Saint Andrew Christian Church Saint Andrew Christian Church Race - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Saint Andrew Christian Church Saint Andrew Christian Church Race and the Black/White White Dynamic Black Brian Foster

Genesis (no, not the Bible) • March 2008: Frustration with mainstream media’s vitriolic response to Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s comments, and attempts to link to then-candidate Barack Obama (he was a member of Rev. Wright’s congregation) • April 2008: Conversation with Holly, expressing interest in helping SACC explore a dialogue about race; task force formed to develop forum for discussion (Brandon Gilvin, Mark Kind, David Everson, Viannella Halsall, Sarah Goodwin, Emanuel Cooper) • July 2009: Finalized outline for August symposium, over three successive Sundays

• Adult Education guest speaker presentations – Where we were – Where we are – Where we need to go • Small group discussions Key Learning Key Learning Three weeks is NOT NEARLY enough time to explore this topic

Saint Andrew Christian Church Saint Andrew Christian Church 1. www.sacchome.org click on the “BLOG” link at 2. BLOGROLL the top of the page click on “Saint Andrew Multicultural blogging and journaling project” link

http://standyjournal.wordpress.com/ http://standyjournal.wordpress.com/

Blog titles • 11/17/08: “The ‘N’ Word” – self-explanatory • 11/20/08: “ “Answering a college friend Answering a college friend’ ’s question about the election s question about the election” ” – – • 11/20/08: emotions surrounding Barack Obama’ ’s election victory s election victory emotions surrounding Barack Obama • 11/23/08: “Look forward and celebrate our diversity” – personal reflections of experiences and actions with regard to race • • 12/18/08: 12/18/08: “ “Obama cures racism! News at 11 Obama cures racism! News at 11…” …” – – cautionary about cautionary about assuming Obama victory = racist attitudes have subsided assuming Obama victory = racist attitudes have subsided • 12/23/08: “I take it back – I DID vote for Obama because he’s black” – Obama victory is already ‘change we can believe in’ • 12/23/08: “ “new history. new ways. new history. new ways.” ” – – racist family history juxtaposed against racist family history juxtaposed against • 12/23/08: today’ ’s blended racial makeup s blended racial makeup today • 1/20/09: “Beyond slavery” – testament of and intent behind “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” • 1/23/09: “ “My Inauguration Memories My Inauguration Memories” ” – – five five- -day journal of pilgrimage to day journal of pilgrimage to • 1/23/09: Obama Obama’ ’s inauguration ceremony s inauguration ceremony

Blog titles (continued) • 3/2/09: “A case to face race in this place” – lament that, instead of living in a ‘Star Trek’ world, SACC’s ‘sacred conversations’ are still necessary today • 4/3/09: “ “In Moats In Moats’ ’ case, policeman case, policeman’ ’s actions not the s actions not the ‘ ‘real real’ ’ issue issue” ” – – Moats Moats • 4/3/09: incident reflects police attitudes/conceits regarding minorities incident reflects police attitudes/conceits regarding minorities • 5/3/09: “My ‘beauty pageant’ answer: world peace” – better understanding of each other could ultimately lead to peace and happiness we all seek • 5/23/09: “ “Cute picture Cute picture” ” – – photo caption of boy touching Obama photo caption of boy touching Obama’ ’s hair in s hair in • 5/23/09: Oval Office Oval Office • 6/27/09: “Let’s become the men (and women) in the mirror” – Michael Jackson song inspires introspection and action • 7/20/09: “ “Memo to Pat Buchanan (RE: Affirmative Action) Memo to Pat Buchanan (RE: Affirmative Action)” ” – – open letter to open letter to • 7/20/09: conservative pundit defining and defending Executive Order 11246 conservative pundit defining and defending Executive Order 11246 • 8/14/09: “A dose of ‘conservative liberalism’…or ‘liberal conservatism’” – discussion of liberal and conservative ideologies • • 9/14/09: 9/14/09: “ “The man in the (rear view) mirror The man in the (rear view) mirror” ” – – black basketball pioneers black basketball pioneers who made it possible for today’ ’s multimillionaire NBA players s multimillionaire NBA players who made it possible for today

Blog titles (continued) • 9/15/09: “White fright” –white home owners moving out of neighborhoods, and perceived animosity from blacks towards whites who remained • 9/17/09: “ “Exploiting stereotypes to fight slavery Exploiting stereotypes to fight slavery” ” -- -- revisiting purpose of revisiting purpose of • 9/17/09: Harriet Beecher Stowe in writing Harriet Beecher Stowe in writing “ “Uncle Tom Uncle Tom’ ’s Cabin s Cabin” ” • 9/21/09: “Racism 101” – defining racism, discrimination, bias, prejudice, white privilege and black anger • 10/17/09: “ “John Brown sought equality and abolition John Brown sought equality and abolition” ” – – the the “ “real real” ” John John • 10/17/09: Brown, 150 years after his Harper’ ’s Ferry raid s Ferry raid Brown, 150 years after his Harper • 10/18/09: “What can abolish racism? L-O-V-E” – interracial romance inadvertently promotes racial understanding, love, and peace

Suggested reading (my personal odyssey) • 3/18/08 magazine article, “Of National Lies and Racial Amnesia: Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama and the Audacity of Truth” by Tim Wise • 8/19/09: “ “We need a history lesson about Nazis We need a history lesson about Nazis” ” by Leonard Pitts by Leonard Pitts • 8/19/09: • 9/15/09: “Carter again cites racism as factor in Obama’s treatment” ~CNN.com • 9/24/09: “ “It It’ ’s hard for kids to reject hip hop culture s hard for kids to reject hip hop culture” ” by Jason by Jason • 9/24/09: Whitlock Whitlock

What’ ’s Next? s Next? What Continue the sacred conversations (Adult Education, blog, etc.) the sacred conversations (Adult Education, blog, etc.) Continue