Racial Equity Action Leadership (REAL) Team

Race Matters 

an occasional blog from your Racial Equity Action and Leadership (REAL) team

A question about the Black Lives Matter vigil:

What’s the point of people standing out on Ridge Ave for 20 minutes after church with Black Lives Matter signs?   What possible benefit does that have?

A REAL answer:  There are several reasons the vigil is worthwhile and even important. It reinforces UCE’s presence in the community, its witnessing and acting for racial justice.  We have gotten feedback from variety of people in the community who have noticed and appreciated our being out there. We always get supportive honks and raised fists (and very rarely fingers) from cars.  For people who usually don’t feel comfortable physically demonstrating about various issues, it’s a safe way to expand their comfort zones and “put their bodies where their mouths are.”  Plus, it’s invigorating and fun for the people standing there with signs and song sheets.  A rousing, even if slightly off key, rendition of “We Will Not Be Moved” increases community spirit and individual sense of purpose.

REAL events coming up in the next few months:

• Join us on Tuesday evenings January 16, 23 and 30 for free movies and popcorn. On the 16^th and 23^rd we’ll be showing some short videos, and on the 30^th will present I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin), all of which will lead to some great discussion. Mark your calendars now!
• Black Lives Matter sign discussion. Because there is some sentiment (not shared by REAL) that under our bylaws and the terms of the original vote to erect the Black Lives Matter sign there needs to be another vote to re-state support for the sign, the Board of Trustees and REAL will host two after-church discussions about the continued usefulness of the sign in front of our church.  It will then be the subject of a vote at the annual meeting in May. The first of these discussions will be after church on February 11.  If you have feelings or questions about the sign, or want to make your support for it heard, please come to that discussion and/or the second one, date not yet set by the Board.
• The REAL team and UCE’s Organizing Team are, with representatives of other Evanston congregations, planning a two-or-three part workshop for March. It will be a great way to dig deeper into “Transforming White Privilege” and connect to other people in the community doing this work.  Keep alert for more details.

What can you do this month to further racial equity?

In addition to joining the vigil on Sundays, this is a month for extra giving.  Organizations that do wonderful work combatting racism include:

Southern Poverty Law Center:  https://www.splcenter.org/

Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative  www.eji.org/

For more ideas, go to:

http://www.racialequityresourceguide.org/organizations/organizations/sectionFilter/Racial%20Healing

Want a good book to read and/or give this holiday? 

Sue Carlton reviews Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving (Cambridge, MA : Elephant Room Press, 2014):

What does it mean to be white in the United States?

Waking Up White is the story of one white woman’s journey to understand how racism in the United States has shaped her. Debby Irving grew up in Winchester, Massachusetts during the 60s and 70s. Her childhood in this predominantly white upper-middle class suburb was blissfully sheltered.  After college, she began work in Boston as an administrator in a variety of arts related, community based, not-for-profit organizations. It was here that she began to observe a racial divide. Irving repeatedly found that her best efforts to “help” students of color caused more harm than the good she intended. Her diversity efforts lacked traction. She sensed racial tensions in her personal and professional relationships and found herself worrying about offending colleagues and neighbors she dearly wanted to befriend. Then in 2009 one “aha!” moment launched a journey of discovery and insight that drastically shifted her world view. She enrolled in a graduate course entitled “Race and Cultural Identity” and began to comprehend white privilege and how much she had benefited over the years because she was white.  She began to realize that the playing field in the United States is not level and whites help keep it not level – that without her knowledge or active pursuit, she lives in a society which is set up to reward her at the expense of people of color. Because of this white privilege, the lives of people in the United States play out very differently along racial lines.

Speaking from her own perspective and sharing her personal narrative, Irving opens a rare window on how whites in the United States are socialized. She details the struggle to understand her racialized belief system and how the mechanics of racism operate in her own life. Her brutal honesty as well as her recognition that it is possible to be both a good person and complicit in a corrupt system helps create an atmosphere that supports readers in reconsidering their own perceptions and beliefs. Irving’s exploration of how white privilege operates in her life also allows readers to more readily see how systemic privilege plays out in their own lives. Irving stresses that it is only through doing this difficult work that she has gotten to the point where she can more effectively contribute to the movement of righting racial wrongs. As she observes, “Wanting beloved community is not enough. If we don’t take on the task of educating ourselves about how to dismantle racism both in ourselves and in our communities, we can do more harm than good.”

Waking Up White is written in short chapters with exercises at the end of each chapter that prompt readers to explore their own racialized ideas. This makes it a particularly good resource for both individual exploration and group discussion. It is available in print, eBook and audio formats. One reader offered up a particularly pithy review that captures an important reason to seek out and read Waking Up White:  “This book is a great place to start learning what you don’t know that you don’t know you don’t know.”

Plan ahead for next summer:

The critically acclaimed Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, on Noyes, has just announced their exciting lineup for summer 2018.  The season starts on June 16 and includes three plays and two concerts.  Best deal: sign up for Premium Gold Member card by 12/31 and get all 5 for $55:   

From the Mississippi Delta by Endesha Ida Mae Holland, PhD., June 16-July 1

Top Dog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, July 14-29

Crowns by Regina Taylor, August 11-26

Crossroads Blues Festival, August 30

Old School R&B Concert, August 31

Last year’s productions were profound and powerfully acted, and ticket prices are a bargain.  This is an important community institution and a resource worth supporting. Learn more at fjtheatre@cityofevanston.org.

What and Who is the REAL team?

The REAL team originated in the spring of 2015.  We work to increase our congregation’s understanding of racism and our capacities to confront and eradicate it.  The current planning team consists of Karen Courtright, Martha Holman, Lynn Kendall, Sarah Vanderwicken and Betty Walker.  All those in the congregation who support and participate in this mission are part of the team.  Come join us!

At the White Supremacy Teach-in II a couple of weeks ago, we asked congregants to slip any questions they have about race issues into the Q and A box (that is on the table at the back of the sanctuary).  Here are the questions we received that day, and the REAL team’s initial answers.  [more]

Q: How can you be an ally without seeming like you’re on “a high horse” – without  coming from a position of moral superiority?

A:  We don’t know for sure from your question what the context of the situation is. We are assuming you mean: how do you respond to a micro-aggression or straight up racist comment without claiming moral superiority.  Jay Smooth suggests treating a racist comment like noticing spinach in your friend’s teeth.  A good friend would tell them about the spinach – quietly and with no fanfare. Even for ourselves, becoming anti-racist isn’t a one-time achievement and you’re done.  It’s more like dental hygiene.  We all need to keep at it.   To learn more about this, check out Jay’s Ted Talk, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Discussing Race. www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFcQKHh72_w 

And there’s this interesting story about speaking up: https://medium.com/embrace-            race/when-the-racist-is-someone-you-know-and-love-2933c7049182

Q:   My sister-in-law, who I love, said to me “Black people have everything.”  She was referring to affirmative action and welfare.  I responded with some facts I learned at UCE, but I think differently of her now.  How do I move forward and not judge her?

A:   We all have people in our lives who “don’t get it” and we still love them in whatever way we can.  If we truly honor our first principle, we affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person, even those who don’t see the world exactly as we do.  And remember, since we were born into a world of white supremacy we are all racists, so it may be helpful to look inside and work on one’s own stuff to be able to more easily see that others can make mistakes too.  It’s just something to work on for oneself.  Hopefully, the seeds you planted with your sister-in-law will bear fruit one day!

Bonus:  From Doug Muder in the current UU World:

“Racism isn’t like a bacterial infection that falls to an intense course of antibiotics and is never seen again. Racism is a chronic condition like hypertension or diabetes. Given proper attention, it need not be debilitating. But once you find it in yourself, don’t expect that you will ever be rid of it.”

What are some other answers?

What are some other questions?

What’s Going On with Affordable Housing in Evanston?

There is a lot of interest and movement towards ensuring more affordable housing in Evanston (and elsewhere). Census data and observation show that Evanston is losing the diversity it prides itself in and many people can no longer afford to live here.  In fact, between 2000 and 2015, Evanston lost almost 25% of its African-American population (from 16,704 to 12,577). During the same time, housing costs have escalated enormously and now about half the Evanston population is paying more than 30% of their income on housing.  Joining Forces for Affordable Housing, a coalition of social service agencies and faith-based institutions, has recently formed to provide leadership and pressure to get the City moving on this. It is being staffed by Sue Loellbach of Connections for the Homeless.  More to come.

What can you do this week to further race equity?

Join us Sunday after church to stand on Ridge with Black Lives Matter signs and songs.  It’s fun, and it’s noticed and appreciated in the community.

Watch this video: Bryan Stevenson: Can We Talk About an Injustice?

Attend the City Council meeting Monday October 30 to hear what City Council members are learning about affordable housing.  City staff are going to make a presentation to the Council on facts and range of opportunities, and council members are planning (hoping) to really dig into the dirt and talk among themselves about their questions and thoughts.  If you have Comcast you can also watch the meeting on Channel 16.  Joining Forces for Affordable Housing will be holding a press conference at City Hall at 5 pm to present recommended principles for framing the discussion and considering the possibilities being presented.

Note:  The REAL team plans to periodically have a link to this blog in the weekly newsletter. Keep a watch out for it, and let us know if you have a short video, article or news item you’d like to share, or more Q and As.