Reclaiming Jesus’ example of justice-love.

 Becoming Antiracist

Pullen’s tradition of ever embracing and ever becoming well suits the effort to be an antiracist congregation. Like Pullen itself, anti-racism is a process that is based on communal discernment but driven by collective action.

Reverend Chalice Overy gives witness to the moral agenda of voting rights and living wages in an act of civil disobedience in
Washington, DC on August 2, 2021.

Statement from the Deacon Council on Antiracism:   

“Pullen’s tradition of ever embracing and ever becoming well suits the effort to be an antiracist congregation. Like Pullen itself, anti-racism is a process that is based on communal discernment, but driven by collective action. We, the Deacons, commit ourselves to lead the community of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in this long and hard, but necessary and life-giving movement.”

Please read this important statement for more information: https://conta.cc/3eI76V9


Striving to Become an Anti-Racist Church: an Update on Pullen’s Anti-Racism Committee

May 2021: Last December, in response to Pastor Nancy Petty’s challenge to become an anti-racist church, the Deacon Council created what would become the Anti-Racism Committee and tasked it with the following:

The mission of the ARC is to engage the Pullen community in striving to become an anti-racist congregation. We understand anti-racist to mean implementing practices and policies that support racial justice and equity and challenging systems that perpetuate racial inequity.

The Deacons asked that each Council in the church identify one representative to serve on ARC, including two staff liaisons. The members currently are Maggie Zeillmann (chair), Jill Hinton, Mary Moore, Chris Schwertman, Grace Evans, Chalice Overy, and Nancy Petty.

In future newsletters and weekly emails, the ARC will provide regular updates on our work, share our own experiences with racism and anti-racism, and provide a wide variety of resources that we hope will spur deeper thought and conversation around anti-racism. In this first contribution, we thought it would be good to say more about how we, as co-chairs of the ARC, understand the mission statement above and the work that lays before us as a congregation.

We’d like to start with what this is not. Anti-racism should not be a modern-day witch hunt, where anti-racism is weaponized and all people are deputized to declare this person or that rule racist or not racist. That is decidedly not in the communal spirit of Pullen and not in the spirit of our understanding of anti-racism. Anti-racism is not a checklist that we can work through and quickly receive our certification. Maybe most confusingly, anti-racism is not a project with measurable goals: a more diverse congregation or more diverse partnerships or more diverse speakers. Those would be welcome side effects and some might be means to the end of anti-racism. But they themselves do not verify our authenticity as an anti-racist congregation, nor is the lack of them necessarily an indicator that we are failing. 

So what is the work of ARC? If there is a central goal, it is to continually deepen our understanding of the ways in which the life and work of the Pullen community challenges or alternatively reinforces structures and systems that perpetuate racial inequity. Reflecting back on the mission statement, we will begin by ‘engaging the Pullen community’  in learning and discussion with each other. One path toward anti-racism is created by open, loving conversations in Sunday groups, lunch gatherings, Wednesday nights at The Table, or anywhere else Pullenites gather. A second path is forged as we develop new habits designed to help us see our role in countering or reinforcing racism: new questions to ask, new logics to consider, new outcomes to imagine. It is work that requires a close look at all that we do. It is an on-going evolution. It requires that we give and receive grace when we make the missteps that we inevitably will make. It is hard, important work.   

We are not alone. The Deacon Council also agreed that Pullen would participate in cohort study of Christian churches attempting to move in similar directions. This is the THRIVE project; you’ll hear much more in the months and years ahead. But the project says a lot about anti-racism work. THRIVE seeks to be a learning community of 25 congregations. It is a five-year project with different phases for each year: (1) observation; (2) evaluation and reflection; (3) action; (4) follow-up and observation; (5) reporting.  Most of us are in uncharted territory and need to learn from 

others. This is a long and on-going process. It requires a commitment to being open to looking inward, observing our own traditions, discovering where our own traditions and ways of doing may have effects we do not intend, identifying barriers that prevent us from having the effects we hope to have, and allowing our learning process to move us forward in our journey toward becoming an anti-racist congregation..

We only ask that you join us on this journey. Ask us and each other hard questions. This work requires that we be open and honest on issues that are among the most fraught that we face in the United States. In that best Pullen tradition, let us challenge ourselves and each other to see more clearly how we might, to paraphrase Paula Clayton Dempsey’s recent sermon, welcome all God’s children to the table.  

–Jill Hinton & Mark Nance

 Educational Resources

What does it mean to be “anti-racist”? What do we mean when we say “becoming an anti-racist congregation”? And conversations with our Pullen family make it clear that we don’t all agree on what becoming an anti-racist congregation really means. How do we figure that out? One point is very clear in that regard. It is not the task of the Committee on Becoming an Anti-Racist Congregation Committee (ARCC) to determine that answer and then set about imposing a plan on Pullen. Rather, ARCC’s job is to be a spark: a spark that we hope will light conversations, debates, and fires across the congregation about how we can more effectively identify and dismantle practices, beliefs, and institutions that perpetuate the domination of one group over any other. As to what that really means and how we can best do that, we hope you will engage that debate in your own heart and mind and then bring those insights to bear on the community conversations we will continue to promote. 

Toward that end, Cas Shearin generously has put together a curriculum that we think might be helpful for people interested in the topic—convert, skeptic, and everyone in between. You shouldn’t expect to agree with everything you read, watch, or hear in this list. Like any good syllabus, you’ll find some pieces easier and some more challenging. You’ll agree with some and disagree with others. We hope you’ll dive into those reactions. Pick them apart. Think about what might be driving your reactions. Most importantly, think about what anti-racism means to you and what it might mean for our congregation.  Then with humility, mercy, and justice in our hearts, join us in sparking conversation and meaningful change in our congregation and in our world.

Curriculum:

Week 1

Debby Irving’s 21-Day Equity Habit Building Challenge

21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge© – Debby Irving

 

Norma Johnson:  A Poem for My White Friends

A Poem for My White Friends: I Didn't Tell You - YouTube

 

Week 2

Peggy McIntosh:  White Privilege – Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

https://psychology.umbc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/57/2016/10/White-Privilege_McIntosh-1989.pdf

 

Podcast hosted by John Biewen:  Seeing White

Seeing White – Scene on Radio

 

Week 3

Ta-Nehisi Coates:  The Case for Reparations

The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates - The Atlantic

 

Paul Rucker:  Symbols of Systemic Racism

Paul Rucker: The symbols of systemic racism -- and how to take away their power | TED Talk

 

Week 4

Kathleen Osta and Hugh Vasquez:  Implicit Bias and Structural Racism

Don’t Talk about Implicit Bias Without Talking about Structural Racism | by National Equity Project | National Equity Project | Medium

 

Jennifer Eberhardt:  How Racial Bias Works – And How to Disrupt It

Jennifer L. Eberhardt: How racial bias works -- and how to disrupt it | TED Talk

 

Week 5

Jennifer Ho:  Anti-Asian Racism and COVID-19

Anti-Asian racism and COVID-19 | Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine | University of Colorado Boulder

 

Ibram X. Kendi:  The Difference Between Being “Not Racist” and Antiracist

Ibram X. Kendi: The difference between being "not racist" and antiracist | TED Talk

 

Week 6

Jim Barger:  Ahmaud Abery Holds Us Accountable

Ahmaud Arbery Holds Us Accountable — THE BITTER SOUTHERNER

 

Baratunde Thurston:  How to Deconstruct Racism One Headline at a Time

Baratunde Thurston: How to deconstruct racism, one headline at a time | TED Talk

 

Week 7

National Museum of American History and Culture:  Being Antiracist

Being Antiracist | National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu)

 

Sandy Grande: Don’t Forget Indigenous Struggles on Thanksgiving

(20+) Watch | Facebook

 

Week 8

Luvvie Ajayi Jones:  Why We Need to Call Out Casual Racism

Why we need to call out casual racism | (ted.com)

 

Bryan Stevenson:  We Need to Talk About an Injustice

Bryan Stevenson: We need to talk about an injustice | TED Talk

 

Week 9

National Museum of American History and Culture: Social Identities and Systems of Oppression

Social Identities and Systems of Oppression | National Museum of African American History and Culture

 

Podcast hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones: 1619

Listen to ‘1619,’ a Podcast From The New York Times - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

 

Week 10

Kathleen Osta:  White Women, Our Role in Racial (In)Justice

White Women: Our Role in Racial (In)Justice: White Women Must Do Their Part To Dismantle Racism | National Equity Project (medium.com)

 

Robin DiAngelo:  Deconstructing White Privilege

Deconstructing White Privilege with Dr. Robin DiAngelo - Bing video

  

Week 11

Cynthia Silva Parker and Jen Willsea:  Summary of Stages of Racial Identity Development

summary-of-stages-of-racial-identity-development_compilation_2011v2.pdf - Google Drive

 

Heather McGhee:  Racism Has a Cost for Everyone

Heather C. McGhee: Racism has a cost for everyone | TED Talk

 

Week 12

Samantha Vincenty:  Being “Color Blind” Doesn’t Mean You Aren’t Racist – In Fact, It Can Mean the Opposite 

The Problem with Color Blindness and How It Upholds Racism (oprahdaily.com)

 

Systemic Racism Explained

Systemic Racism Explained - YouTube

More Resources from Brian Crisp

We hope you’ll use this list of educational resources and links on antiracism and other #BlackLivesMatter topics that Rev. Brian Crisp has been compiling. You are welcome to share it.  

Topics include: 

  • Anti-Racist

  • Juneteenth

  • Sexuality, Gender Identity, & Race

  • Social Media Resources

  • Tulsa Oklahoma’s 1921 Greenwood Massacre


Educational Resources:
Compiled by Brian D. Crisp, 2020 (updated August 12)

Anti-Racist

Juneteenth

  • Allen, Erin. "Celebrating Juneteenth,” Library Blog, Library of Congress, 15 June 2015, https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2015/06/celebrating-juneteenth/.

  • Cammarata, Katie."What Is Juneteenth And Why Do We Celebrate It?” MSN.com, 17 June 2019, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/what-is-juneteenth-and-why-dowe-celebrate-it/ar-AAD0AAg.

  • Congressional Research Service. "Juneteenth Fact Sheet,” fas.org, 3 June 2020, https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44865.pdf.

  • Criss, Doug. "All but four US states celebrate Juneteenth as a holiday,” CNN.com, 19 June 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/us/juneteenth-state-holidaystrnd/index.html.

  • Duffy, Clare and Isabelle Chapman. "Nike joins the companies making Juneteenth an annual paid holiday,” CNN Business, 13 June 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/11/business/nike-juneteenth-holidaytrnd/index.html.

  • Guardian Sport and agencies. "NFL will recognize Juneteenth as company-wide holiday, Goodell says,” The Guardian, 12 June 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jun/12/nfl-juneteenth-holiday-rogergoodell.

  • Kuar, Harmeet. "What to know about Juneteenth and why people are talking about it now,” CNN.com, 11 June 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/11/us/what-isjuneteenth-trnd/index.html.

  • Nix, Elizabeth. “What is Juneteenth?” history.com, A&E Television Network, 11 June 2020, https://www.history.com/news/what-is-juneteenth.

  • Peneil, Joseph. "Make Juneteenth a national holiday now,” Opinions, CNN.com, 13 June 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/13/opinions/make-juneteenth-anational-holiday-now-joseph/index.html.

  • Robinson, Cliff. "History of Juneteenth,” juneteenth.com, http://juneteenth.com.

  • Taylor, Derrick Bryson. "So You Want to Learn About Juneteenth?” New York Times, 6/13/2020, https://www.nytimes.com/article/juneteenth-day-celebration.html.


Sexuality, Gender Identity,  & Race

  • "About Marsha P. Johnson,” The Marsha P. Johnson Institute, The Marsha P. Johnson Institute.

  • Bibi, Elizabeth. "Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David on the Launch of Pride Month and Anti-racism,” Human Rights Campaign, 1 June 2020, https://www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-president-alphonso-david-on-the-launch-of-pridemonth-and-anti-racism.

  • Clifton, Derrick. “21 Black LGBTQ+ Films That Deserve Your Attention.” Out. https://www.out.com/film/2019/10/31/21-black-lgbtq-films-deserve-yourattention#media-gallery-media-1. 7 June 2020.

  • GLAAD Celebrates Black History Month. "GLAAD Celebrates Black History Month Honoring LGBT African Americans,” glaad.org, https://www.glaad.org/blackhistorymonth2013. 16 June 2020.

  • "Marsha P. Johnson,” biography.com, 24-Jun-2017, https://www.biography.com/activist/marsha-pjohnson?li_source=LI&li_medium=m2m-rcw-history.

  • Menjivar, Jackie. "7 Young Black LGBTQ Activists You Should Know,” DoSomething.org, 11-Jun-2020, https://www.biography.com/activist/marsha-pjohnson?li_source=LI&li_medium=m2m-rcw-history.

  • Milan, Tiq. "When Black lives matter, Black trans people must be freed from discrimination and violence,” Think Opinion Analysis Essays, NBC.com, 9 June 2020, https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/when-black-lives-matter-blacktrans-people-must-be-freed-ncna1228316.

  • Morrison, Tony. "Over 100 LGBTQ+ organizations release open letter in solidarity with George Floyd protests,” ABCNews.com, 1 June 2020, https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/100-lgbtq-organizations-release-open-lettersolidarity-george/story?id=70991937

  • Owens, Ernest. "Anti Racism Leadership Team (Mission Statement and History Statement),” TheDailyBeast.com, 3 June 2020 https://www.thedailybeast.com/this-pride-month-the-lgbtq-community-mustconfront-its-racism?ref=scroll.

  • Tourmaline. "Tourmaline on Transgender Storytelling, David France, and the Netflix Marsha P. Johnson Documentary,” TeenVogue.com, 11 October 2017, https://www.teenvogue.com/story/reina-gossett-marsha-p-johnson-op-ed "The Role of Gay Men and Lesbians in the Civil Rights Movement,” Teaching Tolerance, Southern Poverty Law Center, https://www.tolerance.org/classroomresources/tolerance-lessons/the-role-of-gay-men-and-lesbians-in-the-civil-rightsmovement


Social Media Resources


Tulsa Oklahoma’s  1921 Greenwood Massacre

  • "1921 Tulsa Race Massacre,” Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, 14 June 2020, https://www.tulsahistory.org/exhibit/1921-tulsa-race-massacre/.

  • Davidson, Paul. "Black Wall Street': Trump's plan for rally in Tulsa calls attention to 1921 race massacre,” USAToday.com, 15 June 2020, https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/06/15/trump-tulsa-rally-juneteenthblack-wall-street-massacre-greenwood/3179886001/.

  • "Greenwood, 1921: One of the worst race massacres in American history,” 60 Minutes Overtime, 60 Minutes, CBSNews.com, 14 June 2020, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/greenwood-massacre-tulsa-oklahoma-1921- race-riot-60-minutes-2020-06-14/.

  • Hirsch, James S. Riot and Remembrance: The Tulsa Race War and Its Legacy, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 3 June 2003.

  • Scott Ellsworth, "Tulsa Race Massacre," The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=TU013.Hirsch.

  • "Tulsa Race Massacre,” history.com, A&E Television Network, 12 June 2020, https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/tulsa-racemassacre?li_source=LI&li_medium=m2m-rcw-history.

  • Verhoevek, Sam Howe. "75 Years Later, Tulsa Confronts Its Race Riot,” New York Times, 31 May 1996, https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/31/us/75-years-latertulsa-confronts-its-race-riot.html

Womanist, Black Feminist, and BBIPOC Thought

  • Canon, Katie.  Black Womanist Ethics. Atlanta: Scholars, 1988

  • Canon, Katie. Womanism and the Soul of the Black Community. Continuum, 1995.

  • Coleman, Monica.  Ain't I a Womanist, Too?: Third Wave Womanist Religious Thought. Fortress, 2013.

  • Coleman, Monica. Making a Way Out of No Way: A Womanist Theology. Fortress, 2008.

  • Davis, Angela Y. Davis. If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance. Third World Press, 1971

  • Davis, Angela Y.  Angela Davis : An Autobiography. Random House,  1974.  

  • Davis, Angela Y. Women, Race, and Class. Random House, 1981.

  •  Davis, Angela Y. Women, Culture, and Politics.  NY: Random, 1989.

  • Douglas, Kelly Brown. Black Bodies and the Black Church: A Blues Slant. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.

  • Douglas, Kelly Brown. Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God. Orbis Books, 2015.

  • Douglas, Kelly Brown. What's Faith Got to Do With It? Orbis Books. 2005.

  • Floyd-Thomas, Stacey M., ed. Deeper Shades of Purple: Womanism in Religion and Society. NYU Press, 2006

  • Floyd-Thomas, Stacey. Mining the Motherlode: Methods in Womanist Ethics. Pilgress Press, 2006.

  • Gafney, Wil. Daughters of Miriam: Women Prophets in Ancient Israel. Fortress Press, 2008.

  • Gafney, Wil. Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction To The Women Of The Torah And The Throne. John Knowx Press, 2017.

  • Townes, Emilie M. Womanist Ethics and the Cultural Production of Evil. Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

  • Townes, Emilie. Breaking the Fine Rain of Death.. Wipf & Stock, 2006.

  • Turman, Eboni Marshall. Toward a Womanist Ethic of Incarnation: Black Bodies, the Black Church, and the Council of Chalcedon. Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.

  • Weems, Renita. Battered Love: Marriage, Sex, and Violence in the Hebrew Prophets, andViolence. Augsburg Fortress, 1995.

  • Weems, Renita. Just a Sister Away: Understanding the Timeless Connection Between Women of Today and Women in the Bible. Walk Worthy Press, 2007.