“whose mighty fortress?” white privilege and racism

7 february 2016nokomis heights lutheran church

an outline

• power flows and racism

• engaging white privilege

• insights from faith

• ally is a verb!

• now what? questions, concerns, insights

• racism as inter-personal practice (bigotry + power)

• racism as institutional practice (disparities created and exacerbated by societal institutions)

• racism as structural practice (normalization and legitimization that routinely confers advantages on whites, while producing chronic adverse outcomes for others)

power flows and racism

Some recent data

• MN is ranked 51 out of 51 American states and territories for degree of racial integration, and 50 out of 51 for degree of racial progress

• the ELCA is only one away from being the least racially diverse religious group in the US context

• a median black household in Minnesota is now worse off than its counterpart in Mississippi

white privilege

“A right, advantage, or immunity granted to or enjoyed by white persons beyond the common advantage of all others; an exemption in many particular cases from certain burdens or liabilities.”

• “our” images (that is, white ones) are human, others are important “for diversity” (just as “men” used to stand in for all humans)

• “our” ways of communicating are appropriate, other ways are in need of socialization or improvement

• when “we” walk into a building, store or church, we expect to be welcomed

• when “we” call the police, we expect to be taken seriously and respected

• “we” can speak for ourselves, and are not expected to represent anyone else -- let alone an entire group of people

• ALL of us should feel accepted and welcomed in this way, but for many people of color this is not a reality

white privilege — a null curriculum

• living into Christ’s new creation (2 Cor 5:20-21)

• being one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28)

• cherishing the Imago Dei and the power of kenosis (Phil 2: 6-11)

• recognizing structural racism as sinful

faith insights

so how do we live into this new Creation?

start by listening• The Cross and the Lynching

Tree, Between the World and Me

• #BLM (via twitter and facebook)

• RacismReview, Colorlines

• Minneapolis Spokesman Recorder, HmongTimes, IndianCountryToday, LaPrensadeMN, MNNewslist

• Showing up for Racial Justice, The Hypatia Group

• higher ed classroom teaching

remember ally is a verb

• Racial Justice Collaborative in Theological Education

• FacingRace

• Voices for Racial Justice

• YWCA

• the groups you are ALREADY active in — bringing perspectives and voices and people to them that they are not yet aware of

Bryan Stevenson’s advice

• get proximate

• change the narratives

• cultivate resilience through finding what gives you hope

• embrace discomfort

• Just Mercy

let’s talk! questions? concerns? insights?

for more information: http://meh.religioused.org/web/EL3539_Resources.html

video citations

• “systemic racism: is it a thing?” https://www.youtube.com/user/racialjustice

• “5 tips for being an ally” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dg86g-QlM0

• “no isn’t a good enough answer” http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2016/jan/13/marlon-james-are-you-racist-video

image citations

Slide 3: http://mattstone.blogs.com/photos/sacred_images/christ_us_dias.html

Slide 5: Pew data graphic, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/27/the-most-and-least-racially-diverse-u-s-religious-groups/ft_15-07-23_religiondiversityindex-1/

Slide 8: Shaman Jesus, http://mattstone.blogs.com/photos/sacred_images/shaman_jesus.html

Slide 11: 4 steps for being a white ally graphic, www.prayingwithourfeet.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/4-steps-to-being-a-white-ally.png

Slide 12: Black family in God, https://www.facebook.com/Codeblackfaith/photos/a.245382678824946.74757.241558202540727/997078033655403/?type=1&theater

Slide 15: Parker Palmer quote, https://www.facebook.com/couragerenewal/photos/a.72247664972.97071.47893474972/10153333696019973/?type=1&theater

all other photos by mary e. hess

this presentation was offered to the community of Nokomis Heights Lutheran Church

on 7 February 2016

by mary e. hess (http://meh.religioused.org/web/Home.html)