An Update from our Racial Justice Caucus

Following an informative session explaining how it came to be that “11 O’clock on Sunday Morning is the Most Segregated Hour in America” (see earlier blog), the discussion continued on July 24, as we start to think about what we at Glenn are called to do about it.

The purpose of this session was not to propose specific changes that may need to take place at Glenn, but to begin thinking what about what it means to us that we worship in such a white space. Summer Lecture Series attendees discussed each of the following questions in small groups, then shared their thoughts with the whole group.

The first question was: When you walk into the sanctuary at Glenn or any other space or activity at Glenn, do you notice that nearly everybody there is white? How do you feel about that?

The group volunteered that they were “uncomfortable” with the “entrenched” whiteness, which they said is “reflective of the neighborhood (although not Emory)”. A few participants noted specific issues that need to be addressed, like “economic justice” and things that could be adjusted at Glenn to make it less white, like having a “more diverse staff”, and a varied “worship service, including music and preaching.”

Next the group considered why a person of color would want to worship at Glenn, by considering the takeaway question from the first session: If you are not willing to step into the spaces outside the church with me to see the impact of systemic racism on me, why would I want to worship with you? Or, put another way, If your being OK with my being here is as far as you’re willing to go, why would I want to worship with you? What is your response to that?

The group noted that opportunities to go outside the church abound, like joining “groups working for equity” and “learning.” The group also identified some of the pitfalls white people working for social justice might encounter, such as “savior mentality,” which can cause white people to try to “fix” people of color, and a selfish approach to service that uses people of color “like tools to make [white] people feel better” about themselves. The group acknowledged that true service would be based on authentic “relationships,” in which we would work “with” people of color and not “for” them. Likewise, while education about social justice issues is critical, white people should do their own work and not “rely on people of color to be our teachers.” Finally, all were encouraged to experience other styles of worship, particularly those of people of color.

The last question was one posed by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (on Twitter @TheRaDR):

“Inclusion = you’re allowed to be here.

Celebration = your being here is great!

Expansion = we’ll grow and change because of you: we understand that WE ALL benefit from dismantling oppressive systems, changing paradigms, centering marginalized voices. All of us.”

Where does Glenn fit on this list? What work remains for Glenn to do?

The group agreed that Glenn does a good job at Inclusion, but could use some work on Celebration. Some things that Glenn does well is “greeting visitors” as they arrive, “open communion,” and community events like “the Easter Egg Hunt and the Christmas Eve Nativity (with live animals).” Some things Glenn could improve include “mentioning issues in worship that aren’t ‘our’ issues” and being mindful of greeting visitors at “the end of the service” (when visitors typically exit immediately while members may remain in pews and enjoy the music). The group found opportunities in Expansion. Starting with “we want to grow and change,” the group questioned the purpose of Glenn space: “Is it our house or God’s house?” The challenge moving forward was identified as “How do we make ‘our’ space into everybody’s space?”

We will begin thinking about specific actions that Glenn could take to become God’s, and therefore everybody’s, house in the next Most Segregated Hour session, immediately following the 11:00 service on September 25. In preparation, please consider this question: Congregations must strive to be places of healing for persons of color and whites. Given our history of segregation and other social injustices, what healing needs to happen for white people? What healing do you think needs to happen for people of color? What would it take for Glenn to become a place of healing for people of color and whites.

- Written by Karen Leary