21 Day Racial Justice Challenge
There is a growing awareness among Presbyterians that racism is a crisis and must be addressed. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is strongly committed to the struggle for racial justice.
Confronting deeply ingrained racist systems and structures in our communities and country takes sensitivity and stamina. Before congregations and worshiping communities can confront the harsh realities of racism, it is helpful to have a good foundation.
One good place to start is by taking the 21 Day Racial Justice Challenge, which invites us to do something every day to raise awareness about the perniciousness of racism and encourage action in response to that awareness.
All are invited to join Pastor Kendra and others in the 21 Day Racial Justice Challenge beginning Monday, July 13.
Pastor Kendra will host Zoom gatherings on Tuesday, July 21 at 7:00pm and Tuesday, August 4 at 7:00pm to reflect on what we are reading, experiencing, and learning during this challenge.
Sign up here
to have each day’s challenge emailed directly to your inbox each morning!
Day 2 Study the Week One lesson from the Facing Racism Study Guide.
Day 3 Watch an updated version of the Clark Doll Experiment.
Day 4 Study the Week Two lesson from the Facing Racism Study Guide.
Day 5 Read the resolution of the 223rd General Assembly of the PC(USA) on environmental racism.
Day 6 Watch the Presbyterian Hunger Program’s webinar, “Impact of Environmental Injustice on Low Income and Communities of Color.”
Day 7 View one of the webinars exploring the intersection of race and COVID-19 prepared by the various offices of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
Day 8 Read the resource regarding the Doctrine of Discovery by the PC(USA)
Day 9 Study the Week Three lesson from the Facing Racism Study Guide.
Day 10 Watch the PBS documentary “Unspoken: America’s Native American Boarding Schools.”
Day 11 Study the Week Four lesson from the Facing Racism Study Guide.
Day 12 Take the Awareness Test. Go out and change what you notice. We also suggest you take one or more of these implicit bias quizzes, from Harvard University, to see where you might have unrecognized bias. Implicit Bias Quiz
Day 13 Read the Confession of Belhar. Reflect on how your church is using and living into it.
Day 14 Visit the Presbyterian Intercultural Network’s website. Connect with a chapter near you or inquire about creating one.
Day 15 Watch the TED Talk “How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them” by Verna Myers.
Day 16 Study the Week Five lesson from the Facing Racism Study Guide.
Day 17 Read “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh.
Day 18 Study the Week Six lesson from the Facing Racism Study Guide.
Day 19 Notice the structures and practices in your church. Raise questions about how they help or hinder racial equity.
Day 20 Engage: Suggest studying the Facing Racism Study Guide to other members of the congregation and community.
Day 21 Act: Commit to doing the challenge again. Invite someone to join you.
Why do we talk about structural racism?
Racism is not primarily about individual prejudice or an individual’s beliefs and attitudes. Rather, racism in the U.S. is a socially constructed system. Some people are advantaged, and others are disadvantaged, merely because of their skin color, ethnic identity or their ancestral background. Social power and prejudice have combined to treat people differently, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Some people are privileged while others are oppressed. As a consequence, there is unequal and inequitable access to resources such as money, education, information and decision-making power.
Structural racism can show up in multiple ways, including:
- Housing discrimination that limits where people of color can live and steers them to rental markets rather than home ownership.
- Laws and policies that deny people of color access to quality education, employment and adequate health care.
- Food apartheid — areas deliberately devoid of quality, affordable fresh food.
- Mass incarceration and criminal justice systems that disproportionately target people of color with lengthier sentences, “stop-and-frisk” laws, the over-policing of communities of color, the school-to-prison pipeline, etc.
- Environmental racism — the dumping of hazardous waste, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of access to clean water that results in a range of serious health problems in communities of color.
The theology behind dismantling structural racism
Racism is anti-Christian. In 2016, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) approved a comprehensive churchwide anti-racism policy called “Facing Racism: A Vision of the Intercultural Community.” The policy states:
Racism is a lie about our fellow human beings, for it says that some are less than others. It is also a lie about God, for it falsely claims that God favors parts of creation over the entirety of creation. Because of our biblical understanding of who God is and what God intends for humanity, the PC(USA) must stand against, speak against and work against racism. Anti-racist effort is not optional for Christians. It is an essential aspect of Christian discipleship, without which we fail to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Structural racism is not only the “opposite of what God intends for humanity,” but is also an example of how sin is systemic rather than simply personal. As the PC(USA)’s anti-racism policy states, “Reformed theology offers a nuanced understanding of sin. Calvin did not understand sin to be simply an individual belief, action, or moral failing (Calvin, 1960). Rather, he viewed sin as the corporate state of all humanity. It is an infection that taints each of us and all of us. No part of us — not our perception, intelligence, nor conscience — is unclouded by sin.”
Psalm 14:3 and Romans 3:10 remind us, “There is no one just, not even one.” The PC(USA)’s policy also reminds us that this realization “does not mean that human beings are awful. Rather, it means that we must have humility about our own righteousness, and that we must cling to the grace of God in Jesus Christ.”
Scriptures for study and reflection
Matthew 25:31–46
Genesis 1:1–31
Psalm 104
Acts 10:9–23
1 John 4:7–8
Ephesians 2:19
Isaiah 65:17–25
Micah 6:8
Mark 7:27–28
How do we dismantle structural racism?
- Become a Matthew 25 congregation! Sign up and pledge to do your part.
- Useful resources for study and engagement