America has been shaken by the recent videos displaying blatant and brutal racial violence:  George Floyd in Minneapolis being killed by the police; Ahmaud Arbery, deliberately killed while out jogging in Georgia; Christian Cooper, who was bird-watching in Central Park  when a white woman called police to falsely claim she was being threatened by a black man. These and other incidents have been catalysts for the on-going Black Lives Matter demonstrations and have had the effect of waking up white America to the reality that racism is rampant in our society.

These events have served notice to churches that we, as followers of Jesus, must do something to work toward healing and justice.

But what can we do?  Learn. Discuss. Act.

Here at FFC, we have formed a Racism Awareness team to help identify our options.  We believe that true progress can be achieved through the process of learning, discussing, and taking action. We must first gain a better understanding of the problem then share our insights with those inside and outside of our immediate circles. Having armed ourselves with knowledge and community, we will be better equipped to get off the sidelines and take meaningful action.

The team discovered a wonderful resource that presents a Twenty-One Day Racial Equity Challenge which asks us to spend some time each day watching, reading, listening, and noticing.   Then we discuss with one another our insights and ideas on what we might reasonably do to work toward racial equality.   In order to welcome insights from the broadest range of voices, we’ve included additional articles, including some dealing with the role of the police and the challenges they face.

Our Twenty-One Day challenge will begin on August 17th and end on September 6th.  There will be a Zoom conversation among participants part-way through--on Wednesday, August 26th at 7pm-- to share with each other what we are learning.  And, there will be a second opportunity for Zoom conversation after the challenge on Tuesday, September 15th at 7pm.  We encourage you to add  your name to the list of those who have already pledged to participate in this excellent opportunity to grow in our awareness of what racism has done to our black and brown brothers and sisters, and not only to them, but also to us, as we have averted our eyes and been silent too long.

If you’re not able to participate fully or within the exact time frame mentioned, please join us whenever and however you’re able. All are welcome.

You may sign up here to join the Challenge and take part in one or both of the Zoom conversations. 

The Racism Awareness Team

Margo Ball, Claire Chiboub, Peggy Maxwell, Esther Rendon-Thompson, Nancy Ross, Marlayna Schmidt, Jean Southard, Marilyn Sutcliffe, Jane Sveden, Tiffany Vail

The Challenge

Pick one of the resources listed every day for 21 days.

Diversify your understanding by doing some of each.

Track and reflect by using the planning tool below.

Share your reflections at the end of the challenge.

Pray for the places you are challenged and for those you are learning about whose lives may be different than yours.

Watch a message from Eddie Moore Jr., founder of 21 Day Challenge

Join the Challenge!

Please RSVP for the Zoom conversation on Tuesday, September 15th at 7 pm.

Want to get your children involved? Check here for great age appropriate resources!

This is Us, Dr. Eddie Glaude explains why blaming current racial tensions on Donald Trump misses the point. (3 minutes)

Racism is Real, A split-screen video depicting the differential in the white and black lived experience. (3 minutes)

Confronting ‘intergroup anxiety’: Can you try too hard to be fair? Explores why we may get tongue tied and blunder when we encounter people from groups unfamiliar to us. (5 minutes)

CBS News Analysis: 50 states, 50 different ways of teaching America’s past, Ibram X. Kendi reviews current history curriculum production and use across the U.S. (5 minutes)

The Disturbing History of the Suburbs, An “Adam Ruins Everything” episode that quickly and humorously educates how redlining came to be. (6 minutes)

What Kind of Asian Are You? Humorous two minute YouTube video that illustrates the utter silliness of the way many white Americans interact with Asian Americans. (2 minutes)

Birth of a White Nation, Keynote speech by legal scholar Jacqueline Battalora, offers a blow-by-blow description of the moment the idea of, and word for, “white” people entered U.S. legal code. (36 minutes)

13th, Netflix documentary by Ava DuVernay about the connection between US Slavery and the present day mass incarceration system. (1 hour, 40 minutes)

How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them, TED Talk by Vernā Myers, encourages work vigorously to counter balance bias by connecting with and learning about and from the groups we fear. (19 minutes)

The danger of a single story, TED Talk by Chimamanda Adiche, offers insight to the phenomenon of using small bits of information to imagine who a person is. (18 minutes)

How to deconstruct racism, one headline at a time, TED Talk by Baratunde Thurston that explores patterns revealing our racist framing, language, and behaviors. (10 minutes) 

Indigenous People React to Indigenous Representation in Film And TV, Conversation with a diverse range of Indigenous people by FBE about  media depictions of Indigenous people, Columbus day, and Indigenous identity. (15 minutes)  

What Being Hispanic and Latinx Means in the United States, Fernanda Ponce shares what she’s learning about the misunderstanding and related mistreatment of the incredibly diverse ethnic category people in U.S. call Hispanic. (12 minutes) 

Tyler Merrit Project: Before You Call (3 minutes)

10 Ways Well-Meaning White Teachers Bring Racism Into Our Schools, by Jamie Utt

21 Racial Microaggressions You Hear on a Daily Basis, by Heben Nigatu

Climbing the White Escalator, by Betsy Leondar-Wright

Explaining White Privilege To A Broke White Person, by Gina Crosley-Corcoran

Guide to Allyship, Created by Amélie Lamont

It’s Not Just the South: Here’s How Everyone Can Resist White Supremacy, by Sarah van Gelder

Making America White Again, by Toni Morrison

Understanding the Racial Wealth Gap, by Amy Traub, Laura Sullivan, Tatjana Mescheded, & Tom Shapiro

What White Children Need to Know About Race, by Ali MIchael and Elenora Bartoli

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, by Peggy McIntosh  

Presbytery of Charlotte letter from Antiracism Team

My President Was Black, by  Ta-Nehisi Coates

Caught Up In God, by Willie James Jennings

Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?, by Ibram X Kendi

Test Your Awareness: Do The Test, This video shows us the importance of paying attention, and how much more we see when we are looking for particular things around us.

Use each question below separately as one day’s challenge.

• Who is and is not represented in ads? 

• What are the last five books you read? What is the racial mix of the authors?

• What is the racial mix of the main characters in your favorite TV shows? Movies?

• Who is filling what kinds of jobs/social roles in your world?  Can you correlate any of this to racial identity

The FIRST TWO LINKS below are articles that deal with the role of the police and the challenges they face, including some potential solutions:

1. An article by Shaun King of the New York Daily News, who describes himself as "not anti-police but rather anti-brutality and corruption” - https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nydailynews.com/news/national/king-not-anti-police-anti-brutality-corruption-article-1.3150352%3foutputType=amp

2. A twenty-five-part series of articles by Shaun King of the New York Daily News who delves deep into the complexity of the challenges faced by police and offers suggestions regarding how to address those challenges in beneficial ways. - https://www.nydailynews.com/tags/shaun-king-solutions-for-police-brutality/

3. A video of Trevor Noah, current host of TV’s “The Daily Show,” reflecting on race relations in terms of the unwritten “societal contract” of fair treatment for all. - https://youtu.be/v4amCfVbA_c