“And when we talk about race today, with all the pain packed into that conversation, the Holy Spirit remains in the room, This doesn’t mean the conversations aren’t painful, aren’t personal, aren’t charged with emotion. But it does mean we can survive. We can survive honest discussions about slavery, about convict leasing, about stolen land, deportation, discrimination, and exclusion… We can lament and mourn. We can be livid and enraged. We can be honest. We can tell the truth. We can trust that the Holy Spirit is here. We must. For only by being truthful about how we got here can we begin to imagine another way.”
― I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness
Edgewood resists and works to eradicate racial oppression in our congregation and world. Throughout the year we sponsor educational events and advocacy opportunities for our members and friends, challenging each other to show up, listen, and speak out against racism. We confess that we do not always get it right. As a predominantly white congregation, in the Christian tradition that helped build many of the original racist institutions of our country, we understand this to be a commitment and work that will last beyond our lifetimes. Our commitment to anti-racism is the legacy we hope to leave our children. Our lives depend on it. The lives of beloved people and communities of color depend on it.
“It is easy to think that the problem of racial oppression in this country is just too big. How on earth can we be expected to dismantle a complex system that has been functioning for over four hundred years? My answer is: piece by piece.”
– Ijeoma Oluo, “So You Want to Talk About Race”
Find many helpful anti-racism resources including media, book lists and discussion guides by connecting to The Anti-Racism Center of the Council for Health & Human Service Ministries UCC.
