A033 Renew ECCAR
Resolved, the House of ________________ concurring,
That the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church (“TEC”) reaffirm the importance of the work of the Executive Council Committee on Anti-Racism and Reconciliation (ECCAR) to support the Church to live into existing General Convention resolutions starting with the 70th General Convention toward becoming a church committed to ending institutional and other forms of racism which necessitate the acceptance of abandonment of privilege and the sharing of power within our polity, within our society, and throughout the world; and be it further
Resolved, That the Episcopal Church recognizes that the work of dismantling racism and achieving racial justice and healing has made progress in improving the awareness of the sin of racism in the Church and that the work of dismantling racism and achieving racial justice and healing is far from completed; and be it further
Resolved, That the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church recognizes no entity of the Church has been identified to carry on the efforts currently in the mandate of Executive Council Committee on Anti-Racism and Reconciliation; and be it further
Resolved, That the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church continue the existence of the Executive Council Committee on Anti-Racism & Reconciliation for another nine years
Explanation
General Convention Resolution 2015-A023, Authorized Continuation of the Executive Council Committee on Anti-Racism & Reconciliation through 2023. The time limit was put in place in the hopes that the Church would have established a permanent entity or role to institutionalize the work of dismantling racism and achieving racial justice and healing. While groups such as the Consulting Group for the Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity & Justice, the Task Force on Redefining Social Justice, and the Presiding Officers’ Advisory Group on Beloved Community are working toward such a permanent focus for the Church, discussions with the leaders of those Committees have brought us to the agreed-upon conclusion that none have yet crystallized to a point the Committee feels is sufficient to truly carry out the work the Executive Council Committee on Anti-Racism & Reconciliation has been mandated to perform. This resolution would continue the Committee and the work providing other entities more time to complete their work while maintaining a focus on the work identified in the Executive Council Committee on Anti-Racism & Reconciliation mandate.
The Committee is pleased that Presiding Bishop Curry made racial reconciliation one of the three main foci of his Episcopate. With his term ending, the Committee wishes to ensure the work of racial reconciliation remains a major focus for the Church regardless of the priorities of the incoming Presiding Bishop.