Race and Faith
As people of faith, we have to get better at talking about race and racial justice. Fr. Jim Martin, SJ, writes,
How can anyone fail to see the resonances with Jesus on the Cross? Two thousand years ago, Roman soldiers pressed down a wooden cross on Jesus’s body, as other soldiers stood by, and as Jesus died, he cried out, “I thirst” (Jn 19:28). Last month, a police officer pressed a knee down on George Floyd’s body, as other police officers stood by, and as George Floyd died, he cried out, “Water.” So if you weep for Jesus on the Cross, and do not weep for George Floyd, then you are missing the point.
Over the past few months, colleagues from TCU Religious and Spiritual Life and Inclusiveness and Intercultural Services have been brainstorming best practices to accompany students through these sorts of meaningful, challenging conversations. First, we thought it would be a book group. But after reading a few texts, nothing felt quite right. Se we’ve decided to simply hold space for conversations about race and faith. We have some conversation starters and the responsibility to moderate hurtful dialogue, but mostly we want to just get the conversation started on our campus. We hope you will join us on Mondays at 5pm. The general themes for September chats are as follows:
Monday, 9/1: Introductions and definitions of race, faith, racism, and more. Recommended reading/viewing include:
-
-
- Chapter 1 of Ibram Kendi’s How to Be and Anti-Racist
- Listen to Brene Brown’s interview with Kendi on her podcast Unlocking Us
-
Monday, 9/8: Race, faith, and culture:
-
-
- Chapter 7 of Ibram Kendi’s How to Be and Anti-Racist
- Read Fr. Jim Martin’s essay the Holy Spirit is Moving us to Act Against Racism
-
Watch Dr. Fredrick Douglass Haynes, III on Social Justice and Growing a Church
-
Please register to receive the zoom link for each session.