A.C.T. Now: Unite to End Racism: A reflection

The National Council of Churches sponsored an interfaith gathering April 4-6, 2018, marking 50 years since the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The NCC called for our communities to come together and continue the work that King dedicated his life, ending racism in our nation.

There is still a long way to go before we become an anti-racist country.

United Methodists gathered at The United Methodist Building April 4. Bishops and denominational leaders spoke about the ways United Methodists are working toward being anti-racist and the different ways people could get involved in that work. Several United Methodist bishops shared their vision of how the United Methodist Church could work together to end racism in our churches and country. The leaders presented a strong message.

The next day, April 5, people of many different denominations and faiths gathered together to stand in solidarity and call for an end to racism. During the interfaith prayer service, faith leader after faith leader rose to speak about how it was an imperative piece of their faith to end racist practices in society. The sacred worth of people was uplifted from many traditions. A gathering of people respectfully listened to the prayers from different traditions for the ending of racism.

Then on April 6, some people were going to lobby their congressional representatives.

I think the most insightful comment I heard over the three days was from Bishop LaTrelle Easterling of the Baltimore-Washington Episcopal Area. She said, “Sometimes it’s easier to come lobby in Washington than it is to have a conversation with your neighbor.”

As the church and faith leaders, I think we have powerful possibilities to reach people at a local level and facilitate the hard conversations that are necessary to dismantle racist practices and thought patterns. That will only happen if faith leaders are brave enough to step into that role.