On Friday, October 1 and Saturday, October 2, 2021, via Zoom, Dr Myrna Lashley led close to 180 members of our diocese (and several from the Diocese of Quebec) in an interactive, experiential workshop on racism. Organized by the Diocesan Anti-Racism Committee, the goal of the workshop was to explore the Church’s role in creating systemic racism and to discuss ideas what to do about it.
Myrna (as she asked to be called) began the workshop with her trademark gift of being thoughtful yet challenging, sensitive yet unafraid to provoke. She made it clear that, while she didn’t want anyone to feel attacked, she did expect us to feel uncomfortable. And we did. As Neil Mancor mentioned in his article on page four, participants of colour were frank in sharing their experiences of racism. It was moving and humbling to hear their stories.
Myrna referenced Martin Luther King Jr and his letter from a Birmingham jail. “…the judgement of God is upon the church as never before. If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevent social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disapppointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.”
Sadly, though written in 1963, this quote is still fitting today. We were reminded that as painful as it is to hear it we must not run from this. We must face it.
We spent a good deal of time talking about people who live “above and below the line” which was another way of saying those with and without power. We learned that Black people have been primed to see themselves as inferior and internalizing this inferiority compels them to hide who they truly are, to wear a mask.
Myrna reminded us that the church is intertwined with social action. Jesus was a social activist. He challenged the status quo – reaching out to lepers, to women. She encouraged us to be bold in our activism.
She talked about the legacy of white colonialism, of the glass ceiling that is still there. For instance, we’ve never had a non-white primate. It is critical that we look around and see who is missing from the table.
We were reminded that that racism effects all aspects of life, even one’s physical health. She talked about the importance of being an ally for people of colour and all marginalized groups.
On Friday, we worked together in the breakout rooms to come up with things that the church members must do to bring about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in society. The following day we worked on identifying structural things that the church can do as an institution to bring about full EDI in its practice.
Following the workshop, several parishes, and the deaconry, have continued to educate themselves and are searching for ways to bring about EDI in their churches and their lives.
Learn more: www.montreal.anglican.ca/antiracism-task-force
