OUR APPROACH TO ANTI-RACISM
LA Affiliates continue to meet via Zoom.
Kathleen Bautista – Los Angeles Chapter
Like citizens everywhere, members of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter have watched with interest as people throughout the world begin to speak out about racial injustice. While most of us are practicing “safer-at-home,” we consider how we as individuals and as a chapter can add to the conversation during this pivotal period in history. Recognizing the need for racial reconciliation, we looked at the process that Archbishop Desmond Tutu followed with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission after the fall of apartheid in South Africa. Tutu recommends the following steps in reconciling damaged relationships: 1) Tell (and listen) to the story; 2) Name the pain; 3) Seek or grant forgiveness; 4) Rebuild or release the relationship.
With this process in mind, we held an ad hoc follow-up meeting at which we considered what actions we can take as a chapter to bring about healing. We are still in the process of investigating the feasibility of these suggestions and will be making decisions about which to pursue during our July Chapter meeting. In the meantime, we would like to share our ideas with the wider Affiliate community.
We framed our brainstorming around the question: What can we do as a Maryknoll Affiliate group to encourage reconciliation in our country between whites and blacks?
Steps that we can take immediately:
On our Facebook page, we recommend that individuals watch the movie Just Mercy, currently showing on Netflix. (www.justmercyfilm.com/)
Take an assessment on implicit biases at implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
Various members of our group are investigating the values, objectives and activities of the following groups to determine if we can support or join in with their causes:
Black Lives Matter (local level)
Poor People’s Campaign – www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/
Just Faith – justfaith.org/programs/
Campaign Non-violence through Pace e Bene – paceebene.org/
Network Lobby (Nuns on the Bus) – networklobby.org/
Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) – www.fcnl.org/
Bread for the World – www.bread.org/
Interview members of the Black community to learn their priorities and objectives; otherwise we are just making assumptions from a White worldview.
Advocate for federal scholarships for Black students as a form of restitution for prior harm.
In the future: Consider hosting a film screening and discussion of The Long Shadow.
Perhaps you can add to these ideas.
NOTE: This article was published in the July/August 2020 issue of Not So Far Afield.