St. Mary’s Anti-Racism Committee
In June 2020, the Vestry drafted a “Statement on Racial Injustice and Violence” in light of the Black Lives Matter protests that happened during spring 2020. The statement affirmed the Vestry’s “unequivocal opposition to racism in all forms (both individual and system racism) as counter to our faith as followers of Jesus.” The statement also committed the Vestry to listening to the voices of people of color and to future action, standing with those who struggle to obtain racial, social, and economic justice for themselves and their communities.
The Vestry has continually pledged to live out the commitments and to pursue the “future action” mentioned here. We have repeatedly said that these will not just be empty promises.
As a first step, the Vestry read and discussed Layla Saad’s Me and White Supremacy during fall 2020. We then broke into groups and investigated various resources. In early 2022, we decided that it will be necessary and prudent to form a standing St. Mary’s Committee (like the Personnel and Investment Committees) to take over and continue this work.
Mission
With God’s help, St. Mary’s Anti-Racism Committee will lead the parish in anti-racist education and awareness-raising. We will work on transforming knowledge gained into concrete action and strengthening of relationships.
Values
The community of St. Mary’s seeks to follow Jesus Christ and to live our call to love our neighbor by acknowledging the truth of our role in the historic and present sins of racism, oppression, and cruelty towards all people of color.
We ask for God’s forgiveness and guidance as we face the legacies of these actions and work for reconciliation and healing. We desire to further educate ourselves about the historic structures of white supremacy at work in our church and society.
Even more, we recognize that implicit and unconscious bias exists within our community and within ourselves; therefore, the first step towards transformative action is recognition and understanding.
Finally, we recognize the necessity for action to work in a concrete manner to reduce racism.
Structure of the Committee
The Committee will be composed of 6-8 people appointed by the Vestry. It will include one Vestry representative, who will not be the chair. The Vestry Nominating Committee will make recommendations to the Vestry for the initial slate of members. After that, the Committee will make recommendations to the Vestry for replacement of vacancies. For the first appointments, half of the committee will be appointed for three-year terms and half for two-year terms. Subsequently, all members will be appointed for two-year terms with a maximum of three consecutive terms. The committee will develop an annual work plan including goals and activities for the year. The committee will communicate about its ongoing discussions, activities and offerings.
Recommended Work Plan Items for 2023
Plan for parish participation in the “Sacred Ground” group program in 2024.
Explore changes in our liturgy and worship including language and music to be more welcoming.
Compile a list of antiracism resources (Begun on Basecamp).
Explore St. Mary’s, Eugene, Lane County, and Oregon history of racism and find ways to share this information with the community.
Align work program with diocesan anti-racism efforts.
NOTE: Community videos produced by the Episcopal Church as a preparation for common ground work for the committee. We recommend that each member of the committee commit to watching Beloved.
Adopted by St. Mary’s Vestry, January 17, 2023
