End Racism

It begins with a commitment to respond– not to react. It requires a desire to listen more and talk less, and demands courage to explore challenging topics, not dismiss them quickly. And that's what we as United Methodists in Louisiana want to do. 
 

Deeper Conversations

You are invited to take the next faithful step and learn more about how to discuss race, racism and our Christian response. When you register, you will be connected to a group inside your district and learn some of the following: 

• How to Use Values as a Bridge, Not a Bypass
• Learn how to Discuss and Identify the Counter Narratives
• Talk About the Systemic Obstacles to Equal Opportunity and Equal Justice
• Be Rigorously Solution-Oriented and Forward-Looking
  
   

Connect Today

2020 Webinars with Project Curate

Our initial work was guided by Project Curate -  a non-profit and consultancy that works with religious, academic, and community organizations to support collaborative responses to intersectional issues of inequality and injustice.

Project Curate's creative, collaborative, and critical work is aimed at imagining, striving for, and living in a better world wherein justice, mercy, humility, and love are not just aspirations, but assumptions within our community ethics.

Together with experts from Project Curate, we learned that "whiteness" is so much more than a reference to skin color. It's a set of behaviors, privileges, and ways of being.  Together, we examined what it means to be black in America and listened with

intentionality to African American brothers and sisters. 

We explored what 'systemic racism' is, what it isn't, and what it means to be anti-racist.

We also explored ways you and your church can bring about meaningful change. 


We stand in the hope that racism can be rooted out; because we know, deep down as Christians, that we are made in the image of God and that it should not, cannot, and must not be this way. But it will require intentionality, vulnerability, courage, and, perhaps most importantly, your need to be honest with yourself, your colleagues, and God. 

Listen below to a Louisiana NOW podcast that previews the webinars. 
 

Let us invite the Holy Spirit to melt us, mold us, fill us, and use us. 

Dr. Matt Russell and Dr. Rachel Schneider introduce us to an important beginning point to the antiracist conversation: what whiteness means in our society, how whiteness has been constructed and why, and how whiteness continues to perpetuate racist policy that leads to continued racial disparities and prejudices.

We have heard these terms, and for many of us, they automatically create a sense of defensiveness, uncomfortableness, and disagreement. In this webinar, we’ll have an introduction to the terms, what they mean, where they come from, and their importance as we seek to live into an antiracist future. Theological reflection and practical examples will help increase our competency as religious leaders so that we can help our communities engage in these difficult conversations.

This module will help us explore racial categorizing as a tool of power from the perspective of the black experience, the effects of white supremacy, and how often in our history the church has been complicit in continued patterns of antiblackness. It will give us essential conversation markers, but most importantly, it will help us face our own racism and racism in the systems all around us. The hope is that we begin to recognize the systems of oppression, our complicity in them, and ways of finding freedom.

Additional Resources
 

Around the connection, United Methodists have gathered online and in-person to confront issues of racism.

Panel Discussions

Visit our Panel Discussion page

Doctrine of Discovery, November 18

Intersectionality, October 28

Voter Suppression, October 7

The Theological Roots of Racism: September 16

Emerging Leaders: August 26 

Seasoned Leaders: August 19

Looking Back to Move Forward: July 1

Videos from Other Events

June

June 25: Prophetic Speech: An Anti-Racism Workshop, (Glendale UMC, Nashville, TN)

June 24: Denominational Worship Service: A service of lament 

June 19: Bishops' Juneteenth Announcement, (Council of Bishops)

June 13: National Day of Prayer for United Methodist Men

June 9: Navigating 2 Viruses: Regathering in the Midst of Racism and Pandemic, (Discipleship Ministries)

June 8: A Time of Prayer and Reflection, (General Commission on Finance & Administration)

July

July 30: Blackness and Anti-Blackness 101 webinar, (Louisiana Conference)

July 23: Faith Talks podcast webinar, (United Methodist Women)

July 23: White Fragility/White Supremacy webinar, (Louisiana Conference)

July 17: How to be an Ally: Anti-Racist Action and Reaction, (Greater New Jersey Conference)

July 16: An Interview with Rev. Dr. Ron Bell by Rev. Natasha Murray and Rev. Mark Norman, (Arkansas Conference)

July 15: Whiteness 101 webinar, (Louisiana Conference)

August

August 27: Faith Talks: Voter Guides & Voter Suppression, (United Methodist Women) 

September

September 26: Multi-denominational Day of Prayer, (United Methodist Men)

This unique curriculum has been designed specifically for the Louisiana Conference to merge faith with social action and innovation.

Developed by experienced justice advocates and community organizers, these webinars will provide opportunities for creative collective envisioning concerning specific issues, collaborative exchange of information and resources, and the space to deepen conversations in your local church.