Anti-Racism

On Sunday, June 14 The Black Clergy Network of The United Church of Canada invited the whole church to join virtually for a time of worship, prayer, and reflection to face the issues of anti-Black racism across our country and in our church. In worship we lamented, we hoped and we were reminded of the need to act against racism.

If you were not able to join live, please share in the service that was recorded.

* Please note: when the video ends, another video will begin that is not connected to the presentation.
 

United Against Racism

“As we’ve continued to learn what it means to be people who seek justice and resist evil, we’ve come to understand how deeply racism is embedded in our lives as individual Christians, as Communities of Faith, and as a denomination. And just as importantly, we’ve come to understand how vitally we need to do the work of becoming people who are anti-racist.”

A message from Rt. Rev. Dr. Richard Bott, Moderator, The United Church of Canada.

Resources

Here are some resources and an exercise to help get us started in taking positive action.
More Resources will be available soon.

• Questions to Self – Equity
• Summary of Racial Justice Work – July 2020
• flower-power-exercise

 Links for Further Learning

• The United Church of Canada – Anti-Racism 
• History of Africville  “If you’ve never heard of Africville, you’re not alone; the tragic story of this small Black community in Nova Scotia is not as well known as it should be. It is part of a much larger story of Black settlers in Nova Scotia, which goes back hundreds of years.”
• “Speakers for the Dead”  “This documentary reveals some of the hidden history of Blacks in Canada. In the 1930s in rural Ontario, a farmer buried the tombstones of a Black cemetery to make way for a potato patch. In the 1980s, descendants of the original settlers, Black and White, came together to restore the cemetery, but there were hidden truths no one wanted to discuss. Deep racial wounds were opened. Scenes of the cemetery excavation, interviews with residents and re-enactments—including one of a baseball game where a broken headstone is used for home plate—add to the film’s emotional intensity.”
• Seat at the Table  “Friends Martine St-Victor and Isabelle Racicot have in-depth conversations with notable guests from media, sports and pop culture. They capture personal stories about the power of the Black Lives Matter movement, the urgency of this moment, and what it will take to move forward.”