time over extended fellowship, “getting through the content” over making space for wrestling with questions or hard emotions, and teaching from the facilitators over the stories or perspectives of the group. This didn’t mean I wouldn’t allow such stories or wrestling, but I had to choose to make space for them with intentionality. I did so because of my ideological commitment and training, but deep down, I’d feel anxious. I’d be concerned that if we pressed in too much, we wouldn’t get to the “more important” content, and “my” gathering or leadership wouldn’t be seen as a “success.”

Through direct and indirect feedback, I saw my posture and approach contributed to some people of color feeling they didn’t have the space to engage fully and authentically. I had to work — and continue to work — to hold my conditioning and its value in tension with flexibility, being present with others, and caring for the holistic needs of the group. Though doing the latter is something I feel less comfortable and experienced with, I continue to see how Jesus modeled and uses these practices to nurture his transformation.

Limitations: The leadership and presence of white people naturally create limitations to engaging across racial lines

Due to their socialization in the dominant culture, white folks often have deeply rooted mental models that shape their cultural understanding of what’s “right.” As a result, they can uphold the dominant culture in ways that constrict space for BIPOC folks who do not conform to or feel at home in these spaces. This is true regardless of their awareness or good intent. 

Even if a white person tries hard to develop trusting relationships and create space for genuine collaboration, barriers remain. Because white folks are seen not only as individuals but also as a representative of their racial group, their very presence can trigger undesirable emotions, bring to mind personal and communal histories, and enact power-laden patterns of behavior to which both white folks and people of color default. These are not the patterns Jesus desires for us. They are the fruit of a sin-sick world. 

When I first started RCCI, I would host and initiate multiracial events to cultivate constructive conversations and nurture multiracial community. I learned, however, that even if I invited people of color to shape the vision and collaborate early on, I held power that functioned to preserve my vision because I convened the meetings and offered the initial ideas.

José Roberto Roquel via Lightstock

While people of color did speak into an event’s vision or agenda, they tended to offer suggestions that adjusted or developed my ideas. Despite my explicit invitation to make the events their own, they tended not to operate outside of the framework I provided. I believe this wasn’t because they always agreed with me, but because my own postures, practices, and processes did not invite them to express dissent. Perhaps it was because I didn’t invest the time to develop trust in the way I could have. Perhaps it was because I assumed — and inevitably projected — that my ideas, shaped by my mental models and experiences as a white woman, were exciting and effective across racial lines. Perhaps it was because I shied away from asking hard questions or creating space for real conflict. Or maybe, people of color simply found challenging me not worth the energy it could take them to help me understand.

Not only were the gatherings confined by my initiation, leadership, and vision, but the conversations were limited as well. Now, I’m not saying the discussions were not rich and meaningful: I remember people asking bold questions! But the conversations were not as deep as they could have been had I not been facilitating.

In a multiracial space, especially a white-led multiracial space, people of color might not feel they have the safety or support to “go there.” Without status-quo-challenging BIPOC leaders facilitating and having full authority, which may not be possible under white leadership, people of color may be less likely to take risks, speak truth, and offer perspectives that can help us all eliminate white supremacy. When people of color are in the lead, or even the conveners and hosts, this dynamic can shift and create more spaciousness for BIPOC communities.

Kingdom Reality: Modeling power dynamics of the kingdom

Most importantly, when white folks follow BIPOC leadership, it models the power dynamics of the kingdom. God created each of us in his image (Gen. 1:27) and intended for us to be in right relationship with one another. He created us as members of an interdependent body (1 Cor. 12:12-26) with equal value and standing before him. We are to interact with mutuality and respect that honors the image of God in each person and each ethno-racial community.

When white folks follow BIPOC leadership, they are taking a step to correct an unjust and human-made hierarchy. They’re choosing to live into ways of being that can work to restore the equal power dynamics the Lord intends.

“When white folks follow BIPOC leadership, we’re taking a step to correct an unjust and human-made hierarchy. We’re choosing to live into ways of being that can work to restore the equal power dynamics the Lord intends.”

Living into these redemptive power dynamics is hard. Society does not teach or equip white people how to do this. People’s imaginations are small and their experiences are smaller. 

RCCI desires to nurture multiracial community that can model redemptive power dynamics and — through kingdom ways of being — work together to build shalom across racial lines. We are committed to learning how to do this and to creating pathways and resources so others can do the same. 
For more information, check out our homepage or connect with Megan to hear more about RCCI’s journey and how we might be able to support you.

How these dynamics can play out in real life

I would like to share a story that offers examples of when I did and didn’t follow BIPOC leadership, illustrating some of the dynamics mentioned above. I hope the Lord might use it to speak and inspire his kingdom reality.

I remember the excitement I felt when I received an email about a Christian conference highlighting justice, mercy, and humility. I eagerly clicked through the website to explore the topics addressed. I was disappointed that the conference, led by a predominantly white organization in 2016, did not seem to address racial justice. I expressed my disappointment to the event organizers and shared how I felt this negatively impacted the witness of the church. Though I don’t believe any changes were made at the time, the event organizers invited me to lead a workshop on racial justice the following year.

I was pumped. As a young woman and the new program director of RCCI, this felt like a great opportunity. I enlisted a good friend and woman of color to develop the workshop and lead with me. We put lots of time and energy into preparing, but at the end, I felt like our presentation was one of my most successful flops.

Due largely to my influence, we designed a lecture-style presentation. It focused on conferring knowledge and centered the experiences of the people at the front of the room. While this may have been more appropriate for the large crowd the organizers told us to expect, it fell flat before the dozen or so practitioners who actually attended. In retrospect, it should have been more interactive, more relational, more honoring of the other experiences in the room, and more engaging of heart, body, and spirit.

The following year, I was informed that the same conference was now taking applications for workshops to fill a limited number of spots. I reached out to those who had led race-related workshops the previous year so we could ensure racial justice was represented.

A Black leader replied, saying he had an idea for a multiracial panel, but he did not have the bandwidth to coordinate it on his own. Instead of submitting my own proposal, I chose to support this leader’s vision by helping complete the application, being a liaison between him and the conference coordinators, and addressing logistics on the ground. In the end, the panel was a success. It convened a group of practitioners who had been laboring together for over 15 years and allowed them to reflect on how racial reconciliation movements had changed over time. Each panelist shared their unique stories and perspectives in ways that interacted with one another and the audience. The panel was followed by an informal lunchtime discussion where participants could ask questions and go deeper.

Upon further reflection, I noticed that the approach in my own workshop reflected the dominant patterns and pitfalls I’d seen in much of my white-evangelical education. However, the postures and practices in the BIPOC-led workshop seemed more transformative and appropriate in that context. As I opened myself to a different expression of the body of Christ, I learned how to better invite folks into ways of being and learning that nurture the kingdom of God.

Pearl via Lightstock

As I continue in the ministry of racial reconciliation, I’m committed to following the leadership of godly people of color. In practice, this is easier said than done. The process of learning how to follow BIPOC leadership is challenging and time-consuming. It takes a relentless examination of my socialization, reflection on how my actions are functioning, and honesty about where I’m defaulting to my cultural conditioning when it doesn’t uphold the ways of God. I don’t always have the mindfulness or energy. Too often, I jump into engaging race-related issues in the lead. But by God’s grace, I’m learning to do differently. I’m learning to be differently.

God is our healer and the one who brings about change. May we follow him and those best positioned to lead his work of healing and justice. I hope you’ll reflect on the reasons we’ve offered for following the leadership of people of color and consider doing the same.

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* In A Many Colored Kingdom (pp. 134-142), Gary Parrett talks about how the Bible celebrates, connects with, challenges, or condemns culture. While there are some things the Bible celebrates that we should strive for, and others that it challenges or condemns that we should question or avoid, much of our culture today is not directly addressed in Scripture. There are connections between now and then, but what people should eat on Thanksgiving or the best way to preach a sermon, or the type of music that should be played Sunday morning are simply not addressed in Scripture. As a result, we should not ascribe an unbending moral value to those things Scripture leaves open for cultural conditioning. The Bible should be our guide, however, for the practices about which morality is clear.

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A stunted imagination

kathleenmadeline via Lightstock

A stunted imagination

Examining the gap between belief and action in the ministry of racial healing

By Megan Lietz, Director, Race & Christian Community Initiative (RCCI)

I remember feeling a call to the ministry for as long as I can remember.

And yet, whenever I imagined a minister speaking or preaching, I would always imagine a man. Even when I imagined my own future, I would see a man with a mic in his hand.

I have a deeply held belief in God’s calling on my life, but my imagination was limited by the examples I saw around me. Though I grew up in a denomination that affirmed the ordination of women, I have no memories of seeing women in up-front, senior, or full-time ministry roles when I was a kid. It wasn’t because women were absent from these roles, but because the dominant pattern was emblazoned in my mind and limiting my imagination.

Watts Media Ministry via Lightstock

I, and many white people, encounter a similar problem when addressing issues related to race. We default to the examples we see around us and to our socialization, forces that can trump even deeply and explicitly held beliefs. It can lead us to take actions that can look good, be affirmed by others, and be in alignment with the examples around us — and still uphold the unequal power dynamics that oppose the reconciliation made possible through the cross. It’s important that white people committed to racial healing examine our actions to see if they function in ways that nurture the healing work of Christ.

“Just because we believe something doesn’t mean we are living it out.”

— Megan Lietz

Just because we believe something doesn’t mean we are living it out. We can have a strong ideological commitment without corresponding actions. This disparity can be seen in how I collaborated across racial lines in the early years of the Race & Christian Community Initiative’s ministry at the Emmanuel Gospel Center.

If you had asked me about my philosophy for multiracial leadership, I would have talked about servant leadership, collaboration, and the importance of following the lead of people of color. These were the approaches I had written about in my seminary papers, that I tried to follow in ministry, and that I believe I practiced when I served on staff at a Black church for five years, submitting myself to Black leadership.

But when it became my turn to lead, my turn to steward my own ministry, I found myself defaulting to the power dynamics and practices I’ve been socialized in. In almost every example of white leadership I had seen, white folks were in control. So, when I led, I upheld the racial status quo without intending it.

Whitney L. Schwartz via Lightstock

What is worse is, I did so without noticing it. I did so while feeling normal, praiseworthy, and good. The truth was I was operating in ignorance and self-deception.

One factor contributing to this is that it seemed like I was doing all the right things. When coordinating multiracial events, I brought people of color into the process early on. I collaborated. I invited their perspective. On the surface, it looked good. But the ministry still centered my ideas, left me as the ultimate decision-maker, and kept me in control. It reflected many of my internalized beliefs of what a leader was, but not the upside-down power dynamics of the kingdom.

Ironically, I had wanted to share power. I was trying to do so the best way I knew how. But good intentions were not enough to turn the tide of a lifestyle of socialization. I lacked the examples, imagination, and mindfulness needed for transformation.

My defaults shaped my actions more than the vision of Jesus Christ.

“As Christians, it’s not just about what we confess with our mouths but what we confess in our actions. ”

— Megan Lietz

As Christians, it’s not just about what we confess with our mouths but what we confess in our actions. We must ask ourselves, “Are our actions being influenced more by our socialization or by the example of Jesus?”

If we don’t examine ourselves, the dominant culture will be our default.

We must ask this question of ourselves, the Lord, and our communities. We must get feedback, reflect, and expose ourselves to different examples that can help expand our imaginations. In doing so, we open ourselves to God’s transformation and ongoing alignment with him.

Dorothy Greco via Lightstock

At RCCI, our reflection is bearing fruit. We’re making a shift to better align our beliefs with our actions. We will no longer initiate multiracial events because we think it’s a good idea, maintain control over the process, or come to Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) with our ideas in hand. Instead, we’ll follow the initiation and vision casting of BIPOC folks for RCCI events or support the equity-building work they are already doing in our communities.

I’m glad to be able to share how I came to see the gap between my beliefs and actions. But seeing the discrepancy is only the beginning. It takes work not only to see but also to be mindful of something and to see how it continues to show up in our actions. It takes intentionality, support, and community input. It takes commitment to work at it — and to keep working at it. It takes the revelation and grace of God.

I’m excited for what it will look like for RCCI to further develop partnerships with and accountability to people of color. We’re working it out. But we’re committed to figuring it out. We are seeking the Lord and trusting that, through the process, the Lord who revealed our need for alignment will help us align ourselves with him. As we open ourselves to God’s transformative work, we pray that he will teach us to challenge the status quo, expand our imagination, and more fully and freely follow him.

May it be so with us and in the body. Amen and amen.

Learning How to Pedal

Learning How to Pedal: Balancing “Doing” and “Being” in the Work of Racial Justice

It’s not just about what you do, it’s how you do it.

by Megan Lietz, Director, Race & Christian Community Initiative (RCCI)

This is the final article of a three-part series on critical lessons RCCI is learning in its first five years of ministry. RCCI focuses on providing biblically based education to white evangelicals to nurture racial healing and justice.

All my life, I have kept a fast pace. I find satisfaction in checking tasks off my list and getting things done. 

While this has helped build the ministry of the Race & Christian Community Initiative at the Emmanuel Gospel Center, it is also one of our most significant liabilities.

When I go too fast or am too focused on “getting the job done,” I am more likely to do things that may look good on the surface but actually hinder racial healing and justice. Not only am I not fully present with people, but I’m also less aware of how I have been shaped by and may be perpetuating racism. 

For example, with less time for reflection and intentionality, I will likely make decisions based on personal biases. I may center myself in cross-racial conversations. Or I may align with a narrative that has been used to perpetuate unjust power dynamics instead of the counter-cultural values of Christ. 

It is for this reason that establishing a healthy rhythm of “doing” and “being” is critical for the work of racial healing and justice.

Rhythms of being and doing

Jesus balanced a busy ministry schedule with prayer, rest, and time away from the crowds. The time he spent away from the demands of ministry allowed him to receive from the Father and align with his will. It helped him model, usher in, and invite others into kingdom ways of being.

In a world where racism is in the air we breathe, spiritual practices help us reflect on what is influencing us and how we may be hindering racial harmony. They empower us to follow Jesus more freely and fully in a multiracial world.

We must balance doing and being to experience Christ’s liberating and healing power in our lives and communities. 

“When I go too fast or am too focused on “getting the job done,” I am more likely to do things that may look good on the surface but actually hinder racial healing and justice. Not only am I not fully present with people, but I’m also less aware of how I have been shaped by and may be perpetuating racism.”

— Megan Lietz

My colleague at the Emmanuel Gospel Center, Liza Cagua-Koo, talks about doing and being like two pedals on a bike. You need to use both to move the bike forward. If you only use one pedal, you will wobble and inevitably fall.

Balance external work with internal work. 

Balance pushing with resting. 

Balance giving generously with setting healthy boundaries. 

Balance action with reflection. 

Balance caring for others with caring for yourself. 

Doing and being. Being and doing. 

It is the rhythm we need to pedal forward.

This doesn’t mean we strike a perfect balance. It doesn’t mean there is a “right” amount. As a matter of fact, it’s not about achieving a rhythm or balance within itself. 

Rather, it’s about responding to a dynamic reality in a way that enables one to be present to God, others and oneself. It’s about cultivating ways of being in consecrated time that helps us see, examine, do and be different as we go about our lives. 

Who is like the LORD via Lightstock

The difference balance can make

During RCCI’s first five years of ministry, I’ve seen both the negative impact of imbalance and the life-giving, forward motion that appropriately prioritizing doing with being can have. 

An over-emphasis on doing led me to take action that looked good on the surface and bore a measure of fruit. But it had elements that were problematic and counterproductive. Here are some examples: 

• At a regional conference, I co-led a workshop that focused on an intellectual understanding of crossing cultures. It didn’t consider the lived experiences, feelings, or concerns of people of color in the audience, many of whom cross cultures every day.

• I invited the perspectives and leadership of people of color in the development of multiracial events. But I still maintained control and decision-making power as the initiator, convener, and host.

• I had been asking a Black colleague to engage in ways that required a high level of trust and relationship. I hadn’t taken the time needed to nurture a meaningful and trusting relationship and was asking for trust I had not earned. 

When we focus on doing over being, we can take one step forward and two steps back. But when we take a more balanced approach, we can contribute to healing and liberation. 

When being and doing are better balanced, ministry bears healthier fruit. Here are some ways we've seen this at RCCI:

• One project at an advanced stage of development was unintentionally centering white people. I was able to slow down and adjust it so that we could take steps to decenter whiteness and learn from the process.

• I invited the perspectives of people of color on sensitive topics in a way that wasn’t extractive but created energy for ongoing participation.

• I could be present in a conversation with a Black colleague in a way that was a mutual blessing and healing to my sister in Christ.  

If you want to leave a legacy of healing and liberation, you need to pedal between doing and being. Pedaling creates the balance needed for the ride. 

Practices that nurture balance between being and doing

I’m developing personal and professional practices that contribute to healthy ways of being. It has taken time to incorporate what I have, and it will take a lifetime to deeply integrate these practices into my life. 

What I’ve been able to put in place has been made possible by my privilege, my role as a ministry director, the incredible people and organizations who have taught and supported me, and the grace of Jesus Christ. 

“In a world where racism is in the air we breathe, spiritual practices help us reflect on what is influencing us and how we may be hindering racial harmony. They empower us to follow Jesus more freely and fully in a multiracial world.”

— Megan Lietz

I recognize that not everyone is in a position to do these things but I encourage you to think about your next step.

Pearl via Lightstock

Monthly day of prayer and reflection for RCCI: I take one day a month to pray and reflect. To sit with God and consider with him how he may be speaking through his Spirit, my experiences, and feedback from others. During this time, I may reflect with Jesus on ministry and engage in prayerful strategic planning. I may practice self-examination or simply take extended time to connect with the Lord. 

While reflecting for a day a month may not feel accessible to everyone, opportunities to reflect and connect with God can take many forms. Imagine what might work for you, whether it be a minute or day, and take time to reflect.

Reflection Questions

• What are ways you connect to God?

• How might the Lord be speaking to you through his Spirit, through your experiences, and through others?

• What opportunities may you have for reflection?

• How could you more consistently incorporate practices of connection and reflection into your life?

Adjust pace: Doing too much or going too fast can negatively impact our balance and being. I can easily find myself in this position. I have had to learn to slow down and discover what boundaries and practices I needed to maintain a healthier pace. 

Making this shift took a lot of time and energy. It was prompted by the ongoing and loving feedback of people such as my husband, pastor, and supervisor. I was also motivated by the examples of mentors, compelling authors, and years of “wanting” to slow down that never quite seemed to manifest. Realities such as having a second child and a pandemic that turned our world upside down facilitated a four-year process, the fruit of which I’m sharing with you today. 

One thing that helped me grow was setting guidelines for and boundaries around my commitments. For example, I set limits to how many evenings I’m out of the house a week and how many events I participate in on any given weekend. I also create a buffer in my day because the work always grows. Sometimes, I cross my own boundaries and, too often, my buffer gets squeezed out, but not without raising my mindfulness around my pace or a desire to do better next time. 

“We must balance doing and being to experience Christ’s liberating and healing power in our lives and communities. ”

— Megan Lietz

While guidelines and boundaries help, they can’t be applied well without real-time check-ins. For example, when I heat my lunch during the work day, I often take the two-and-a-half minutes while my food is in the microwave to check in with myself. I reflect on the day’s pace and how that may impact how I interact (or not) with others. Other factors, such as actively trying to avoid a conversation around the water cooler or desiring to skip out of daily staff prayer, are indicators that I need to adjust my pace.

More than anything, I’ve found it helpful to be willing to slow down based on feedback. This can be in a conversation, over the course of the day, or in the life of a project. Shifting to slow down, examine, and adjust is hard. But it’s a huge step in breaking out of our defaults and moving toward intentional, value-aligned action.

Reflection Questions

• Where might you need to slow down?

• What poses barriers to you doing so?

• What tools, resources, or accountability structures could you utilize to maintain a healthier pace of life?

Chris Mainland via Lightstock

Take a Sabbath rest: Keeping the Sabbath can help us slow down and reflect. It can impart perspective on our lives in ways that can help us divest from the world and realign with Jesus. 

For most of my life, I didn’t take a sabbath. I didn’t think I could afford the time. But as I stepped out in faith, I came to see I couldn’t afford not to. It was the very inclinations and ideologies, which told me I couldn’t possibly stop, that I actually needed to disconnect from. 

Like adjusting my pace, developing a sabbath was a process shaped by the examples and wise words of fellow believers. Once God, by his grace, helped me break away from my idols of busyness and achievement, I started to gain some of the perspective and healthy distance that sabbaths create. God used our sabbath times to nurture my personal growth, spiritual vitality, and holistic wellness. 

Now I'm grateful to be able to carve time out one morning a week to connect with God, care for myself, and read for my personal and professional development. I look forward to it each week. It has strengthened my faith walk and ability to lead in ministry. 

“For most of my life, I didn’t take a sabbath. I didn’t think I could afford the time. But as I stepped out in faith, I came to see I couldn’t afford not to.”

— Megan Lietz

With two young kids at home, aging parents, and a multitude of responsibilities, it can be hard to protect my sabbaths. But even if my mornings are interrupted, or don’t happen at all, they now represent a baseline I keep coming back to. They anchor me to the life-giver, the liberator, and the lover of my soul. I’m also learning how to carry sabbath mindsets and practices throughout my week, so I can take moments of rest wherever life leads me.

Reflection Questions

• What do you feel you just can’t break away from?

• How might this thing be functioning as an idol in your life?

• What sabbath mindsets, practices, or rhythms could help you submit these idols to the Lord and put them back in their proper place?

Phil Lehman via Lightstock

Struggling forward

In this world, the pressure to over-emphasize doing will always be present. We must resist. 

The more we focus on doing to the exclusion of being, the more we will go to our default: social conditioning shaped by racism instead of the heart of Christ. Biases unchecked, blindspots unseen, relationships damaged, power dynamics upheld, and narratives passed on that have functioned to uphold racism for generations. 

Action taken: check. Results: mixed — at best.

Just because we showed up at the temple for prayer time doesn’t mean our ways of being with God or others are right (Luke 18:9-14). Just because we’re in the room with the Great Teacher doesn’t mean we’re sitting at his feet (Luke 10:38-42). It’s not holding a title or being at church every time the door is open that makes us more like Christ. Rather, it’s about positioning ourselves to receive from Jesus, being present to him and letting him work in and through our lives. 

It can be hard to nurture healthy ways of being in a society that showcases accomplishment, has a narrow understanding of productivity and progress, and glorifies life in the fast lane. 

Nurturing one’s way of being and becoming is challenging, time-consuming, and slow. It can be counter to what many of us have been taught to do, focus on, and value.

And yet, it is worth pursuing. Our health depends on it. The health of hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits depend on it. The health of relationships, organizations, social systems, and communities depend on it. 

When we move toward a healthy balance, we move toward being more liberated, healed, and whole.

Take Action

• Take a moment to just be. 

• Participate in breath prayer. Breath prayers are short prayers that are said repeatedly with the rhythms of one’s breath. When breathing in, pray, “I am a child of God,” and when breathing out, pray, “I am loved unconditionally.” Reflect on Matt. 11:28-30 in The Message version of the Bible.

• White evangelicalism, like so much of society, is deeply influenced by a fast-paced culture and narrow view of productivity. Take a moment to learn from the following authors from outside of the evangelical tradition on Sabbath and rest.

• Sabbath as Resistance by Walter Bruggemann offers a theological argument for sabbath rhythms from an academic perspective.

• Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey offers a passionate and prophetic manifesto about the need for rest and how it can resist white supremacy. 

• Learn more about RCCI support and accountability groups that strive to help white evangelicals take action in ways that embody the lessons captured in this blog series. These will be revamped and relaunched in 2023.

Learning to Bring Our Whole Selves

Learning to Bring Our Whole Selves: Nurturing Holistic Healing in Biblically Based Race Education

When I only engaged my mind, I was limiting my own and others’ healing.

by Megan Lietz, Director, Race & Christian Community Initiative (RCCI)

This is the second article of a three-part series on critical lessons RCCI is learning in its first five years of ministry. RCCI focuses on providing biblically based education to white evangelicals to nurture racial healing and justice.

"I can't let you present like that again." That's what my supervisor at the time, Nika Elugardo, told me right after I gave one of my first presentations at the Emmanuel Gospel Center. I had shared on power dynamics in multiracial congregations, a topic I wrote about for my master's thesis while serving as a research fellow at EGC. 

Nika's comment blindsided me. Walking back to my seat, I felt good. I had shared how white culture can unduly influence multiracial congregations and challenged people to consider how their congregational culture may uphold barriers to authentic community.

I soon learned that it wasn't what I had presented that was the problem; it was how. I had offered a presentation with all the correct data, cited my sources, and delivered it like I'd been trained. But somehow, in the process, I had forgotten that I was speaking to whole people. Not just minds. Not just degrees. But to people who needed to be nurtured with resources beyond my narrow academic toolkit.

In retrospect, I realize I had dishonored the whole people that God created these image bearers to be. 

I hadn't asked them how they were doing, and I hadn't engaged them in reflection or given them time to process what I shared. There wasn't any dialogue. There wasn't creativity. There wasn't spiritual practice. There wasn't a shared experience other than me passing on information like they were minds in the chairs.

When I walked away from the podium, I felt my presentation had been a success. But over the last five years of ministry with the Race & Christian Community Initiative, I've come to define success differently. It's not only about engaging people's minds or having a polished presentation. It's about nurturing holistic transformation. 

If you had asked me five years ago how to disciple people, my answer would not have reflected my practice. I would have thought it did — because I believed it. I'd written all the papers — and gotten A's. It was in my head, but it hadn't been worked into my approaches, postures, and experiences. For all the "right answers" I could give, I didn't know how to nurture transformation. 

One thing I needed to learn in this journey was how to use more effective methods of adult education: I needed to treat everyone as valued collaborators and make more room for dialogue and application. Another growth area for me — which this article focuses on — was learning how to engage people in heart, mind, body, and spirit.

Pearl via Lightstock.

Learning the impact of whole-self discipleship

Piloting our first cohort was a great learning experience for me. I was catching on to what transformative learning really looked like and how to nurture it in practice. The cohort provided a space where I could test this out. 

Some of the ways this showed up in the early days were opening with spiritual grounding practices (e.g., Scripture reading and prayer), centering our time on dialogue or shared experiences, and leaving plenty of time for self-reflection. As we leaned into this, the cohorts bore fruit. 

Over time, I invited others to shape the curriculum. As I did, I learned intentional practices and tools to help people engage their whole selves. 

“Like any sin, racism doesn’t infect only one part of us. It seeks to make its home in every part — and it will consume us if it can. ”

— Megan Lietz

I was coming to see that racism wasn't something that could be addressed by appealing solely to one's head. It wasn't only about "right knowledge." If it were, perhaps racism would have already been eradicated. The fact of the matter is that the sin of racism impacts not only our minds, but also our hearts and bodies and spirits.

Like any sin, racism doesn't infect only one part of us. It seeks to make its home in every part — and it will consume us if it can. 

As a result, we need to bring our whole selves into this work so we can experience holistic healing. If we only engage our minds, we miss the greater work we need the Lord to do in us and the personal healing necessary for healthy multiracial community.

Below, I share some of the ways I’ve brought my spirit, body, and emotions into the work of racial healing and justice and encourage you to think how you can do the same.

The deeper I go, the more I recognize my own need for healing. And the more I acknowledge my brokenness and invite Jesus to help me, the more I see his healing work in my life.

Laura Cruise via Lightstock.

Bringing my spirit into addressing racism

First and foremost, racism is a spiritual issue. I say this not to over-spiritualize the problem — a tactic that has been used to uphold injustice throughout history — but to suggest tools to make practical action more effective. 

One of the tools I implemented early on was a monthly day of prayer and reflection for RCCI. I use this time in many ways, from praising God to seeking his direction for ministry. I often find myself sitting with the Lord and having him reveal how I've been marred by racism or need to grow to lead RCCI more effectively. As I invite the Lord to do this work, he speaks abundantly. 

Especially in the early years, he imparted lessons I needed to learn to counter the sin of racism and the impact it had on my life. He reminded me of the value of relationships and community.¹ He helped me to abide in Christ, focus on being over doing, and strengthen my God-given identity. I learned to evaluate success by obedience to him versus the standards of this world.² Though these were lessons I had learned earlier on my Christian journey, he was bringing me to a deeper level: helping me shift from being a person who knew principles for reconciliation to becoming the person who he called me to be as the leader of RCCI.

He still reveals how my ways of seeing, thinking, doing, and being have been marred by racism. He does so through his Spirit, his people, and my experiences in the world. 

Through the power of his love and grace, he is changing me, healing me, and helping me relate differently to the body of Christ.

“As white people, we like to think of ourselves as free agents, independent from the impact of history, socialization, and broken systems. But in seeing ourselves as such, we are underestimating the effect of sin and the freeing power of Jesus. ”

— Megan Lietz

This growth isn't something I could have thought my way into, and it's not somewhere I could have gotten by just following my heart. This is fruit born from spiritual practices: prayer, worship, reflection, fellowship, Scripture reading, and soaking in the presence of God. 

These spiritual practices — and engaging these practices with people whose cultures, worldviews, and experiences are different from my own — are helping me see the ways the sin of racism influences me. The way it has distorted my perception, my assumptions, my reactions — the ways it has me bound. 

As white people, we like to think of ourselves as free agents, independent from the impact of history, socialization, and broken systems. But in seeing ourselves as such, we are underestimating the effect of sin and the freeing power of Jesus. 

As I invite God's liberating power into my life, the Lord helps me become more aware and mindful of how racism impacts me. This awareness helps me better evaluate if I’m following God’s way or ways that feel right because of my socialization and cultural conditioning. For example, the Lord helped me see that many of my standards for what is good or excellent have been shaped by white dominant culture. These standards aren’t necessarily bad per se, but they took on an outsized role when I imbued them with a sense of goodness, righteousness, and normalcy. This role wasn’t because of their alignment with God’s will, but because of their broad acceptance and familiarity. I used these standards to judge myself and others, following what I thought was “good” without realizing that my moral judgment was being shaped less by God’s Word and more by my cultural conditioning. Jesus helped me become aware and mindful of this in ways that helped me follow him more freely.

These days, the Lord is not only showing me areas of my boundedness and discipling me into freedom, but giving me glimpses of what it looks like to do things differently. He is expanding my imagination and inviting me into new ways of "fixing" that don't uphold racial hierarchy but nurture the radical, creative, and redemptive work of Christ.  

By bringing my spirit into this work, God is changing my values, postures, and ways of being. He is doing transformative work in me. And as he does, it gives me faith that he can nurture transformation in our sin-sick society. 

Pearl via Lightstock.

Bringing my body into addressing racism

In the work of racial justice, my body helps me stay honest. It offers physical indicators of what's going on inside. The churning in my stomach, heat in my chest, trembling of my hands, and dull ache in my head reveal that, for as much work as I've done to show up well in certain spaces, I'm still experiencing anxiety, tension, and stress. 

Let me clarify that, as a white woman, racism will never impact me the same way it affects the bodies of people of color. The physical manifestations of discomfort that I experience are nothing compared to the embodied generational trauma, the chronic stress that contributes to disparate health outcomes, or the daily violences that accost my brothers and sisters and dishonor the image of God.

That said, all bodies can offer indicators that testify to the cost of racism. All bodies need to take time to care for themselves if we are to be sustainable in the work of building shalom.

Eating healthy, sleeping well, exercising, and seeing a doctor or mental health professional can go a long way in caring for our bodies. Creating rhythms of rest, recreation, and celebration mirrors not only biblical examples, but also supports whole-self sustainability. 

When I don’t do these things, I can be stressed, irritable, unproductive, too sensitive or not sensitive enough. I’m also more likely to act out of unhealthy defaults, emotions and brokenness instead of God’s truth and will for my life. When I do take time to care for myself, my whole ways of being with God, self, and others are healthier. God uses my self-care as a part of the long but faithful healing process made possible by Jesus Christ.

I used to think of caring for oneself as good, but now I've come to see it as necessary. While I know there are many obstacles to self-care, I now pursue them less as good things to do and more as acts of worship. Acts of worship that honor God and give life.

Bringing my emotions into addressing racism³

Of all the parts of myself that I've found most challenging to engage in, it has been my emotions. Feeling seems like such a simple thing. A natural thing. Something we all learn about at an early age. But I've found that my ability to feel around race-related issues has been distorted. 

I don't mean my ability to care. I feel deeply called to engage God's redemptive work across racial lines. But that said, feeling passion is only the first step. And once you take that first step, discomfort will not be far behind. Persevering through that discomfort is a much more complex challenge many white people have to learn how to navigate over time. It's this that prepares us for the more challenging work — the ongoing work — of acknowledging our own brokenness, entering into the pain of others, and lamenting before the Lord.

“While engaging the mind is needed, doing so by itself is not enough. If we only engage our minds, we miss the deeper work the Lord wants to do in us and the deeper work that is needed for us to see healing in our communities.”

— Megan Lietz

Though I'm an adult, I feel like sometimes I could learn from the books I read to my 3-year-old. We talk about being happy and sad and expressing these emotions. But I'm still working on allowing myself — even learning how — to feel the pain I see in the work of racial justice. 

Not long ago, I met with a Black brother who had been deeply hurt by racism within a Christian community. I wasn't meeting to talk about this experience per se, but I could sense his deep pain and saw that it impacted how he showed up in our conversation. I remember getting off the call and feeling the weight of my brother's pain. 

Part of me wanted to stop and lament right then and there. But another part of me felt obligated to move on to the next thing. I had a busy day.

I did take some time to pray. As I got back to my desk, I noticed how good my work was at distracting me from my emotions. It made me wonder how often I use my work to numb the pain. 

I wonder how much — even when we think we care — we are so deep into generations of socialization that has functioned to numb our consciousness that we experience invisible obstacles to feeling at all. 

But by the grace of God, I notice this temptation in myself and ask the Lord to help me. At this point in my journey, I'm just working on allowing myself to feel. As I do, the Lord calls me more and more into lament, which draws me closer to him, his healing power, and his community. 

Prixel Creative via Lightstock.

As I engage my emotions, I’ve taken steps toward restoring my humanity: toward feeling, towards grieving, towards doing these things that are a part of the human experience and help connect people in their humanity. As I engage my body, I feel the cost of racism and learn how to care for myself in sustainable ways. As I engage my spirit, it makes all the difference, and the Lord shows me my brokenness and does the work that only he can do to help me — to help us — heal. 

While engaging the mind is needed, doing so by itself is not enough. If we only engage our minds, we miss the deeper work the Lord wants to do in us and the deeper work that is needed for us to see healing in our communities.

Reflection Questions

• To what degree have you engaged your heart, mind, body, and spirit in the work of racial healing and justice? Try not to judge — just notice where you are.

• What is one part of yourself you feel an invitation to engage more fully? 

• What might it look like for you to engage your heart, mind, body, or spirit more fully in the work of racial healing and justice?

• What is one thing you can do to more fully engage that part of yourself?

Take Action

Check out these resources to nurture different parts of yourself.

HEART 

• Listen to songs from the Porter’s Gate, an ecumenical and multiracial artist collective, that offers songs for justice and lament (scroll down on the webpage to find) or other songs addressing racism, resistance, and justice. Notice how you’re feeling when you listen to them. Where do you resonate? Where do you feel uncomfortable? What gives you hope?

BODY 

• Try these grounding practices excerpted from “My Grandmother’s Hands”: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway for Healing Our Hearts and Bodies. These practices can help increase our body awareness and navigate discomfort.

• Use Abby VanMuijen’s slide about how emotions can manifest in our bodies as a tool to discern what feelings you may be experiencing based on your physical responses.

SPIRIT 

• Use this daily examen for living as an anti-racist person as a tool for self-reflection and discipleship.

• Here is a liturgy of lament focusing on racism and how it has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the pandemic seems to be lifting, the scriptures and underlying issues transcend particular circumstances. They speak into and could be adapted for current events.

• Read this 40-day devotional by the Repentance Project that focuses on repenting of the history of anti-Black racism in our country. You can sign up for daily emails or download the whole guide. While written for the season of Lent, it is appropriate all year long.

We want to learn from you. What do you do to engage your heart, body, and spirit in the work of racial healing and justice?

Share With Us

How I bring my whole self into holistic healing and justice.

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¹ Versus being a lone ranger or so oriented on accomplishing a task or achieving that I don’t tend well to my relationships with others. These are both behaviors that are shaped by the individualism and narrow views of productivity and success that have been used to sustain racial hierarchy. 

² This helped me become more aware of where social norms and practices I used to not see or find acceptable are not in alignment with God’s will. It gave me the courage to challenge them and practice a different way of thinking, doing, and being that is in greater alignment with the Great Reconciler, Jesus Christ.  

³ White folks’ emotions around racism have been distorted. On the one hand, white people can become engulfed and immobilized by their emotions. For example, there is a long history of white women using their emotions — specifically their tears — to center themselves in race-related conversations and avoid uncomfortable issues. In urging folks to bring their feelings into this work, I do not intend to encourage "white tears" or other inappropriate emotional expressions. Instead, I am inviting readers to consider another way white people’s emotions have been distorted: a lack of feeling influenced by how we’ve historically turned away from the horrors of racism. I hope that in acknowledging and inviting others to reflect on our emotional numbness, we may be able to express ourselves in healthier and more constructive ways before God and community.

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Learning As We Go

Learning As We Go: A Messy Methodology Nurtured Transformation

A new way of thinking helped launch me into ministry. It also changed me in the process.

by Megan Lietz, Director, Race & Christian Community Initiative (RCCI)

This is the first article of a three-part series on key lessons RCCI is learning in its first five years of ministry. RCCI focuses on providing biblically based education to white evangelicals to nurture racial healing and justice.

I'm a planner. Every strength-based test I've taken affirms that I'm good at developing a plan, sticking to it, and getting it done. My approach to launching the Race & Christian Community Initiative reflected this skill set. 

I reviewed the six-page document containing the plans to launch RCCI at the Emmanuel Gospel Center. It involved a year of research, ministry development, fundraising and relationship building that emphasized gaining understanding before taking action and underestimated how dynamic reality is.

I remember my supervisor, Stacie Mickelson, saying in essence: "That's one way you could do it, but I don't recommend it. I encourage you to start taking action now and learn as you go."

When Stacie first said this, I was a bit confused. Had she not seen my well-thought-out plan? 

But more than confusion, I felt unprepared. 

How could I be ready without taking the time for extensive research? Did all the degrees I had earned not testify to the need to learn before taking action in the world? Besides, I'm a white woman. I have a good chance of getting it wrong here. I want to put in the work so I can learn to effectively engage issues related to race. 

“The names of the euro-descended anti-racist warriors we remember – John Brown, Anne Braden, Myles Horton – are not those of people who did it right. They are of people who never gave up. They kept their eyes on the prize – not on their anti-racism grade point average.
”

— Ricardo Levins Morales

Nika Elugardo, the director of EGC’s Applied Research and Consulting department at the time, offered some wisdom I still carry with me. She said: “Megan, you don’t need to know it all. You just need to know enough to be ahead of the people you’re leading. When you are, you’re positioned to reach back and help them take the next step.”

The perspectives of my supervisors opened and invited me to a different way of learning. Instead of waiting until we "feel ready" and following the "perfect plan," RCCI now commits to learn as we go. In the process, we are transformed.

Five years into ministry, I've encountered many white brothers and sisters stuck at the same point I was: not feeling “ready” for action when, in reality, if we all waited until we “felt ready,” action would never come. I now want to reach back, offer some things I've realized about "learning as I go," and encourage them to take the next step.

Learning as you go is uncomfortable and requires risk-taking

Learning as you go — as a real-life practice — is messy and requires risk-taking. Perhaps that's why I, as a calculated planner, took some time to warm up to the idea. Or why I, as someone who wants to "get things right," avoided an approach that increased the chance of failure. 

It's also not comfortable. And at first, it doesn't increase your confidence to navigate the world effectively. On the contrary, as I’ve waded into the messiness of multi-racial ministry, I’ve often felt out of control or like I don’t have a clear path ahead. I’ve felt vulnerable, frustrated, anxious, unsure, and insecure. Furthermore, this can make me want to “fix,” micromanage, or distance myself from the problem. But these reactions can be counterproductive. Learning to wrestle with the mess, sit with discomfort, take risks, and figure it out as you go are not only healthier responses, but also formative. They can help us develop the postures, perseverance, and skill sets needed to navigate the realities of race. 

That said, I want to be clear that diving in as a white person is both necessary and problematic. The hard truth is that we will inevitably make mistakes and hurt people of color. In my 15 years of living across racial lines and five years leading a ministry seeking to contribute to the dismantling of racism, I’ve upset, offended, annoyed, and dishonored people of color. And it hasn’t come through things that felt like “obvious” mistakes. It has happened through moments of carelessness, oversights, blindspots, defaults. Moments when I never intended to hurt anybody. Moments when, sometimes, I didn’t even know I did. 

I’ve messed up. And others – usually brave and generous people of color – were kind enough to let me know. I’ve perpetuated the very practices, narratives and ways of being I profess to stand against. I did that. And you will, too. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take action. On the contrary, we need to learn from our mistakes, learn to repair and address the pain we have caused, and keep working toward the dismantling of racism.

Ricardo Levins Morales, a Puerto Rican artist and activist, shared:

“Anti-racist whites invest too much energy worrying about getting it right; about not slipping up and revealing their racial socialization; about saying the right things and knowing when to say nothing. It’s not about that. It’s about putting your shoulder to the wheel of history; about undermining the structural supports of a system of control that grinds us under, that keeps us divided even against ourselves and that extracts wealth, power and life from our communities like an oil company sucks it from the earth. … The names of the euro-descended anti-racist warriors we remember – John Brown, Anne Braden, Myles Horton – are not those of people who did it right. They are of people who never gave up. They kept their eyes on the prize – not on their anti-racism grade point average. … This will also be the measure of your work. … There are things in life we don’t get to do right. But we do get to do them.”¹ 

I encourage you to dive in. But be thoughtful about where and how you dive in. Be mindful of the potential consequences and be ready to slow down, confess, repent, and make things right. 

Creative Clicks Photography via Lightstock.

Learning as you go contributes to quicker learning

When Stacie and Nika encouraged me to take a risk and learn as I go, they weren’t only helping me learn to do differently, they were actually helping me learn more efficiently. Trying and learning through experience helped me refine my ideas with my feet. It was more efficient to come up with a plan and test it along the way than to polish one before trying it. 

As someone who had been conditioned to go for the "A" right out the gate, it took some time to get used to this new approach. But I found it invaluable. Not only did I learn a lot on the way, but I got a lot farther piloting my ideas than I would have if I had "perfected" them on paper. What I once saw as glorious plans now feel like a taxidermied butterfly. They look pretty but they don't fly. 

One example of how this methodology bore fruit was with RCCI's cohort community. When I started the first cohort, I wasn't planning to launch a program. I just wrote a blog post and invited white people to talk about race. Little did I know God had been preparing people long before they responded to my blog post. He had placed within them a longing to wrestle with issues related to race in Christian community. Seeing this longing and how it aligned with my own, I jumped in. I didn't feel prepared and I certainly didn't know how to start a program. But we had the Holy Spirit's guidance and my supervisors' support. We also had the resources found within our inaugural community. And so this fledgling group grew into our first cohort.

What started with a handful of people has since evolved into our core program. It’s contributed to action taking and inspired testimonies of transformation. (To learn more, you can read RCCI's Cohort Origin Story here.) 

While piloting the cohorts, I learned much about leadership, picked up different tools and practices, and developed meaningful relationships. Ultimately, I was launched into ministry. Though we didn’t have the big team or resources that are often associated with growth, our willingness to "try fast, fail fast, and learn fast" helped us go far.

This experience can be captured well in a quote by sociologist, historian, and author, James Loewen: "If we wait until we are ready … we may wind up old and feeble before we ever do anything. Conversely, getting out there and trying to change society can teach us some things and wind up changing ourselves."² 

Learning as you go creates opportunity for collaboration

Learning as I go helped me lean into community. To be honest, I'm a bit of a lone ranger. I need a loving nudge to overcome my natural tendencies that are in tension with my Christian ideals. While "not knowing the answers" and not feeling ready could be seen as a setback, these same feelings developed a healthy fear and open posture in me. This approach nurtured collaboration and propelled me ahead.

When I first launched the cohort, I felt I was operating out of a place of weakness. I was a mother of a demanding 1-year-old, who had me up early in the morning and wanting to go to bed by 8 p.m. Leading cohorts from seven to nine left me in a situation where it was hard to give my best. During cohort conversations some nights, my tired mind would struggle to be attentive. As the facilitator, sometimes I wouldn't know what to do next. It was in those moments of feeling my own limitations — and perhaps because of them — that space was created for others to jump in. They could take the lead. They could share experiences or offer resources that may have gone unshared. They could voice questions that may have gone unasked. 

What started as collaboration out of necessity became an intentional approach for RCCI. I valued collaboration in principle, of course. I spent significant time listening to and learning from leaders of color before piloting anything. But feeling my own limitations — and remembering that God didn’t design us to do this alone — helped me cement collaboration into RCCI's practice. 

For example, after the first cohort, we worked with alumni to envision and try out a "next step" that would eventually become our support and accountability groups. When we piloted our multiracial workshops and community forums, we invited people of color to speak into the process and co-lead early on. While we were still learning how to collaborate well, we were committed to collaboration — and continue to learn how to do so today.

The "learn as you go approach" encouraged a practice of learning with others. Both of these are now part of RCCI’s DNA today.

Mari Yamagiwa via Lightstock.

Learning as go you nurtures liberation

One of the hardest aspects of embracing agile methodology was that it challenged — no, more than challenged — it required the sacrifice of my perfectionist tendencies. 

Perfectionism is something people of all races struggle with for several reasons. But it's also something that can — and has — been used to uphold racial hierarchy. 

Taking an approach that required me to address my perfectionism served another purpose: it was a means through which the Lord could continue to liberate me from one of the ways the sin of racism can operate in my life.

Taking a learn-as-you-go approach to ministry helps me not only let go of some of my perfectionism. I'm also learning to let go of control.White folks, especially, are accustomed to having more agency because of our white privilege. We can have unhealthy expectations around power because of how our racial group is dominant and centered in society. We expect power, feel entitled to it, think it is something we need.

But white people are not the Creator. God did not intend for us to have control over and above other human beings. We are all created in God's image and commanded to have dominion over the earth (Gen. 1:27-28) — a dominion of stewardship, caring, and mutual thriving so that God's shalom may reign on earth.

I know this in my head, but the desire to be perfect and the desire to control are very human tendencies. 

Taking a "learn as you go" approach is working this out of me. It's been a tool of Christ’s sanctification, liberation, and healing.

The practices and postures of "learning as you go" help nurture liberation. It gets us to re-examine and release the ways we've been conditioned and open ourselves to the Lord. It helps align us with his will so that we can more fully and freely follow Jesus in a multiracial world. 

“If we wait until we are ready … we may wind up old and feeble before we ever do anything. Conversely, getting out there and trying to change society can teach us some things and wind up changing ourselves.”

— James Loewen

When Nika and Stacie encouraged me to jump in, I didn't expect to be holding on to their advice five years later. Their invitation felt like a risk — and it was — but it was one I've found well worth the reward. It's a reward not of security or ease but of Christ-like transformation.

And today, I'm still on that journey of transformation. Each step of the way, God has shown me grace. 

Shelton, a member of RCCI's inaugural cohort, recently shared with me about our early years. She said: "Megan, I didn't follow you because I thought you had all the answers. I followed you because you knew you didn't. Because you were willing to journey in community and learn as you go."

Especially with Boston being a hub for education, we are often valued for what we know. But the deeper I get into Christ’s work of healing and justice, the more I realize I don’t know. 

This not knowing doesn’t need to be a barrier. On the contrary, it can be a catalyst for transformation, collaboration, and liberation. If we come with a teachable spirit and humble posture, we can find a gift in uncertainty and be changed by a commitment to learning as we go. 

Reflection Questions

• How might these principles for learning relate or not relate with your own experience? 

• When might you have received challenging feedback? How have other people’s perspectives helped you to grow?

• Where might you be leaning too heavily on your ability to plan, prepare, or control?

• What is one area the Lord may be inviting you to “dive into” even if you don’t feel ready?

• In that area, what could the dangers and benefits be of you taking a “learn as you go” approach?

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¹Ricardo Levins Morales, "Whites fighting racism: what it’s about," Ricardo Levins Morales Art Studio, January 7, 2015, https://rlmartstudio.wordpress.com/2015/01/07/whites-fighting-racism-what-its-about/. 

²James W. Loewen, "The Joy of Antiracism," in Everyday White People Confront Racism & Social Injustice: 15 Stories, ed. Eddie Moore Jr., Marguerite W. Penick-Parks, and Ali Michael (Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing LLC, 2015), 31.

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Origin Story: How RCCI's first cohort took shape

Photography by R9 Foto for The Emmanuel Gospel Center

Origin Story: How RCCI's first cohort took shape

Five years ago, the Race & Christian Community Initiative launched its first cohort, a small group of white Christians in Greater Boston wrestling with issues related to race.

It was an unexpected adventure, but one that was characterized by humility, transformation, faith, and grace.

In March 2017, at a time when the national conversation demanded that white America address the racism endemic to this country, RCCI’s program director, Megan Lietz, called white Christians to take action. She invited those who responded on a journey to explore issues related to race in community. That was the beginning of RCCI cohorts and support and accountability groups.

While that was the beginning, the best part was the process. And it’s that journey that we hope to share with you today. Not only what we did — but how we did it — and the values, postures, and practices we held along the way.

As a group committed to learning in community, we wanted to share our story collaboratively. As a result, members of RCCI’s first cohort held a five-year reunion to reconnect and reflect on their shared journey. It was out of this time of remembering that a collective story emerged that we desire to share with you today. It is a story not only of how RCCI’s hallmark program began but of how we learned to walk in faith and allowed God to form us through community.

Testimonies of impact from inaugural cohort participants

Shelton and Scott

“My experience has significantly shaped the lens through which I see the world, myself, others, and God. I am so much more aware of how whiteness has shaped my reality, worldview, reading of scripture, and theology as well as the systems I live in and reinforce.” — Shelton

“Being part of the cohort helped me to gain familiarity and comfort with the language of race and racism, applied to the world I was experiencing, but also applied to my own life and actions.” — Scott

Dana

“[An exercise from the] support and accountability journey continued to shape my thinking as I entered into a new season of ministry. It has sharpened my focus and deepened my understanding of the need to prioritize relationships over strategies and shared life experiences over programs.”

Kate and Jeremy

“I read the news differently, I listen differently, I look at and interact with people in crowds differently. I think about how I use my resources in a new way. … I have a changed mindset, and it affects everything.” — Jeremy

Linda

“So much of my internal racism was pushed down over the years and remained deep inside of me. But, as I learned to identify its existence, I also learned to ask forgiveness in prayer and seek a way to reconcile these sins with those whom I harmed.”

When a White "Sorry" Is Not Enough

When a White "Sorry" Is Not Enough

by Dean Borgman

Pentecost Sunday, and I just can’t get the sight of that white knee on a black neck out of my mind…. Just weeks after 25-year-old Black man Ahmaud Arbery was shot to death while jogging… Black police officer Breonna Taylor shot to death by white police in her own apartment… reminding us of a long list… including Eric Garner in 2014--also strangled by a wrongful police chokehold.

We’ve watched the slow and reluctant response of the police departments and police unions and town officials… and unresponsiveness up the line of our justice system to the Executive office itself. We’re forced to wonder about official response to a black knee on a white neck…. I’m left dazed and frustrated. 

My personal white apologies to close African American friends fall flat—I can sense it. They have seen it all… over and over… and experienced their own indignities. They have heard voices of seeming remorse with no systemic change… too often before. They know this painful cycle of oppression and are quite sure that hollow amends will continue. What can be done… until I… all of us… are able to see ourselves as part of the problem… before any solution can come?

Before we ponder solutions and suggest some new strategy, we must hear, more clearly than ever before, the depths of our problem. Few of us Whites have taken enough time to listen…  to really hear… what Black people have experienced along all the way since 1619… and how it really feels going into the fifth century since then. How does such a trail of racial travesties affect Blacks and Whites? Adequate response will take more painful time and effort than most of us have ever taken.

The Westminster Presbyterian Church of Minneapolis invited Princeton professor Eddie Gloude to speak on “Racism and the Soul of America,” (13Sep16) This look into White America’s soul from a Black perspective is painful… while perhaps prophetic as to the events of this past week in that same city.  This video speech is slow getting started but soon gets to the heart of systemic racism in America. Have we taken the time to listen to it… have we heard its diagnosis?

But how is it that so many White Christians, have through the centuries, failed to support the oppressed? Jesus announced his Gospel and personal Mission statement by saying:

 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor… to let the oppressed go free.”  (Luke 4:18)

In my life experience, growing up in a strong church, majoring in Bible and Theology, teaching in a White Seminary… this announcement of Jesus did not seem prominent… nor protests against systemic racism a priority… from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s time up until now.

A second Black voice comes to us from the pastor of Washington D.C.’ Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, The Rev. William H. Lamar IV, preaching on: “It’s not just the coronavirus, it’s bad theology killing us:”

Here is what he had to say:

"There comes a time when being nice is the worst kind of violence. This is especially true for the many Christians who erroneously conflate being nice with following Jesus. No more euphemisms. No more pretending. No more craving the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day “Kumbaya.”

"I believe it is time for those who claim to follow Jesus to declare, without equivocation, that white evangelicalism is a morally bankrupt, bone-crushing theological system devoid of any semblance of the deity incarnate in Christ."

"Multiple factors are responsible for the alarming death rates that black, brown, Native American and poor white communities are experiencing from the novel coronavirus. Mendacious, misanthropic political leadership. A so-called health care system driven by profit and not human flourishing. An economic reality where even the below-a-living-wage money earned by poor and working-class people is siphoned off to the wealthy via tax cuts and tax policies that force wage earners to pay a larger share than dividend earners."

"American white evangelicalism is the offspring of the religion of settler colonialists, and the raison d’etre of settler colonialism is to remove an existing population and replace it with another. Settler colonialism is always violent, and it always has a theological system to support it.

"COVID-19—and its impact on black and brown communities—is the American empire in viral form. It lodges itself among the poor and feasts upon them. They cannot socially distance in tight, squalid quarters. They cannot wash their hands in lead-ridden water in Flint. We are having digital funerals for people who live in a city where Congress refuses to extend the health benefits… they themselves enjoy."

"This bad theology of who belongs and who does not, of who is worthy and who is not, has the blood of my parishioners on its hands. How would the novel coronavirus be affecting my community if the God-talk of white evangelicals, whose theology controls our political landscape, sounded more like Jesus?"

A third Black voice this Pentecost Sunday 2020 offers hope through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. It reaches into the richness of the Black experience for spiritual hope and more effective efforts for the common good. The voice is that of our national Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry: 

As a white man, I can’t say this so eloquently or as effectively. May the collective worldly- centeredness and individual-egocentricity of our systems be overcome with loving justice. May we, of all ethnicities and political parties, be able to hear this plea for our common good: the hope of God’s kingdom come and God’s will be done… for global health, for our national healing, and for the common good for all…. Through the love of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

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Dean Borgman is a retired (but still teaching) professor of Youth and Family Ministries and Social Ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is an assisting Episcopal priest at Christ Church, Hamilton-Wenham and works as a part-time consultant for the Emmanuel Gospel Center in Boston. His experience in youth work is both suburban and urban, church and parachurch, national and international. He was involved in Young Life for several years, including YL’s early urban work on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and Young Life’s Urban Training Institute in NYC. He has taught for several years in Africa besides leading classes and workshops in several countries. His books include Hear My Story: Understanding the Cries of Troubled Youth, 2003, and Foundations for Youth Ministry: Theological Engagement with Teen Life and Culture, 2013. Dean received a Youth Ministry Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Youth Ministry Educators in 2006 and from Youth Specialties in 2013. Dean and his wife Gail live in Rockport, MA and have four grown children with twelve grandchildren.

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EGC is issuing a series of 1st person reflections in response to the killing of Mr. George Floyd, in the hope that each unique voice might be heard, that we might each speak to the part of the Body that we are nearest to, and that together as a team we might disrupt the sin-cancer of white supremacy and our beloved church’s addiction to simple answers.

The Journey for Justice: How Lament Powers Repair

by Liza Cagua-Koo

The Journey for Justice: How Lament Powers Repair

We are a world in tremendous pain, and as we convulse with it in our inner being, Jesus is standing at the door knocking.  His spirit is knocking urgently at the door of the church, his Body.  He's here, looking for the sick and those who welcome resurrection.  We are each individually and through our local expressions of church now making decisions to answer that knock, or not. 

Pursuing God's ways of dealing with pain through lament are the strong foundation from which we can engage productively and perseveringly in the work of justice and healing.  Unless we figure out what to do with pain in an ongoing way, we won't last in the cross-bearing partnership Jesus is calling us into.

Unless we figure out what to do with pain in an ongoing way, we won't last in the cross-bearing partnership Jesus is calling us into.

In this 3-part series I will share what I’m learning about running a marathon against injustice, and the interrelated centrality of pain, lament and repair.  This first reflection attempts to bring some texture to the pain I am seeing in others and in myself.

We Are in Pain 

We are in pain.  I bear witness to it here, in my limited way, and pour out my anguished cry out before God now and in the presence of those who might have an ear to hear. 

Selah.

There is a pain that no human can really hold consciously in its fullness: the depth of the suffering of even one person who faces chronic systemic dehumanization from white supremacy culture and systems.  Only God can fully bear the parental soul pain of having "the talk", the bone-deep exhaustion of the black tax, the mental trauma of being continuously gaslit when you've tried to name the systemic pattern throughout your life, and for generations. 

This is the pain of fighting to honor your imago dei when your experience at school, at the doctor's office, with the loan officer, or with the police, screams otherwise. And now, in this unexpected moment opened up by the straw-break of one horrifying video, there is the jolting pain of seeing the world you've been living in suddenly perceived by those on the outside. 

And as this other world outside your door seems to be waking, as white strangers kneel along a funeral route honoring George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, as targeting systemic injustice becomes a thing, there is the pain of daring to hope that this will lead to something.   And another kind of suffering manifests: the pain of figuring out a new way to be and to lead, in the face of eager white folks wanting to make it all better but not ready to face the cost to them of what repair might entail.

Selah.

There is another kind of pain: the pain of having your understanding of the world blown up into cinders.  The pain of deconstructing a comforting world that has rested on the myth of meritocracy, on the myth of American exceptionalism, and the misguided understanding that there are good and bad people in the world and all rests on individual choices, untethered from systems and their behavior.  The pain of betrayal of where you put your trust (your parents, your schooling, your history), and worse: the pain of sensing some level of responsibility now that you know something is deeply wrong. 

And when, finally, you come to terms with this new world, and decide to step forth into the struggle against systemic injustice, there is the pain of not knowing what to do, of making mistakes, of having your good intentions mean very little in the face of the impact of your actual choices. Here too is the pain of not knowing where to take your pain, because the world that has been oppressed does not have room for it.

Selah.

And there's the kind of pain I know best: the pain of being part of a group dehumanized by white supremacy while at the same time cooperating with white supremacy in order to survive it. 

This is a diverse nexus with many kinds of pain and expressions.  The pain of white-presenting Latinos who've gone along with being "white" and have let go of their roots.  The pain of non-white-presenting Latinos who've gone along with being tokens.  The pain of black-presenting Latinos marginalized within their own community because of colorism and anti-blackness in it.  The pain of seeing other people of color (POC) weaponized against our efforts for justice. The pain of seeing POC standing on the sidelines of those efforts, like when recent immigrants are quick to separate ourselves from historically disenfranchised groups here and distance ourselves from their cause. 

I well remember my first cries at school in Boston of "I'm Colombian!  I'm not Puerto Rican!" when my 8-year-old mind subconsciously tuned into that demonic wavelength broadcasting that Puerto Ricans were less than, as I witnessed my white teachers routinely chastising them and expecting little from them.  So much pain that the disease of white supremacy has caused the non-white immigrant communities as it has dehumanized and divided.  And as if that was not hard enough, there's the pain of coming to terms with the fact that we were also carriers, that the infection of racial/ethnic hierarchy was spread by us too.

Selah.

There is great pain amongst POC when we've left each other behind.  The pain is not just between white and black, it's amongst us all. 

The pain of indigenous people: decimated, blamed for their community's uphill battles—and mostly forgotten by other POC and whites alike as we fight for resources on their ancestral lands.  There is the pain of Southeast Asian immigrant communities left behind, invisibly falling short of the ridiculous "model minority myth," their youth in battle with other kids of color in the fight for street cred, looking for respect where it can be found.  There is much pain in the realization that we are often just fighting each other for crumbs in the heirarchy of the white supremacy table.

Selah.

What can be done with all this pain—these "tips" and the icebergs that they represent?  So many of us have trained ourselves to not look at such horrors, to ignore them, to overcome by focusing on what we think we can do and control.  But regardless of whether any of these different streams resonate with you or not, whatever your story is with injustice, I believe we MUST look at the pain and suffering, that the Spirit beseeches us to stand in its presence and see the extent of the desolation, the valley of dry bones before us corporately. 

I believe we MUST look at the pain and suffering, that the Spirit beseeches us to stand its presence and see the extent of the desolation, the valley of dry bones before us corporately.

Only by walking with God's spirit amongst these bones can God begin to transform us into a people who can be cross-bearers in Jesus, into a Body who can prophesy over dry bones, that they—that we—might all come alive and live.

While Ezekiel prophesied with words, I believe we must prophesy with action.  Today’s dry bones need the flesh of repair-- actions that have the chance to rehumanize what has been dehumanized, to bring to thriving what has been chronically attacked by the systems we live in. I am convinced that biblical lament is an essential fuel for our prophetic action, what will give us the courage to do what needs to be done.  Part II will speak to why that is.

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Liza Cagua-Koo
Assistant Director

Liza Cagua-Koo pursues racial justice & healing at home in a Latino-Asian family, at Emmanuel Gospel Center with a multiethnic team of urban ministry practitioners, and in life with her BFFs and church community in Dorchester, MA.  She is on the long journey of decolonizing her mind and longs for the day when the church is best known for being an agent of justice in our racialized society.  Or the day Jesus comes back and delivers us all.  She'll take either.

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EGC is issuing a series of 1st person reflections in response to the killing of Mr. George Floyd, in the hope that each unique voice might be heard, that we might each speak to the part of the Body that we are nearest to, and that together as a team we might disrupt the sin-cancer of white supremacy and our beloved church’s addiction to simple answers.

A Theology of Racial Healing

Though the word “racism” is not used in the Bible, the work of racial healing has always been a biblical value. Scripture tells the story of God reconciling all people to himself and one another. 

In this resource, we suggest a Biblically-grounded theology on Christ's redemptive work in the area of race relations. We explore how the Bible addresses issues related to race, the impact of racism, Jesus’ heart for the oppressed, and Biblical principles of reconciliation.

May you be inspired to pursue racial healing as an outworking of your faith.

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Starter Resources on Race for White Evangelicals

Starter Resources on Race for White Evangelicals

by Megan Lietz

Biblical and Theological Foundations

As with all matters, it’s important that we root our understanding in God’s word. Explore the following resources to better understand the biblical and theological foundation of continuing God’s redemptive work across racial lines.

A Theology of Racial Healing:  Though the word “racism” is not used in the Bible, scripture tells the story of God reconciling all people to himself and one another. In this resource, RCCI suggests a Biblically-grounded theology on Christ's redemptive work in the area of race relations.

The Sin of Racism: Though racism is often not named as a sin from the White evangelical pulpit, this article by Tim Keller explains from a biblical perspective how racism is a sin and that it manifests individually and corporately. Though there is disagreement around how to respond to racism, as Christians, we cannot leave this sin unaddressed. 

Ethnic Identity: Bringing Your Full Self to God: God gave each one of us ethnic identities that reflect the character and image of God. Explore what the Bible has to say about ethnicity and culture in this self-led Bible study for groups and individuals. It reveals how God sees our ethnic identity and uses it as a part of his redemptive plan.

Race & Racial Hierarchy as the Product of Broken Humanity

While our ethnicities were given to us by God, the social classification of race and the racial hierarchy it serves was a product of a broken humanity. To learn more about how the concept of race developed and was shaped by socio-historical realities, not God’s will, explore the following resources.

Race: The Power of Illusion: This is a three-part PBS documentary that explores the origins of race and how it is not a genetic reality, but a relatively new social construct. Though somewhat dated, the foundation laid here is important to understanding the concept of race. If only one episode is watched, it is recommended to watch Part 2: The Story We Tell. It can be rented on vimeo or is available via Kanopy subscription service, that may be available through a local library.

Our Experience and Identity as White People

In order to engage effectively as white people in issues of race we need to understand how our experiences and perspectives may be different from those of people of color. An important part of this is understanding the racial privilege and power we have as White people because of the color of our skin. For some perspective, check out the following resources.

If you’re looking for a primer on how aspects of our identity like race and gender grant us measures of privilege and how they can impact our lived experience check out Allan Johnson’s book, Privilege, Power, and Difference.

Waking Up White is a memoir by Debby Irving, a white woman who grew up in a predominantly white, wealthy suburb of Boston, about how she came to see and respond to her whiteness. Her journey can offer insights and encouragement for your own.

In, White Awake: An Honest Look at White It Means to Be White, Daniel Hill leads readers through phases of White identity development and offers biblical tools to navigate these seasons of growth. He also offers strong chapters on markers of racial awareness and action steps you can take to progress in your racial awareness journey.

Peggy McIntosh’s article, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, is a brief and classic work that gives examples of how white people may experience privilege in their daily life. Simply becoming aware of what privilege looks like and how it can manifest in our lives is a crucial step!

 

Engaging Issues of Race

As we explore our identity as white people, we need to consider how this shapes our role in engaging issues of race and develop a toolkit for effective action.

Woke Church, by Eric Mason, explores the biblical call to justice that is for all believers and how the Church can regain its prophetic voice and practice to confront racism in the United States.

How to Be Last: A Practical Theology for Privileged People is a blog post by Christena Cleveland that lays a theological foundation for the posture that white people should take as they follow people of color into the work of racial reconciliation.

Soong Chan Rah’s book, Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church, explores what Christians need to know and do to engage across racial lines in ways that are loving and respectful.

Mark Kramer’s article, Unpacking White Privilege: Feeling Guilty about Racial Injustice Isn’t the Point; the Point Is Doing Something About It complements Peggy’s McIntosh’s article by offering suggestions for how to respond to some of the privileges she identifies.

For additional resources, check out Next Step Resources for White Evangelicals.

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Contact Megan Lietz

Contact Megan Lietz

Megan Lietz, M.Div., STM, helps White evangelicals engage respectfully and responsible with issues of race. She is the director of EGC’s Race & Christian Community Initiative.

COVID-19 & Churches: Action Against Racism

Last Updated July 2, 2020

COVID-19 & Churches: Action Against Racism

Megan Lietz and the RCCI Team

“Being Black or Brown does not increase one’s chances of contracting COVID-19, but systemic racism does.”

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See below to learn more about…

• COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on communities of color and how this is connected to systemic racism.

• Actions you can take as an individual during COVID-19 to combat racism on the many levels it manifests.

• Local organizations working toward equity during COVID-19 and how you can support them.

• Why businesses of color were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and how to find and support businesses of color in Greater Boston.

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We are truly living in unprecedented times. That said, this novel virus is exposing the age-old patterns of racism, xenophobia, and systemic inequalities. As we seek the Lord for how to respond to COVID-19 and reorient ourselves to this new reality, let's consider how racism is shaping our communities and how we can work to counter its impact through practical actions and compassionate faith.

Please see below to learn more about COVID-19's disproportionate impact on communities of color and concrete steps you can take to work against racism.

COVID-19'S Impacts on Communities of Color

The Intersection Between Systemic Racism & COVID-19

“The fact of the matter is that racism has created an uneven playing field. COVID-19 is only making these disparities worse.”

COVID-19 is no respecter of persons. Anyone, of any race, can be infected and even die—a reality that makes us mindful of our shared humanity. And yet, the coronavirus has had a disproportionate impact on people of color, both through its strain on already racially biased social systems, and because people of color are more likely than White people to be infected and die from COVID-19. This disproportionate impact is true in Boston and in our country at large.

These wide-spread disparities are not caused by anything inherent in people of color. Nor are they caused by some imagined "collective negligence" on the part of Black and brown people. Rather, they are the result of racist systems that were built into the infrastructure of our nation. 

Being Black or Brown does not increase one's chances of contracting COVID-19, but systemic racism does.

HOW COVID-19 & Systemic Racism Interact

Many people of color…	This connects to systemic racism because…
Serve as essential workers, work multiple jobs in different locations, or hold jobs that cannot be done from home, thus increasing one's exposure to COVID-19.	A long history of job discrimination has not given black and brown people the same professional opportunities as White people. Click here to see one example of how racism poses obstacles to people of color's job prospects today.
Have higher rates of pre-existing conditions like asthma, obesity, and heart disease that can amplify the impact of COVID-19.	These diagnoses are linked to discrimination-related stressors correlated with long-term adverse health outcomes. They are also fueled by environmental racism and the lack of access to healthy and affordable food that is more common in communities of color.
Reside in higher-density neighborhoods or housing where COVID-19 can spread more easily.	Living conditions have been shaped by a long history of race-based housing discrimination in the US that continues today.
May experience obstacles to accessing COVID-related information and care in their primary language.	Our society centers on the needs, values, and interests of English-speaking White people. This focus can leave the needs of those on the margins unmet.
Receive inferior medical treatment that can result in unnecessary consequences, including death.	Implicit biases and long-standing racial inequities persist in the U.S. healthcare system.

The fact of the matter is that racism has created an uneven playing field. COVID-19 is making these disparities worse.

In addition, while people may be doing their best to social-distance, social distancing in itself is a privilege. It takes a measure of privilege, for example, to be able to work from home, have private transportation, and to afford masks and gloves, etc. Our Black and brown brothers and sisters are less likely to experience these privileges and more likely to participate in social distancing at a higher cost.

“Social distancing in itself is a privilege.”

The Impact of Systemic Racism on the Ground: Far and Wide

Click on the map to see the full PDF report from the Boston Public Health Commission.

Systemic racism is amplifying the impact of COVID-19 on our city. To learn about a few of the ways COVID is impacting communities of color in Boston, check out:

• A recent episode of Basic Black featuring State Rep. Liz Miranda, Erica Lee, Ph.D., Edith Bazile and Phillip Martin as they discuss the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color in Boston.

• A two-part Boston Black Townhall meeting (Click here for Part 1 & Part 2) that features Black clergy, activists, and scholars addressing racial disparities in Boston, the impact it is having on them during COVID-19 and where to go from here.

•  "What The Pandemic Is Doing To My Boston Neighborhood" by Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell. 

Interpersonal Racism and the Asian American Community

Map of racist incidents against Asian people during the COVID-19 pandemic, created by Harvard University grad students. Click on the image to see an updated map and full article.

In addition to the broad impact of systemic racism, Asian-Americans are being targeted through interpersonal racism ranging from inappropriate comments to violent hate crimes. Check out this personal account about anti-Asian racism in San Francisco and see where similar incidents have been identified and mapped in Boston and beyond.

These incidents are fueled by a wrong association between Asian people and COVID-19. This is part of a long history of disease being racialized in ways that perpetuate lies and uphold inequality. Check out NPR's "As Coronavirus Spreads, Racism And Xenophobia Are Too" to learn more.

In addition to the harm these lies have caused to Asian-people’s bodies and dignity, they have had an unequal impact on their businesses. Asian-owned businesses have taken an especially hard hit because COVID-related fears slowed business well ahead of the shelter-in-place orders.

RCCI affirms the AACC's call for the Church to address anti-Asian racism:

While people of all races are impacted by systemic racism, the rise of interpersonal racism against the Asian-American community must be named and addressed with intentionality and care.

RCCI encourages you to read and consider signing this statement:

Click here to to the AACC statement.

Racism Kills: Racial Disparities in Infection and Deaths in Boston

Not only has COVID-19 had a disproportionate impact on people of color generally through its strain on various social systems, but people of color are more likely to be infected and die from COVID than White people.

Click on the graph to read the full article in the Boston Globe.

COVID-19 is infecting, harming, and killing people of color at a higher rate than White people. For example, as of May 16th, 2020...

• Even though Black people represent 25% of Boston's population, they represent 39% of known infected persons and 36% percent of known deaths.

• In Massachusetts, Latino residents are 3.1 times more likely to test positive for COVID compared to a White resident.

• As the death rate increased across Massachusetts in early April, it surged nearly 40 percent higher in cities and towns with the largest concentrations of people of color compared to those with the least.

• Racial disparities are reflected in the fact that Boston neighborhoods with higher concentrations of people of color, like Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, and East Boston, are experiencing higher rates of infection. Click here to see a neighborhood map of reported cases of COVID-19.

Similar data for the state of Massachusetts can be found in a mid-June report here.

For generations, people have been crying out against the racism in our social systems that value White humanity over the humanity of all others. It is in the disproportionate infection, harm, and death of people of color that the fruit of these unjust social systems become undeniably clear.

Systemic racism is death-dealing. As the Church, we must continue to take action to protect human life and to protect our shared humanity.

COVID-19’s Impact on businesses of color

COVID has not only impacted community’s physical health, but their economic well being as well. See below to learn more about how businesses of color have been disproportionately impacted during COVID-19 and concrete steps you can take to support them in our take action section. RCCI offers special thanks to Ed Gaskin, the Executive Director of Greater Grove Hall Main Streets, for offering his perspective and making significant contributions to strengthening our webpage. Thanks to his help, we could better reflect the reality small business owners of color are experiencing on the ground.

As of mid-April, 26% of Asian-, 32% of Hispanic- and 41% of Black-owned businesses have closed in the US. This is compared to 17% of White businesses that have closed in the same time frame. Businesses may or may not re-open.

This is due to compounding disadvantages like...

• The Racial Wealth Gap: When businesses come upon hard times, having a financial buffer can make the difference between staying open and shutting down. Unfortunately, businesses of color are less likely to have that buffer, shaped in part by Boston's racial wealth gap. This gap has been shaped by generations of inequitable lending and opportunities and results in entrepreneurs of color having access to less financial capital in their social networks, including less access to business investors. This issue is further compounded by the fact that Black and Hispanic people are under represented in tech industries and other high money-making industries of the future that could build wealth in communities of color.

• Lack of Integration of Businesses of Color into Boston's Economy: Businesses of color are not as well integrated into the larger, predominantly White-led economic systems of our city. For example, certain sectors, like travel, sports, entertainment, higher education, and construction, function largely independently from small businesses in communities of color. Furthermore, when major employment opportunities and business arise, they are less likely to go to businesses of color. For example, in 2019, only 1% of the $664 million that the city of Boston awarded in contracts for construction and goods and services went to minority- or women-owned businesses. Similar challenges are found in the private sector as well. Too often, businesses of color are left out. Realities like many businesses of color being micro-businesses, having contracted employees, and having a diversity of interests, pose obstacles to them organizing around and advocating for their needs. 

• Fears & Biases: Deep - and sometimes unconscious - biases can shape where we frequent and how we spend our money, especially during COVID-19. For example, because of wrong associations between COVID-19 and people of Chinese descent, public fears slowed business for Asian-American restaurants well ahead of the shelter-in-place orders. By mid-April, the pandemic wrought significant consequences and closures in Boston's Chinatown community.

• The Inequitable Design of Federal Funding: The current economic stimulus initiatives represent the largest direct transfer of wealth from the federal government in US history. Like so many other wealth-building initiatives, however, they are not as accessible to people of color, by default and design. As of May 12th, only 12% of Black- and Hispanic-owned businesses received federal assistance. This was shaped in part by realities like how the Paycheck Protection Program, and the pathways designed for people to access it, were structured in ways that disadvantaged small business owners of color.

In the first round of PPP:	Obstacles to People of Color:
Many major lenders opted to give preference to larger businesses. This allowed these businesses to apply first for first-come, first-served funds.	Businesses of color are often sole proprietorships and are more likely to be smaller than their White counterparts.
PPP applicants were required to go through a pre-approved lender (e.g. banks, credit-unions). These lenders initially gave preference to existing customers.	Businesses of color are less likely to have commercial banking relationships. This is shaped by obstacles to gaining small business loans and broken trust on account of a long-history of racially discriminatory lending that continues today.

Adjustments were made to be more inclusive for the second round of PPP applications, but not before many business owners of color missed out on the first round of federal funding.

Ongoing Structural Issues:	Obstacles to People of Color:
PPP info and applications were not readily available in business owners' primary language. Click here to explore a deep dive of challenges that the Executive Director of Greater Grove Hall Main Streets had to navigate to get info to business owners.	This made info less accessible to and delayed the application process for business owners who do not speak English as their first language. By the time many business owners navigated these obstacles, money had run out for the 1st round of funding.
PPP funding has restrictions on how it can be used and recipients must repay, with interest, any amount that cannot be used within a limited timeframe for eligible purposes.	This discouraged some businesses of color from applying because, if they had to downsize or close (which is more likely compared to White businesses), they would be less able to use the money within the guidelines and time frame needed to avoid repayment with interest.
The PPP excludes business owners who are currently involved in the criminal justice system or have been involved within the last 5 years.	This has a disproportionate impact on business owners of color due to over-policing in communities of color and other factors that contribute to mass incarceration.

Taking Action Against Racism During the Covid-19 Crisis

“Systemic racism is death-dealing.”

Cry Out: Spiritual Responses to COVID-19

Let us begin this action in ways that root us in the biblical tradition and orient us to God. Please please join RCCI as we...

1. Lament. Cry out to God. Declare that racism is not right. Invite the One who went to the cross into the pain and brokenness you are experiencing. We invite you to explore this guided lament, United? We Mourn: A COVID-19 Lament, that explores the intersection between COVID-19 and racism.

2. Pray that...

   • People of color will be empowered to navigate and overcome the results of racism that are amplifying the impact of COVID-19 in their communities.

   • White people who are not aware of the impacts of systemic racism would be awakened to these realities and respond in ways that further God's redemptive work in the world.

   • God would continue to use his people as channels for racial healing and justice.

3. Stand in Solidarity. We are one city. We are one body. In times like these especially, we need to stand with the most vulnerable among us and ask God to knit us into community.

Ways to Counter Internalized and Interpersonal Racism

1. Check out this article on how to interrupt racism when you see it happening in the age of coronavirus.

2. If you're an Asian person who has experienced hate crimes related to COVID-19, consider reporting it here.

3. Be it with family at home or a group you convene online, learn with others through this simple lesson plan that corrects racist beliefs related to COVID-19 and the Asian-American community.

4. Care for yourself so you can better care for others. Click here for an article with suggestions for self-care, written to people of color.

5. Check in with people of color, build community, support one another.

Ways to Counter Institutional and Systemic Racism

1. Support businesses owned by people of color by using their services or buying gift cards. Explore a list of businesses open during the pandemic. Identify local restaurants owned by people of color and black-owned businesses here.

2. Reach out to your local leaders to advocate for policies that support communities of color in areas where they are experiencing extra strain as a result of COVID-19. Click here for 10 policy Recommendations to Temper the Impact of Coronavirus on Communities of Color from the NAACP.

3. Donate time, talent, and money to local mutual aid networks that distribute resources to those in most need.

4. Check out this list of equity and justice-oriented resources with categories like "healing and community care" and "organizing and solidarity" to inspire and inform your actions.

5. Learn about Boston-based resources to support churches and people impacted by COVID-19. Spread the word to get information and help to those most in need.

Support Local Organizations Working Toward Racial Equity During COVID-19

As you seek the Lord for how to continue his healing work in the midst of the pandemic, RCCI invites you to explore these Boston-based organizations that are working toward racial equity and striving to meet the needs of communities of color. Please consider lifting up your prayers, giving of your time and talent, and making financial donations. The time for action is now.

One Church Fund

The Mass. Council of Churches (MCC) is raising money to redistribute to churches with a priority on the financial, practical, and relational support of immigrant, Black, poor, unhoused, and unaffiliated churches. Click here to donate. In addition, MCC has created an online database where Christians can share skills they have to offer and connect with people who might meet their needs.

Asian Community Emergency Relief Fund

The Asian Community Development Corporation, in collaboration with numerous partners, is raising money to provide immediate and direct financial support to Asian-Americans who have lost work, are having trouble meeting their basic needs, and may not be eligible for other public benefits. Donate here.

Black Ministerial Alliance Crisis Fund

The Black Ministerial Alliance, in partnership with Vision New England, is raising money to support Black churches and their communities during COVID-19. Click here to donate and specify that money is to go to the BMA crisis fund via the pull down "campaign" menu.

Agencia ALPHA

Agencia ALPHA is working hard to provide information and resources, such as food, emergency financial assistance, and wellness calls & follow up care, to Hispanic and Latino communities in Eastern Massachusetts. They are housed at Congregation Lion of Judah and have a focus on advocacy and legal assistance for immigrant populations. Click here to donate.

Mass Communities Action Network (MCAN)

MCAN is working hard to pass legislation that protects the most vulnerable among us. They contributed to the passing of the recent moratorium on evictions and are now working to see low-level offenders and ICE detainees released from facilities where, because of mass incarceration and anti-immigration sentiments, disproportionate numbers of people of color are kept in conditions ripe for the spread of COVID-19. Click to donate or learn more about how you can help pass life-giving legislation.

Violence in Boston (VIB) Meal Program

Started by a Black mother in partnership with a Black-owned business (Food for the Soul), VIB's meal program delivers between 1,500 - 1,700 lunches and dinners to Boston Public School students and their families each day. They'll continue to do this as long as funds last (it costs $3,500/day!). Show your support with a donation today.

Daily Table

Daily Table provides fresh and affordable food to the Codman and Dudley Square communities (36% less than their competitors!). During COVID-19 they have raised their workers hourly wage to $15/hr. and participated in free grocery and prepared meal distribution programs. Thus far they've served 15,600 people 127,000 free and healthy meals. Support them by shopping at one of their stores or click here to donate.

Community Health Centers

Many community health centers have been transformed into COVID-19 testing facilities that offer free tests to all regardless of insurance or immigration status. They are working hard to make sure that their communities, many of which are communities of color, have access to the tests and treatment they need. Many of these sites have given up their main income streams to serve the community during this crisis and are in need of personal protective equipment and funds to continue caring for the physical well-being of our city. Find your closest Boston-based testing site here and reach out to see how you can support.

support businesses of color

As Greater Boston continues to open, there is much work that needs to be done to rebuild our communities and ensure they reopen in ways that nurture justice and equity. One way you can contribute to this is by supporting businesses owned by people of color. 

support businesses of color today!

You can help work toward racial equity by supporting Black and brown businesses in Greater Boston. Consider doing this by...

• Spending Intentionally: We all spend money regularly: Groceries, take out, gas personal care, home repair, gift giving etc. 

• Where could you make a few shifts in your normal routine to direct the money you are already spending to support businesses of color? 

• How might you influence the purchasing patterns in your workplace, church, or other communities of which you are a part to get money in the hands of Black and brown businesses?

Pick one or two areas where you can make a change and stick to it. Every dollar counts in this critical moment, and long-term changes in how you spend your money really add up. 

• Eating Out: When you eat out, commit to supporting restaurants owned by Black and brown people. Delivery services like Grub Hub, Foodler, or Uber Eats can help bring food from businesses of color to you, even if there aren't restaurants owned by people of color in your neighborhood. Consider making an extra effort to travel to restaurants that don't have delivery (they may need your support the most!), but be sure to check to see if they have space to eat in and plan accordingly. 

• Bringing Others Along: Don't eat alone! If you're getting food from a business owned by people of color, consider...

• Asking family, friends, and neighbors if they want to join in on a group order. This provides more business and can allow you to split delivery fees or, if you pick the food up yourself, remove that obstacle for others.

• Doing a weekly office run to pick up food from restaurants owned by people of color. 

• Encouraging people to fellowship together at a restaurant owned by a person of color after church once a month.

• As the need for catering returns, remember businesses of color!

• Purchase Gift Certificates: Even if you don't need or would prefer not to use a certain service at the moment, purchasing gift certificates for you and others can get your money into the hands of Black and brown business owners at this critical time.

See below for businesses of color to support and spend your money in ways that work toward equity!

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business highlight: building the black block

Written by Leslie Moore

After the round of publicized killings of black men nearly 5 years ago, local Black Lives Matter leaders connected with Black Rhode Island entrepreneurs to imagine an impactful, lasting response to the challenges of discrimination and injustice experienced by the Black community. A creative strategy emerged to use a small amount of resources to build a sizable hub of Black-owned property and businesses and Black-managed community structures that would effectively build community wealth and wellbeing. Another goal of this hub was to give the Northeast region an opportunity to experience a fuller picture of black people as they shared their rich cultural heritage and unique creativity that is the result of surviving centuries of oppression. In the last year, the hub has launched a black owned mini-mall called Still on Main. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hub developers built several shared commercial kitchens in the mall so that families and individuals with cooking and baking skills could cook, sell and cater food in their communities for income. The hub is located in downtown Pawtucket, RI. It is affectionately called “The Black Block” and leaders hold hopes that it will be a model for more hubs across the country.

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Listen to the Perspectives of People of Color

Media shapes the way we see and engage with our world. When learning about the experiences of people of color, make sure you're listening to people of color. Click here for a list of COVID-related news coverage written by Black and brown writers and reporters.

A Call to Action

We are one city with different experiences, challenges, assets, and opportunities. As an interconnected society, we are only as strong as the most vulnerable among us. In this season, we don’t need equality. We need equity to make sure we are all healthy and whole.

Ask yourself, what can I do? How can I give out of what I do have to make sure that the Boston emerging from the pandemic is healthier, stronger, and more equitable than before? 

We can all do something. Please prayerfully consider how to honor God in this moment and take action now.

Connect with the Race & Christian Community Initiative

Learn more about EGC’s Race & Christian Community Initiative.

Sign up for RCCI's newsletter for quarterly ministry updates and feature pieces like resources on COVID-19.

Get regular emails about race-related learning & action opportunities hosted by organizations in Greater Boston.

Share Resources

Share Resources

What resources do you know about? Suggest them for this “COVID-19 & Churches: Action Against Racism” resource page or for any of EGC’s “COVID-19 & Churches” resource pages.

Healing Racial Trauma: Fresh Resources

Healing Racial Trauma: Fresh Resources

We at the Race & Christian Community Initiative (RCCI) at EGC would like to draw your attention to an essential upcoming book, Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience, by Boston area Christian counselor, speaker, and author Sheila Wise Rowe.

Racial trauma awareness—by both people of color and white people—is critical to healing our racial wounds and racial divides. Sheila’s newest book fills this crucial gap with an exploration of the reality and scope of racial trauma, along with interviews that honor real people’s paths toward resilience.

Sheila is the executive director of The Rehoboth House, an international healing and reconciliation ministry that provides counseling, spiritual direction, art therapy, retreats, and life coaching in Greater Boston and Johannesburg, South Africa. Spanning these two racism-charged settings in her work has yielded vital insights into racial trauma. In her 2018 article “Healing from Race-Based Trauma,” she shared poignantly about her journey from South Africa back to the US, when she observed more deeply the extent and impacts of race-based traumatic stress in the US.

In June of this year, RCCI was honored to welcome Sheila to give a keynote address on racial trauma at the RCCI Community Gathering & Fundraiser. There she explained the cycle of racism-based traumatic stress that people of color accumulate and carry with them daily. She challenged white people seeking racial reconciliation to understand and acknowledge racial trauma.

Watch brief clips from the 2019 RCCI keynote address:

SPECIAL OFFER

Pre-order Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience HERE and get 30% off with promotion code: OFFER20W. Offer good only until Monday, January 6, 2020!

You’re also invited to join Sheila at the Book Launch Party on Saturday, January 11! RSVPs are appreciated!

Take Action

Loving Everybody is Powerful

Loving Everybody is Powerful

by James Seaton

““When we were told to love everybody, I had thought that that meant everybody.” ”

— James Baldwin

The summer of 2018 evoked in me a complex mix of positive and negative emotions.

I witnessed my beautiful, intelligent sister graduate from her Long Island high school. Amidst the burgers, jokes, and laughter during our family celebration at IHOB (IHOP? IHOB? I can’t keep up), I felt as close to my family as I ever have. At the same time, I was saddened to learn about the thousands of immigrant children separated from their parents at the Mexico-United States border.

I had the pleasure of immersing myself in beautiful Boston neighborhoods such as Dorchester and the South End as part of my summer internship in city missions. But I also learned about how wealthy residents have moved into these same neighborhoods and, whether they meant to or not, have contributed to increases in rent, making way for the displacement of lower income, long-time residents.

In my living situation, I experienced the embrace of a diverse Christian community of 11 students from places ranging from Singapore to New York. But I also watched the news as White Americans called the police on others with darker skin just for using a coupon or selling water.

Such is this world—a place full of dichotomies and complexity.

James Seaton (center), Rev. Cynthia Bell (back left), director of EGC’s Starlight homelessness ministry, Stacie Mickelson (back center), EGC director of Applied Research & Consulting, Liza Cagua-Koo (back right), EGC assistant director.

Love and the Church

I have often asked myself whether we, the Church, are loving well in these times. The Church—what began as a small group of people following Jesus, sacrificing their money and possessions to help others and spread the gospel, a group some predicted would become irrelevant—has developed into a body of over two billion people.

I’ve heard many stories about how the Church as the Body of Christ has been a positive agent of change. In my own life, I’ve witnessed how much I’ve matured  because of the community surrounding me at my home church, the House of Judah, in Long Island. I believe that the Church has had a unique ability to tackle tough individual and broad-spectrum issues like racism, homelessness, poverty, lack of healthcare, and more. But all of that begins with one word: love.

In one of my favorite Bible passages, Titus 3:3-4 (ESV), Paul writes that he and Titus were once “hated by others and hating one another,” until the “goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared.” We now have the Holy Spirit to aid us in loving everyone—even those who are not like us or who do not agree with us.

Despite this message of hope and truth, the Church has sometimes struggled to love. Many perceive a lack of love within the Church as some Christians demonstrate hatred towards undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers, remain silent on racism and police brutality, condone misogyny, and take a pro-birth but not pro-life stance.

Because of this, some brothers and sisters have decided to leave the Church. James Baldwin, a prominent gay, Black author of the 20th century who once identified as a Christian, is one example of someone who immersed himself in the Church and, after finding various hypocrisies, decided to abandon it. In a sobering paragraph in The Fire Next Time, he writes,

“The transfiguring power of the Holy Ghost ended when the service ended, and salvation stopped at the church door. When we were told to love everybody, I had thought that that meant everybody. But no. It applied only to those who believed as we did, and it did not apply to white people at all. I was told by a minister, for example, that I should never, on any public conveyance, under any circumstances, rise and give my seat to a white woman. White men never rose for Negro women. Well, that was true enough, in the main - I saw his point. But what was the point, the purpose of my salvation if it did not permit me to behave with love toward others, no matter how they behaved toward me? “

In this instance, Baldwin speaks about agape love, the sacrificial love by which we love everyone, even those who have hurt us or have a different skin color.

This summer, I was an intern at the Emmanuel Gospel Center and on Boston summer mission with Cru, a Christian campus ministry. In my time there, I experienced several ways that I and others can better love one another.

2018 EGC Interns praying together: Chelsie Ahn (left), James Seaton, (center), and Evangeline Kennedy (right).

Love Others As You Love Yourself

First, to love others, it is critical both to understand and love yourself. True self-understanding starts with confronting our personal myths. In The Fire Next Time, Baldwin writes,

The American Negro has the great advantage of having never believed that collection of myths to which white Americans cling: that their ancestors were all freedom-loving heroes, that they were born in the greatest country the world has ever seen, or that Americans are invincible in battle and wise in peace.

What myths do we cling to, as individuals or as the body of Christ? Whom do we believe ourselves to be? Whom does God say that we are? I think that, by coming to a clear understanding of who we are, we can then treat ourselves with love and empathy.

Love Reaches Out

Secondly, it is critical to get to know people across dividing lines—whether it be friends, neighbors, or leaders of various organizations.

I regret that I have often prioritized comfort and individualism over relational development and sacrifice. I’ve preferred to stay within my room at Cornell University or the box of my schedule without making time to be interruptible or learn more about the community that I inhabit.

Love Pays the Cost

Perhaps the hardest lesson I’ve learned is that to love means to sacrifice or “do the hard thing.” To love those who hate us is a sacrifice of pride and personal will, as well as a representation of Jesus’ love for us. The great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in a sermon entitled, Love Your Enemies, said,

Click on the image to hear Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King give the sermon, Love Your Enemies.

Another way that you love your enemy is this: When the opportunity presents itself for you to defeat your enemy, that is the time which you must not do it...That is the meaning of love. In the final analysis, love is not this sentimental something that we talk about. It’s not merely an emotional something. Love is creative, understanding goodwill for all men.

Loving someone who hates us or looks at the world differently from us is difficult. But the Holy Spirit equips us to complete this action in a society in which hate is rampant in various forms. “That,” as King says it, “is the meaning of love.”

I hope that we as individuals and as the Body of Christ will love everybody better in the future: the homeless veteran, the hungry child, the immigrant fleeing dangerous circumstances back home, the widow, and any other person we may deem challenging to understand and help.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Seaton is a senior at Cornell University, studying communication. In 2018, James interned with EGC’s Applied Research & Consulting. His research focused on urban housing and racial justice.