RACISM—PATHS TO AWARENESS
Hugh Menton – California Regional Coordinator, Greater Los Angeles Chapter
In August of 2020, Affiliates Kathee Bautista and Mary Williams facilitated a Maryknoll Affiliates sponsored series of discussions on racism, using a Sojourners’ program. This may seem like old news. However, racism, including in the Catholic community of the US, is not old news. We all journey with it in various ways.
Maybe because I’m an educator by trade or because the deepening of my own understanding of our society’s and Church’s racist history has come through education, I believe awareness and education are part of the journey of change in both society and the Church. JustFaith Ministries, as they always do on social justice issues, have created programs that hopefully lead to seeing, judging, and acting. My recent completion of JustFaith’s “Faith and Racial Healing” deepened my awareness and knowledge. JustFaith’s eight-week programs with books and videos, now conducted virtually, require a level of commitment that most people in our communities choose not to or do not have the time to make. Then, how do we reach those in our Maryknoll and Catholic circles for reflection and action on racism?
The question brought me back to something I heard in our Affiliate series. Someone in the dialogue sessions shared what she and others have done in their parish. They worked with their pastor to post three links to videos, which parishioners could watch at their leisure. Then virtual parish discussions were facilitated for each video. It seemed a very positive approach to reaching a community that desires greater awareness.
If you wish to utilize videos in your parish, Affiliate chapter, or other discussion group, I have discovered two powerful videos to recommend:
“Grace, Justice and Mercy: An Evening with Bryan Stevenson and Rev. Tim Keller.” (Bryan’s homily begins at minute 28; it’s on youtube.com; use the Search feature to type in the title to locate it; Rev. Keller’s homily is also worth the time.)
The JustNews session (JustFaith Ministries) with Jack Jezreel and Andy Loving, a Louisville attorney who made a journey of education to compassion to action around racism. To access it at the justfaith.org website, click on “Explore Resources” at the top of the homepage, then click on Webinars and Andy Loving’s “Doing Justice with the Money You Don’t Give Away” is on the list.
A third video, “Reconstruction in America,” is on Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative website (eji.org), home page. Stevenson’s work is known to many through Just Mercy, the book and the subsequent film. The Equal Justice Initiative website is filled with history and information to explore.
In the joyful spirit of the Gospel, may you continue your journey of awareness, education, and action.
The Storm* – Hugh comments: “For me, this image captures the challenge of racism—the fact we are all in the same boat and our need to respond together—and yet the colors portray an optimism about the possibilities.”
*Used with permission. Copyright 2020 by John August Swanson; Giclee, 19.75” x 29; www.JohnAugustSwanson.com