Committee For Racial Justice

Racial Justice Unit: www.united-church.ca/humanrights/

MANDATE

Faith Base

We believe that

• All persons are created in the image and likeness of God;

• All persons – regardless of religion, race, national origin, colour, creed or gender – are living icons of God, innately worthy of respect and dignity;

• Racism exists in and through unexamined attitudes and inherited perceptions, stories and myths of race, clan or culture that perpetuate ancient injustices, justify stereotypes, and contribute to identity in ways often left untouched by rational judgment;

• Change is possible. We believe in forgiveness, reconciliation and transformation and the potential to learn from stories and experiences.

• We are all called to work against racism and for a society in which the words of the Gospel are realized among us.

We envision

• A society in which these words of the Gospel are realized:

It is through faith that all of you are God’s people in union with Christ Jesus. You were baptized into union with Christ, and now you are clothed, so to speak, with the life of Christ. So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free persons, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26-28)

We acknowledge that:

• Despite Canada’s official policy of multiculturalism, Canada bears a history as a white settler nation of racial violence and racial discrimination that is often not taught in schools or mentioned in the mainstream media. There continue to be inequities in access to employment, land, education and healthcare on the basis of skin colour in Canada, while the predominance of white peoples in positions of social status and authority of made to seem normal or natural. White peoples often do not see "whiteness” as a racial identity or as a source of systemic social privilege.

• The United Church of Canada, our church, as a national institution rooted in Canadian social and cultural values, is a place where racism has been resisted, but also a place where racism has been and is today systematically experienced and perpetrated.

• Many congregations and presbyteries now exist in a multi-racial environment among neighbours of differing faiths and cultures. Congregations need resources to help identify steps they could take to embody and anti-racism stance in their worship, fellowship and mission with the neighbourhood, that is beyond mere acts of inclusion.

We understand that

• The work of undoing racism is the work of white peoples and peoples of colour together. It is personal work – for white peoples to recognize and dismantle practices and impacts of superiority, for peoples of colour to recognize and dismantle practices and impacts of internalized racism. At the same time, it is systemic work – requiring policy and organizational changes and new theologies.

Programme Goals:

• To catalyze anti-racism education and action within Toronto Conference;

• To critically examine, monitor, and communicate how racism functions and is practiced in Toronto Conference.

Programme Objectives 2005-2008:

• To facilitate the implementation of the policy on racial harassment and discrimination in Toronto Conference.

• To propose that General Council change the Manual to include a policy and process for addressing racial harassment and discrimination.

• To support Committees and groups in Toronto Conference in their work toward anti-racist ministry through facilitating access to relevant education materials and opportunities, resourcing policy development and anti-racism action planning; and responding to other needs and requests for further anti-racist ministry.

• To facilitate communication forums for the Toronto Conference anti-racism network in their work toward creating an anti-racist church.

• To provide at least one further Conference-wide transformative education opportunity on anti-racism.

• To further develop Toronto Conference’s anti-racism library.

• To communicate findings and insights about how racism functions and is practiced in Toronto Conference as part of the journey and work towards racial justice.