A097 Developing a Common Framework for Anti-Racism Training
Resolved, the House of ________________ concurring,
That the 81st General Convention, recognize that widely different criteria have been used across the Church to determine if the completion of anti-racism training defined by Canon Article III.6.5.g Training and General Convention Resolution has been satisfied; and that this work has been inspired by the collaborative efforts with the Executive Committee on Anti-Racism (ECCAR); and be it further
Resolved, That The Episcopal Church (TEC) recognize that in order to maintain a common theological framework and pastorally congruent response regarding our commitment to dismantle the sin of racism, specific components must be included in any Anti-racism or Racial Reconciliation training designed to fulfill the canonical requirement for all persons seeking ordination and all persons specified in General Convention Resolution 2000-B049; and be it further
Resolved, That the specific components that must be included in any Anti-racism or Racial Reconciliation training to be interactive, offer opportunity for reflection and include as follows:
1) A Historical Component - to include Canonical Requirements, Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society’s Historical Commitment found in General Convention resolutions, “The Church’s Contemporary Response to Racism”, and “Becoming Beloved Community”,
2) An Information OR Didactic Component - to include learning about the Baptismal Covenant, the Hebrew & New Testament Prophetic traditions, and the History of White Supremacy. Systemic Power, Classism, Sexism and other Intersectional Oppressions, The Doctrine of Discovery, Racism, Internalized Racial Superiority & Microaggressions and Internalized Racial Oppression must be interrogated and challenged. A guide for analyzing and dismantling unintentional institutional racism is an important component if we are to fulfill the intentions of the racial reconciliation resolutions. The hope will be that participants become co-conspirators and agents of Racial Reconciliation and healing in the Episcopal Church and beyond.
3) Activities will include Prayer, Respectful Communication Guidelines, Power Analysis and other activities as indicated to accomplish learning objectives for historical and informational components.
4) The training will reflect common learning objectives and appropriate adult pedagogy including a process/method for reinforcing the training so that it is not a standalone “one and done” course such as the creation and nurturing of an antiracist identity for individuals and institutions;
And be it further
Resolved, That Executive Council’s Committee on Anti-Racism (ECCAR) create an Anti-racism Certification Framework include a master tracking database/mechanism to ensure consistency even as clergy and lay leaders transition across dioceses and TEC-level ministries and to more completely define the above components; and be it further
Resolved, That TEC staff be directed to work with the Executive Committee on Anti-Racism (ECCAR) to implement a certification process that would allow for on-line testing of clergy, laity, and trainers to ensure the consistent fulfillment of the spirit of the requirement for anti-racism training across the Church according to the Anti-racism Certification Framework defined by the Executive Council Committee on Anti-Racism; and be it further
Resolved, That TEC staff provide an annual report to ECCAR on the status of use and effectiveness of the certification process; and be it further
Resolved, That the General Convention requests the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance to consider a budget allocation (excluding meeting expense) of $55,000 for the curriculum planning, scope of the effort, and development of the RFP for the tracking module of this resolution.
Explanation
Currently Canon Article III.6.5.g Training requires the Church’s Anti-racism training for ordination. Additionally, the General Convention of The Episcopal Church has passed resolutions concerning anti-Racism and Racial Reconciliation at every General Convention since at least 1988. They include 1988-A112, 1991-D113, 2009-A142, 2012-A127, 2015-D040, and have called upon the church to participate through anti-racism training and other activities to dismantle and eradicate structures of racism and integrate the practices of anti-racism into our life as a church. Specifically, Resolution 2000-B049, which was reaffirmed by 2018-A045, mandates that “lay and ordained leadership of the Episcopal Church, including all ordained persons, professional staff, and those elected or appointed to positions of leadership… be required to take anti-racism training and receive certification of such training…. And that each diocese determines those lay and clergy leaders who are to take the training.”
Stories and information obtained through the focus groups and interviews led the Task Force members to include the focus on racial justice and discussions regarding anti-racism training. Creating this resolution was identified by recognizing the need for a consistent method to ensure that church-wide leadership and laity experienced the various issues as well as building knowledge about the sin of racism, the reasons behind reparations, and the vision of the beloved community. Reviewing the previous resolutions and actions taken or not taken, informed this resolution.
The Task Force also determined that the concerns and issues of language are important. As a result, the Task Force added the word ‘systemic’ to the word power to particularize the type of power being addressed. Additionally, when analyzing and dismantling unintentional institutional racism this concept is an important part of shifting the focus from merely addressing the motives of individuals to the built-in advantages for whites that are part of the structure of our institutions. Institutional practice, policy, culture, etc., is the source of the racial social disparities.
The need for the creation and nurturing of an antiracist identity for individuals and institutions will be necessary if we accept that both white people and people of color are coopted by racism in the form of Internalized Racial Superiority and Internalized Racial Oppression as part of our identity, then the resistance to that is to explore an identity that is counter to this.
Additionally, consistent monitoring of training completion and effectiveness is needed as more members transition to different geographic locations, led the team to include the need to have a church-wide learning management system or some electronic version and not maintaining excel spreadsheets or other manual/paper-based methods.
“Our Baptismal Covenant calls us to speak in concrete terms about today’s sins of racial injustice and inequality. We should all be advocates for the eradication of racism in all aspects of life, especially our religious life. The effects of racism escape no institution, not even the Church. We know that institutional racism can be conscious or unconscious. While the motivation of the institution and its members is important, it is the disparate racial outcomes of policy and/or practice that reflect an institution’s racism. The elimination of racism in the Church cannot be equated with assimilation, but rather with unity-in-diversity. No one group may demand the unilateral surrender of another’s culturally determined values as the price for full participation in the church community. In celebrating diversity, we manifest our oneness in Christ”.(1)
(1). Language attributed to The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona: An Anti-Racism Theological Statement.