Anti-Racism Blog
February 9, 2021
Each February, we celebrate and intentionally honor Black History Month to lift up and give thanks for our African Americans siblings in Christ who have come before us. Any time is holy and good to give thanks for black lives, but we especially devote our attention during the month of February because of the very intentional muffling of the stories and histories of African Americans in America. Sadly, Methodist history is not isolated from this tendency.
Last fall, I took United Methodist History in seminary, and it was formative for me because of the emphasis that was placed on the monumental contributions by those in the margins of early American society for the flourishing of the Methodist movement! One of these black women is Jarena Lee. Jarena Lee was born in New Jersey in 1783 and became the first woman authorized to preach in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (check out that link--she was a bold woman of God). Jarena was a literal trailblazer in the Methodist movement: in 1835 alone, she logged over 700 miles as an itinerant preacher and preached almost that many sermons!
Jarena Lee encourages me to seek and learn from those I never knew existed. May we be inspired by the saints who came before us. May we be redeemed by God who loves us and turn our hearts and minds (repent) from harmful histories we may have inherited and towards God’s reconciling love so that we may more fully become agents of justice and peacemaking.
Meghan Williams
Servant Volunteer Coordinator
February 2, 2021
We, myself included, naturally seek to be comfortable. But this desire can lead us to ignore, invalidate, and dismiss information that runs contrary to our most deeply-held beliefs. One belief that we might hold is that the United States criminal justice system is just and fair. While we lift this up as our ideal, there is overwhelming evidence that our current system does not dole out “equal justice for all.” Racial disparities and anti-black discrimination are well documented in all parts of the system from first stops by police to the final stages of the system including wrongful convictions and use of the death penalty. The Washington Post regularly updates a list of scholarly work in this area. The documentary “13th” is also a great resource (and is also listed on one of the Trinity Anti-Racism pages.)
There is much to be done. My desire to learn more and help our justice system live up to its ideals led me to gain a master’s degree and now pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology and Criminology & Law. But the real work is being done on the ground, not in an ivory tower. To mention a few things anyone can get involved in: if you would like to support people re-entering from prison in Gainesville, you can support the TorchLighters re-entry support group, be a part of Trinity’s own Mommy Reads, and be an informed voter in elections for Judges, Sheriffs, Public Defenders, and State Attorneys .
So, as Rev. Ben Richards stated, I aim to be less comfortable. I also aim to listen more. I aim to be an active co-conspirator, not a passive ally.
~ Elizabeth Hartsell.
January 12, 2021
In looking back over my 70-year life, it seems unbelievable to me now that my younger years held practically no experiences with people of color and therefore no understanding of racism except from a distance. Circumstantially, my childhood was really lacking in diversity. Fortunately for me, the years since have brought wonderful people into my life and experiences that have informed and shaped my perspective and my sense of social justice and equality.
Racism is learned. We do not come into the world with this bias. Ruby Bridges made history by being the first Black child to integrate an all-white elementary school. In her book, This is Your Time, she says, “They didn’t want their children going to school with me. But why? I didn’t understand. They had never met or even seen me before now, so how could they know what kind of person I was? All they saw was the color of my skin. I was Black, and that meant I didn’t matter.”
Unlearning is hard. Learning to “speak, even if your voice shakes” is hard. Stepping out of comfort zones and educating ourselves can be hard. Hard work, however, pays off.
During this pandemic, I have spent many of my “walking” hours listening to podcasts that enlighten and inspire me—Brené Brown, Richard Rohr, and Michele Obama, to name a few. Conversations and interviews around important and difficult issues regarding race and racism and social justice have helped me sort through my feelings and better understand my place in the world and what I can do to be a better citizen. Seek out perspectives and worldviews different from your own and listen.
A couple years ago I read Bryan Stevenson’s book, Just Mercy. If you have not yet found your way to this book, I cannot recommend it to you with enough urgency. I was horrified to learn just how unjust our criminal justice system is, especially for minorities and the poor, but equally inspired by Mr. Stevenson’s tireless work to effect real change. Learn about his non-profit, the Equal Justice Initiative.
I am taking steps to put my inspirations into action, and am always learning—keeping my clay soft, so I don’t miss chances to let something or someone make an impression, you know?
Trinity is offering justice initiative opportunities to help us learn and evolve. Check out the Justice Initiatives page to learn where and how you might plug in. The United Methodist Women will be focusing on the book Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in School, by Monique W. Morris, later this year. Watch for updates on this, and get a copy so you’re ready! I invite you to join me in this new year in being accountable—to step forward in faith to be kind, to learn more, to “do all the good you can” (John Wesley), and to remember that “I am here to get it right. I am not here to be right.” (Brené Brown).
~ Beth Haines
November 17, 2020:
Two things play a prominent role in my life when it comes to Anti-Racism, and neither were in my control:
1. My parents – Whether it was watching my Mother engage people in the grocery store (or wherever!) to lend an ear or always having my Dad’s ear if I needed it after a game, my parents have made it clear that we love everyone like our neighbor and we listen to those we love. Their actions made their words undeniable.
2. School – From getting bussed to Rawlings Elementary in 1st grade to my senior year playing football at Buchholz High School, I made friends with kids from across town that I otherwise would not have. For those authentic experiences, relationships built, and the opportunity to face challenges and achieve goals together with all my teammates, I am eternally grateful.
One of my favorite reminders when I have kids under my watch is “God gave you two ears and one mouth so you can listen twice as much as you talk.” I think it’s important, for white people especially, to listen (and watch) much more than we are speaking about racism.
I don’t know how to properly address what’s going on with racism in our country. But I know how to love and I know how to listen. And I’m going to make sure I’m listening extremely close to those who don’t look like me.
If you need a place to get started, I would recommend the following: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and the movie 13th.
Ben Haines
Director of Sports & Recreation Ministries
October 27, 2020
I am blind. Not going blind, but am blind. I can walk past a masterpiece of art and not see it. I can miss facial cues displaying someone’s emotions (even a person’s tears once at Faith Mission!). And there are times, even while serving in my role at Faith Mission, when I don’t see another person fully as a uniquely gifted child of God. Now Faith Mission is a very relational ministry, right? But if I don’t see someone, then I don’t think a mutually affirming relationship is just around the corner, do you?
We can all be blind in certain ways, including being blind to racism in us and around us. Blind to the ways we stereotype. Blind to the ways we discount hardship. Blind to the ways we ignore injustice. Blind when we assure ourselves we’re color blind. Coach Mike Holloway, long time head coach of the Gators track and cross country teams, shares in this article how racism has impacted him, his family, and our country. And in this Upper Room piece, Rev. Michael Waters writes about his personal experiences with racism and how entrenched racism impacts how he raises his son. Real stories, personal stories, of how skin tone alone dramatically affects lives…
Blindness to racism enables the pain and injustice to continue. But here is the Good News. Guess what Jesus heals in every Gospel, and multiple times in several? Blindness! Guess what kind of healing Jesus used in the announcement of his ministry in Luke? Blindness! If we think physical healing was the only kind of healing happening in these stories of Jesus and his power, we should keep cogitating on that. Because the Good News is Jesus healed blindness, and Christ can heal our blindness if we ask, and having scales fall from our eyes brings the Kingdom of God that much closer to us here and now.
Ward Simonton
Director of Faith Mission
October 13, 2020
I confess that one of the most challenging aspects in the work of anti-racism is to stay with it. As a person of privilege, it can be easy to lose sight of what is off, to return to a casual acceptance of the wrongs that affect us all. And I fear this is in no small part because those wrongs often do so in ways that, as a white person, I benefit. Hence the expression: white privilege.
It has been months since George Floyd was killed, and while much of the public fervor that followed has receded, the injustices against many of our brothers and sisters have not. And to lose sight of that, to find comfort in not encountering that reality, is to live into privilege at the cost of others.
I’m reminded of something Austin Channing Brown writes in her excellent book, I’m Still Here:
Our only chance at dismantling racial injustice is being more curious about its origins than we are worried about our comfort. It’s not a comfortable conversation for any of us. It is risky and messy. It is haunting work to recall the sins of our past. But is this not the work we have been called to anyway? Is this not the work of the Holy Spirit to illuminate truth and inspire transformation?
I aim to be less comfortable and more curious. I aim to invite transformation, continued transformation in myself so that I might live and work for the transformation of the world.
I’m glad to share one of the ways I’ve been working on this: a daily email called Praying for Change: Daily Prayers for Anti-Racism. Each day it offers reflections from a collection of classic and more recent expressions of faith. I even love that they come around noon each day. The interruption of the email pulls me aside and reminds me, makes me curious, leads me to prayer, and encourages me to stay with it.
Rev. Ben Richards
Associate Pastor
September 22, 2020
In this time of turmoil and divisiveness, I've found myself realizing a great need to sit and learn and listen, especially when it comes to learning about racial justice and reconciliation. I need to sit and learn and listen to people with experiences different than mine, and I need to sit and listen to the voice and heart of God. So, I've been consuming a lot of content through books and podcasts trying to learn as much as I can from people who are writing about their experiences working towards racial justice. A book (and podcast) that's been really meaningful to me is Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison. Latasha Morrison writes about her work in churches as well as other spaces where she helps walk communities through meaningful conversations to better engage in racial reconciliation. She starts her book with a Prayer for Humility that is beautiful and challenging. I invite us all to find resources like this help us learn and listen better and to pray this this prayer with me:
“Lord, we ask that the words of this book fall on the soil of our hearts. Come into our brokenness and our lives with your love that heals all. Consume our pride and replace it with humility and vulnerability. Allow us to make space for your correction and redemption. Allow us to bow down with humble hearts, hearts of repentance. Bind us together in true unity and restoration. May we hear your voice within the words of these pages. Give us collective eyes to see our role in repairing what has been broken. Allow these words to be a conduit for personal transformation that would lead to collective reproduction. Amen."—Latasha Morrison
Thanks be to God!
Rebekah Saveland
Director of Youth & Family Ministries
September 8, 2020
If you’re anything like me, your life is busy, you’re probably overwhelmed by all the issues in the world, and often times you struggle with knowing where to start, especially when it comes to the work of anti-racism. That’s why I turn to leaders who amplify the voices of Black persons, who utilize their platform to empower the stories and lives of Black people.
Brené Brown happens to be one of my favorite sources for authenticity and motivation. Brené has been researching shame, vulnerability, and courage for more than two decades. It turns out that shame, vulnerability, and courage happen to be at the root of anti-racism work. As a busy mother of three, I love podcasts and audiobooks. I can turn on a podcast or audiobook when I’m walking, working remotely, or on a long drive. Earlier this year, Brené came out with her own podcast called Unlocking Us: Conversations that unlock the deeply human part of who we are, so that we can live, love, parent, and lead with more courage and heart.
I encourage you to take a listen to 3 specific episodes from Unlocking Us: Brené’s episodes where she shares the mic with Austin Channing Brown and Ibram X. Kendi and the solo episode on shame and accountability.
Take courage friends.
McCall Griggs
Director of Stepping Stones Preschool
September 1, 2020
When trying to explain the movement for Black lives (BLM) to a friend, I happened upon this video. Given the state of humanity at the moment, I can’t think of a better, more real way to explain BLM than how Emmanuel Acho does in this video. He explains, “Right now we're facing the world's greatest pandemic since the Spanish flu: COVID-19. Right now we're focused on finding a remedy for that illness...That's not to say that cancer doesn't matter...HIV doen't matter...ALS doesn't matter. All those things still matter, but right now the coronavirus is killing people, and so on the same token...once we get these black lives that are being ended unjustly handled...then we can be at a point to focus on everything else." He continues to say that, "There's a virus, it's just of the mind. It's not of the body," and BLM is allowing us to give it the attention it deserves.
My hope and genuine prayer is that we all take a minute to self-reflect on what it is that we pay attention to. And realize that by paying attention to the injustice and suffering in the world, we can help soothe the wounds of those that hurt.
Jennifer Thomas
Director of Human Resources & Operations
August 11, 2020
As a young child, I watched Mister Rogers' Neighborhood on a regular basis. It was probably my favorite television show when I was 3 and 4 years old. I loved the trolley and all the characters in the "Land of Make-Believe." I felt like Mister Rogers was speaking directly to me. He had a wonderful way of communicating with preschool children. Little did I know he was teaching life lessons and, more importantly, sharing the unconditional love of Jesus. He would end each episode by saying, "You've made this day a special day, by just your being you. There's no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are."
This quote meant a great deal to Francois Clemmons, one of the first Black actors to have a recurring role in a children's television program. Growing up during the Civil Rights Movement, Clemmons didn't have a positive opinion of police officers at the time. Fred Rogers convinced him he could present a positive image as a helper in the community.
Here is a short video clip featuring Francois Clemmons titled, The Officer of Make Believe: Being Black in 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'.
Brian Wittstruck
Director of Children & Family Ministries
July 21, 2020
We've put together a curated collection of anti-racism resources for you and for our community - to Learn, To Discern, and to Act. We invite you to begin utilizing these resources, both personally and perhaps with your small group.
As a parent of elementary-aged children, I frequently wish I could swaddle them in bubble wrap and keep them safely untouched by the world's pain. However, this unrealistic dream would not help to equip our children to join God's work for the transformation of our world. As parents, we have learned to shift from teaching our children to be "colorblind" to recognizing and affirming the diversity of God's beloved children and engaging with them in difficult conversations about injustice. How to Talk to Kids About Race is an article that we have found helpful (and is linked on the United Methodist Church's Five Tips for Addressing Racism with Children article found Trinity's Anti-Racism Resources).
Will you join us as we grow together as followers of Christ?
Meghan Willians
Servant Volunteer Coordinator
July 14, 2020:
What does racial injustice look like today? Am I racist? What can we learn from the Bible about justice and anti-racism? Where can I learn more about anti-racism and grow as a follower of Christ? How can I be a part of God's Kingdom work right now as our community strives towards racial justice?
We've put together a curated collection of anti-racism resources for you and for our community - to Learn, to Discern, and to Act. We invite you to begin utilizing these resources, both personally and perhaps with your small group. Many are finding it hard to talk about race - What do I say? How do I begin? What's off limits? Here is a 5-minute video with Rev. Matt Miofsky on how to get started with these difficult conversations.
Will you join with us as we grow together as followers of Christ?
Kelly Ping
Director of Missions