Racial Justice
Church Wide Vote on Racial Justice Statement
University United Methodist Church is an anti-racist church. We are committed to the elimination of systemic racism and reformation of current institutions that adversely affect people of color seeking health care, education, employment, housing and criminal justice. We resist systemic racism through the promotion of anti-racist education, advocacy for anti-racist reforms in our community, and support for church policies that make us more anti-racist in welcoming, hiring, purchasing and investing. We invite others to join us as we strive to love all our neighbors as Christ loves us.
You can watch the resolutions read below or click here to read.
We are a group of white progressive Christians who meet on a monthly basis to discuss racism and white supremacy and how we can work to dismantle these systems in our lives at individual and structural levels. We see this work as essential to our faith. The racial justice task force is broken into three separate committees: Education, Advocacy, and Church Practices.
Education
The Education Committee serves to guide those who want to develop their racial identity and learn more about our country’s history of systemic racism and it’s impact on modern society.
Advocacy
The Advocacy Committee follows the lead of local organizations led by people of color to recommend actions to take at the personal, local, state, and federal levels to promote greater equity for all.
Practices
The Church Practices Committee works to look inward at our identity and practices as a community of faith in order to make recommendations to bring them more in line with our anti-racist beliefs.
Upcoming Events
Resources
THERE IS A LOT OF FANTASTIC MATERIAL AVAILABLE TO HELP EDUCATE ON THE INTRICACIES OF SYSTEMIC RACISM. BELOW IS A FEW RESOURCES WE BELIEVE ARE GOOD PLACES TO START.
Ijeoma Oluo’s New York Times best selling book “So You Want to Talk About Race” tackles topics such police brutality, cultural appropriation and the model minority myth.
Read
Listen
Ava Duvernay’s 2016 documentary “13th” explores the "intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States. You can watch the film on Netflix.