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Antiracism Taskforce

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2023 Book Study

Online Book Study

Join an online book study of Called to Reconciliation: How the Church Can Model Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion by Johnathan C. Augustine.

This class is being offered every Wednesday in February, beginning February 1.

There are two different classes: Noon or 7pm.

The Noon class is led by Rev. Donnie Wilkinson. The 7pm class is led by Jennifer Rossnagel.

Who We Are

The Louisiana Antiracism Task Force is a group gathered to create a shift in action, thoughts, and systems in the United Methodist Church in Louisiana.

We invite race consciousness, increased equality, education, and advocacy.

We are committed to an ongoing conversation that challenges our conference and its people to move toward a greater understanding of disparities within our system and the world around us.

History

We cannot love issues, but we can love people, and the love of people reveals to us the way to deal with issues

Henri Nouwen

Overwhelmed by the violence against African Americans in 2020, Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey called Louisiana United Methodists to participate in Southern Racism Institute presented by Project Curate.

The series focused on the broad issue of racism in the 21st century.

Following the study, Bishop Harvey invited those in attendance to begin to open a discussion to address racial justice and its implications in the annual conference.

Together, those volunteers initiated the Louisiana Antiracism Task Force.

Working through the Covid pandemic, the task force members began to study and inform themselves on what it means to be antiracist and to consider opportunities that might encourage churches and their members to begin to talk about racial injustice in our state and our society as a whole.

Interestingly, the task force members first determined that they needed to talk about their own experiences with racism just to get started.

Task Force Members

Rev. Tiffanie Postell, Chair
Rev. Lenda Faye Matthews, Secretary
Rev. Colleen Bookter
Rev. Mark Bray
Rev. Elaine Burleigh
Rev. John Cannon
Rev. Janet Davis
Rev. Leah Stevens Gaughan
Rev. Jay Hogewood
Rev. Sonya Lars
Rev. Mollie McGee
Rev. Ben McGehee
Rev. Mary Rachel Moore
Rev. Johnathan Richardson
Jennifer Rossnagel
Jennifer Swann
Rev. Brady Whitton
Rev. Donnie Wilkinson
Rev. Lane Cotton Winn
Rev. Emily L Carroll

Contact the Taskforce

Current Programs

Get Informed

Scroll through our Conference Anti-Racism Resource page for a variety of multi-media options for your personal study. Click on this link to discover books, films, documentaries, web articles, podcasts and more to help you explore anti-racism and racial injustice in modern America.

Travel and Explore

Day Trip Information - Plans are in place for trips to explore sites along Louisiana’s African American Heritage Trail, including historic locations, museums, and homes to see the true side of the African American experience in our state.

Extended Trips

Join with other Louisiana United Methodists to venture to historic sites throughout the American South to learn about and experience some of the nation’s most historic civil rights events, including the Civil Rights Museum in Montgomery, AL, as well as the Martin Luther King Center in Atlanta.