Introduction to Posts from the Past #2:

Race and Remembrance in light of Trayvon Martin Verdict.

I don’t know how my mother walked her trouble down
I don’t know how my father stood his ground
I don’t know how my people survive slavery
I do remember, that’s why I believe
“I Remember, I Believe” by Bernice Johnson Reagon.

The Presbyterian News Service headline delicately hinted at the discord that surfaced during a panel discussion on the church and race held at Big Tent: “The church speaks on race — Only it’s not what some people were expecting.” The PNS article, as well as a myriad of tweets, posts and conversations that followed the event made it abundantly clear that what one “expected” was strongly related to one’s own life experiences. That’s logical, of course; but limiting. If we are serious about honest conversation in a diverse church, those of us who are white Presbyterians must be serious about removing the blinders we wear and the barriers we erect. Removing blinders and barriers, acknowledging privilege and pain, listening to those whose versions of history may be very different from our own – thus begins the work of combating racism. In that spirit, we share six Church & Society articles written between 1987 and 2002. Whether as introduction or as remembrance, it is important for all Presbyterians to recall the insights and the impasses that preceded this moment and continue to shape our beliefs.

1987: The Witness of a Prophet, Clarence L. Cave, J. Oscar McCloud and Robert T. Newbold, Jr. The entire Nov/Dec 1987 issue of Church and Society was devoted to Edler G. Hawkins, whose pastoral sensibility, strategic acumen, and clear-sighted commitment to “a form of reconciliation that he likened to liberation” all contributed to his effective leadership for racial justice in the church during the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Each of the authors of this article were significant leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in their own right. [General Editor’s note: J. Vernon Lloyd, the father of interim managing editor Tricia Lloyd-Sidle was chosen as Vice-Moderator by Edler Hawkins when he was Moderator.]

1998: If I Speak In The Tongue Of Angels – Has Language Done Irreparable Damage To African Americans? Arlene Wallace Gordon. One-way communication, bias against oral culture, bans on bi-lingual education, and widely-held assumptions about “proper” speech are all examples of the relationship between language and power. We are called to recognize the uniqueness and value each culture brings to the whole, so that voices are no longer silenced…

These voices come from women, children, gays, lesbians, from immigrants, refugees, and homeless people, from ordinary people, Black and white, rich, poor, and middle class, regardless of their place of origin.” Arlene Gordon recently retired as Executive of the Presbytery of Tropical Florida.

1999: Do You Know Me? — Racism includes major atrocities of hate and everyday put-downs as well. Patricia G. Brown. A Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), an overwhelmingly white denomination, tells of being harassed because she is riding in a car with a white male. “Racism,” she says, “has no respect for honored, elected positions or education or wealth or status. It is loud and it is subtle. Sometimes it is mean-deliberate and sometimes mean-accidental, born of ignorance.”

1999: A Calling For a Lifetime — Moving antiracism commitments from paper to practice. W. Mark Koenig. In response to the churchwide policy approved by General Assembly, “Facing Racism: A Vision of the Beloved Community,” this article outlines five strategies for congregations seeking to adopt an antiracism identity. While the specifics of each congregation’s strategy will differ, all need to focus both on healing prejudice and dismantling racism. Mark Koenig is currently Director of the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations.

2001: Addressing Racism — An Agenda for Church Action. Otis Turner. The article points to the complexity of forces that constitute racism and suggests that it will not be dismantled without transformational change. There is tremendous resistance in the church to such change. “We have not accepted the fact that justice requires both personal and institutional transformation. There is still a mind-set that seeks to achieve racial justice without fundamental changes in the status quo.” Otis Turner served as the staff person to the Advocacy Committee on Racial Ethnic Concerns (ACREC) which continues to provide guidance to the General Assembly in this area of our church’s life.

2002: Race, Remembrance And The New Charge –A Dialogue Between Two Generations Of Black Presbyterians. Gayraud S. Wilmore and Curtis A. Jones. Professor Gayraud Wilmore directed the Council on Church and Race (United Presbyterian Church) in the early 1960s before dedicating himself to full-time teaching. In this conversation with Curtis Jones, then-president of the National Black Presbyterian Caucus, he talked about his role as the only African American on the committee that developed the Confession of 1967: “As one voice in the wilderness, as one vote, I could not convince the brothers and sisters that race should be taken more seriously and given a larger place in the document.” (The issue from which this interview was taken is an assessment of “C-67” after 35 years; Wilmore’s influence on the drafting Committee was in fact rated highly, and he was also influential in creating such programs as Self-Development of People).