Episcopal Press and News
Bishops, Deputies Reflect on Sin of Racism
Episcopal News Service. September 7, 1994 [94143]
Alice Clayton, Communications Officer for the Diocese of East Tennessee
Deputies and bishops at the 71st General Convention renewed their pledge to fight against the sin of racism, a campaign kindled at the last convention in Phoenix.
The issue of racism came to the forefront of the 70th General Convention when organizers -- amid the protests of many -- decided to hold General Convention in Phoenix. At the time, Arizona was the only state in the nation without an official holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.
Using as a basis the bishops' 1994 "Pastoral Letter on the Sin of Racism," nearly 100 discussion groups responded to three questions provided to spark dialogue: In what ways is racism a sin; How does the pastoral letter help identify my experience of racism; and What can I do to recognize and confront racism when I encounter it?
Mandated by the 1991 convention, the Pastoral Letter was issued this spring to be read or published in every congregation. The bishops identified racism as more than personal prejudice, and concluded that racism is a structural, institutional problem.
The small-group discussions following daily worship services were personal and poignant.
"I was hit by the water hoses. I lived it. I remember it," said Essie Johnson, a deputy from East Tennessee who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., while a student at Tuskegee University. "What I find to be a real sin is when the color of my skin is considered before the content of my character," she said. For many at Johnson's table, the sin of racism centered around failing to see the person behind the race or ethnic group.
"For me, the sin of racism is that blindness which fails to recognize the creation of God in the people around us," said the Very Rev. George Werner, deputy from Pittsburgh.
The Rev. Duncan Gray III, a deputy from Mississippi, said that for him the goal of eliminating racism is something that might be unrealistic. "As I look deep within myself, it is naive of me to think I'm going to eliminate something that has been poured into my culture for thousands of years. I would rather talk about penance and grace. Saying I'm not a racist is like saying I have no sin," Gray said.
The Rev. Brian Thom, a deputy from Idaho, agreed with Gray. "By denying [our racism] we participate in it. We in the Episcopal Church certainly cannot exonerate ourselves from the problem," he said.
Another "ism" emerged from the experience of one speaker at the table. Fran Bernardin, delegate from Northwestern Pennsylvania to the women's triennial gathering, recalled the time when she, as a female engineer, was denied seating at a restaurant because of her gender.
"When the [pastoral] letter was read, the first thing I thought was that you could put in the word 'sexism' in place of racism," Bernardin said. Sexism was addressed in a separate joint session of the House of Bishops, the House of Deputies and the Episcopal Church Women.
In Phoenix, the bishops, deputies and women delegates participated in and heard the results of a survey on racial attitudes. The 1991 convention also added a civil rights martyr -- seminarian Jonathan Daniels of New Hampshire -- to the liturgical calendar, and established the Episcopal Church Legacy Fund, a scholarship fund for minority students.
More than 700 people gathered on the eve of General Convention for an Episcopal Legacy Fund dinner and to pay tribute to retired Presiding Bishop John C. Hines, who gave decisive leadership to the church during the civil rights era from 1965 to 1974.
What began as an occasion of remembrance and celebration ended up in a bold challenge by Hines, who was widely known for his strong principles and combination of pastoral care and prophetic witness.
"Though we revere the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King and honor the person of Bishop Hines, popularity has not been the goal for either of these men," said Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning in response. "They did not craft their actions, or make their decisions, with an eye to winning friends." In a stirring address, Hines urged the church to hold to its principles and said the church's job is to love the world by seeking justice for all.
The convention also approved the following resolutions dealing with racism, committing the church to:
- strengthen recruitment, retention and education of people of color for the ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church (A045);
- urge stronger affirmative action efforts in recruiting people of color on parish vestries, as delegates to diocesan conventions, and as members of diocesan executive councils; (A-046)
- make overcoming racism an "evangelical priority" in parishes (A048) and urge ongoing anti-racism programs at the parish level (A047);
- continue the Episcopal Legacy Fund (A142);
- commit funds to ministry in ethnic minority communities (B029/s);
- open access to decision-making bodies for Hispanics and other ethnic groups (C008/a); and
- request dioceses to form commissions on racism whose objectives in the next triennium will be to survey the ethnic distribution in congregations and diocesan leadership positions and report to the Executive Council (D135/a).