Whether we want to admit it or not, racism in society is a fact. That’s bad enough. But racism in the church is a disgrace. It would be hypocritical to say that it doesn’t exist in the Diocese of New Jersey. It does. But we’re doing our level best to face up to it and eradicate it.
We started with a commitment to do so at our diocesan convention in 1997: we established an anti-racism commission proposed jointly by the Black Caucus and the Hispanic Commission. We then assembled a group of about 40 people from our parishes who agreed to commit to anti-racism training, using all resources available.
This team now makes its experience and knowledge available to parishes, by offering free training to any church in the diocese. A pair from the team travels to a parish and in a format from 90 minutes to a full day, they help bring new life to a congregation, by looking at what it means to “respect the dignity of every human being” and help them see how racism adversely affects everyone. Our anti-racism work isn’t about inflicting guilt or casting blame. Rather, it helps us continue this journey together, with a common definition of what we’re fighting. And we are fighting it.