From Advancing Racial Justice Action Group (ARJAG)
By Ethel Gullette
Looking for meaningful community-building at First Church? Here it is!
Last year, in the midst of the pandemic and the demonstrations in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, the Advancing Racial Justice Action Group (ARJAG) of First Church sponsored a series of zoom-based Antiracism Learning Circles.
The response was tremendous. We are now rolling out a new cycle of Learning Circles and hope you will join us.
Learning Circles provide a supportive place to grapple personally and deeply with racism and white supremacy, and help inform how we can take action for antiracism in our lives. These are small discussion groups based on a book or a podcast. Some meet weekly and some less often. They are facilitated by First Church congregants.
Learning Circles Provide
- Important learning about white supremacy, racism, and our national history
- Building trust and going deep in small group discussions over time
- A supportive place to have difficult discussions and deal with discomfort
- Focus on how we as a congregation can live into the 8th principle
- Creating and strengthening relationships with other congregants
- Connection, focus and purpose during pandemic isolation
To see the list of offerings and register, please visit our website.
Here is a sampling of what participants had to say about their Learning Circle experience
I like connecting with other empathetic folk who see racial injustice and want to do something about it. This zoom series is spot on about cracking open the “system” and grappling with the issues. Among white folks, there is not enough knowledge out there about black lives and what they still endure. Although the answers are difficult and complex, meeting and talking about it is the only way through.
I have really advanced my depth of understanding about systemic racism by the reading and zoom-group participation involved in several book-study groups on anti-racism. This is important self-development, and I am grateful that the church has made these opportunities available.
The Learning Circles have provided for me an invaluable way to take a deep dive into anti-racist readings and discussions within our community. As a small group we were able to share ideas, insights, and vulnerabilities. This experience helped me grow in both knowledge and humility. I extend my gratitude to ARJAG and all the facilitators.
I participated in two Learning Circles. I had started to read both books on my own and found the content overwhelming. Reading these books together and immersing myself in their messages took me on a journey that I am still traveling. Both books took me back to my childhood growing up in a very segregated city, and showed me both how deep the seeds of racism are and how much this still impacts my actions and reactions to people of color. I felt like the issues resided in my bones. Being able to be open and vulnerable with others and share similar feelings and experiences provided the support I needed to continue to address my attitudes and actions. These book groups paved the way for me to embrace the messages of the 8th principle. I feel so grateful to be able to learn with others and continue to change and grow.
The atmosphere was very supportive and various members’ “confessions” about falling short in being anti-racist were met with understanding and reflection. I liked that each week we were assigned a chunk of reading to do and were provided with thought-provoking questions to spur us on to do more than just take in the words of the book. It has been really enlightening to hear how each person in the group processes the information; it has caused me to re-examine some of my assumptions.
I am so thankful that I waited to read Caste with a group of other women. So many of the truths that Wilkerson unpacked in detail were painful and very difficult to absorb and grapple with. Each of us was encouraged to share both emotionally and factually what we had read and how it would affect our actions in the future.
I find that I don’t know enough history, of the world, of the U.S., of the region where I grew up and of where I now live, and of my own extended family. I hadn’t considered that there are costs associated with being white in a system of white supremacy. There have certainly been benefits, but I hadn’t recognized the costs.
My childhood education failed me. Now I know to focus on the system of racism, not racist individuals.
Hearing others’ reactions has been valuable; I don’t feel so alone in my thoughts. When others share their experiences and perspectives, it adds nuance and humanity to the specific topics and to the overall discussions. I have also enjoyed the acceptance and lack of judgment from the other participants.
Art For Social Justice
Curated by Ethel Gullette, Speaking of Justice Editorial Team
The Speaking of Justice Editorial Team offers weekly art to deepen our connection to the work for social justice and building the Beloved Community.
Spirits Cradle, with Climbing Poetree, Leah Song , and Biko Casini of Rising Appalachia
Click here for a live recording of Leah Song’s “Spirits Cradle” featuring Biko Casini on percussion, and Alixa and Naima of Climbing Poetree on the fierce poetics. A full piece on the travails of the prison industrial complex, and our role in dismantling it.