Anti-Racism Training Class, October 2019
Anti-Racism Training
In 1967 The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. asked, “Where do we go from here, chaos or community?” Fifty years later The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry answered, “The opposite of community is unacceptable.”
2020 Anti-Racism Training Online!
September 11 – October 2Â
Live and Recorded SessionsÂ
$50 fee. Scholarships available.
Register NowÂ
Registration is now open for the next Anti-Racism Training online from the Diocese of New Jersey.
Demand for the Diocese’s Online Anti-Racism Training has been extraordinary. The new session that started tonight filled very quickly, and the Anti-Racism Commission is doing all it can to expand capacity.
The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey Anti-Racism Ministry invites you to take advantage of these sequestered and less scheduled days to enroll in 20 hours of virtual Anti-Racism Training streamed to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. The training takes a historical approach to help participants understand systemic racism and empower them to confront and organize against racism, inequality, and injustice. Lecture and discussion topics include “What is Race?”, “Systemic Racism and White Privilege,” “Internalized Racism,” “The Role of the Church,” “Settler Colonialism,” “Racism in Immigration and Naturalization Legislation,” and “The Prison Industrial Complex.
Email Mary Anne Clisham for registration information or  Noreen Duncan for information about the Anti-Racism Commission or about the training.   Â
Links of the Month
- Sacred Ground: A Film Based Dialogue Series on Race and Faith See the video introductions by Stephanie Spellers and Bishop Curry and sign up for the Sacred Ground Study Guide and materials. Â
- https://www.episcopalchurch.org/sacred-ground
- Learn more about the Episcopal Church’s commitment to Becoming Beloved Community.  Resources for individuals, congregations, and seasonal formation resources. Â
- https://www.episcopalchurch.org/beloved-community
Anti-Racism Ministry
Anti-Racism Ministry Annual Holiday Party
The Anti-Racism Ministry in the Diocese of New Jersey comprises the Anti-Racism Commission, the Anti-Racism Team and various anti-racism committees and teams developing within parishes.
You may have heard about the Commission and the Team, but may have questions about what those groups are, what they do, and what is the difference between the Commission and the Team. In a nutshell, the Commission is a supervisory body that creates vision, determines goals, and oversees the activities of the Team. This includes stewardship of funds and support for Team activities, such as anti-racism training, parish workshops, convocation presentations, diocesan conferences, and youth events.
The work of the Anti-Racism Ministry is to share a robust analysis of institutional racism widely to build the Beloved Community in the Diocese of New Jersey.
The Anti-Racism Commission
- was created as the “Racism Committee” by 1996 diocesan convention resolution, subsequently commissioned and renamed, has functioned continuously since 1996, and has received diocesan funding since 2000
- is a Bishop-authorized body of 12 persons with special knowledge, experience, and skills pertaining to organizing against racism
- consists of 6 persons appointed by the Black Clergy Caucus, 2 appointments by the Hispanic Commission, and 4 by the Bishop (The Black Clergy Caucus, Hispanic Commission, and Bishop may appoint persons of any race.)
- collaborates with contractors to provide 2.5-day anti-racism training retreats for the diocese, organizes full day biennial conferences, oversees activities of the Anti-Racism Team, manages diocesan anti-racism budget for these items
- meets monthly, reports monthly to Diocesan Council, and reports annually to diocesan convention
- All Commission members are also active members of the Team and attend and support almost every 2.5-day anti-racism training session.
The Anti-Racism Team
- consists of all persons who have completed at least one 2.5-day anti-racism training session
- lists more than 200 people as members who choose to remain involved in organizing against racism and Team tasks
- develops trained facilitators to present introductory anti-racism workshops to parishes
- organizes quarterly meetings and diocesan forums on current racial justice issues
We offer congregations a variety of formats that range from a 90-minute orientation to a full-day workshop, which can be customized to meet a congregation’s needs. These trainings are designed to help members live into the baptismal covenant of respecting the dignity of every individual.
Resources and Bibliography
We welcome you to further engage in meaningful resources which may continue our joint efforts in combating the sin of racism.
We invite you to explore the following links with further information:
http://www.crossroadsantiracism.org/
http://www.antiracistalliance.com/
Click here for a bibliography of suggested resources from The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, containing many works that inform and expand upon the contents of our two-and-a-half day workshops.
Click here for a list of on-hand resources available from the Diocese of New Jersey and the Anti-Racism Commission. If you are interested in borrowing any of these items, please contact us at info@dioceseofnj.org.
