The goal of the Anti-Racism Committee is to dismantle racism within the Diocese of Arizona with the ultimate goal of Becoming a Beloved Community.
Our Anti-Racism Training curriculum, Pathways for Engaging in Anti-Racism Initiatives, is designed to provide an understanding, self-examination, and spiritual awakening grounded in our Baptismal Covenant into issues of racism. The training will “strengthen our life together as a denomination that understands the intricate ways in which the sin of racism infects individuals, congregations, and communities.” (General Convention 2018- A044).
Committee members are available to facilitate a conversation on race and faith with your Vestry/Bishop’s Committee, congregation, or deanery group. To reach a member of the committee, send an email.
The committee is always interested in training new trainers to use our anti-racism curriculum. We are especially interested in people who would like to focus on the technical aspects of the training and are competent with running Zoom meetings and other online resources. Facilitators can be lay or ordained. They should be active members of an Episcopal Church or community. We like to raise up facilitators of diverse ages, races, and congregations.
Email the Anti-Racism Committee at antiracism@azdiocese.org if you are interested in being trained as a Facilitator.
Future 2022 Cohort Dates:
- April 24th, May 6th & 7th
- May 7th, 20th & 21st
Registration for June Cohorts will open on May 4th
- June 5th, 17th & 18th
- June 12th, 24th & 25th
Registration for July Cohorts will open on June 1st
- July 17th, 29th & 30th
- July 31st, August 12th & 13th
Registration for August & September Cohorts will open on July 6th
- August 28th, September 9th & 10th
- September 11th, 23rd & 24th
- September 25th, October 7th & 8th
- November 6th 18th & 19th
Intro Sessions are held via Zoom from 4:30 pm to 6 pm
Day 1 Sessions are held via Zoom from 6 pm to 9 pm
Day 2 Sessions are held via Zoom from 9 am to 4:30 pm
Committee Members
- The Rev. Tara Bartholomew
- The Rev. Canon Anita Braden
- Canon Judith Conley
- The Rev. Scott Deasy
- Ms. Sara Dechter (Co-Chair)
- Ms. Teina Heavyrunner
- The Rev. Robin Hollis
- Mr. Barry Regan
- Ms. Josefina Sanchez
- The Rev. Monica Whitaker (Co-Chair)
- The Rev. Vivian Winterchaser
- Mr. Cheak Yee
Resources
General
- Province VIII Black African Ministries & The Western Region of UBE — Joint Statement on Systemic Racism and The Imminent Duties of The Episcopal Church
- Becoming Beloved Community: The Episcopal Church’s Long-term Commitment to Racial Healing, Reconciliation and Justice
- Sacred Ground: A Film-Based Dialogue Series on Race & Faith
- ChurchNext: Spirituality and Racial Justice, a course by Michael Curry
- Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North
- COVID-19 and Videoclassism: Implicit Bias, Videojudgment, and Why I’m Terrified to Have You Look Over My Shoulder, Taharee Jackson
Articles
- 75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice
- Institutionalized Racism: A Syllabus How can we help students understand George Floyd’s death in the context of institutionalized racism?
- 10 Documentaries To Watch About Race Instead Of Asking A Person Of Colour To Explain Things For You
Books
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
- 400 Years: Anglican/Episcopal Mission Among American Indians by Owanah Anderson
- Jamestown Commitment: The Episcopal Church and the American Indian, Owanah Anderson
- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
- Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years, ed. Bill Bigelow and Bob Peterson
- Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the Hidden Forces that Keep Us Apart by Christena Cleveland
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to talk About Race by Robin DiAngelo
- What Truth Sounds Like by Michael Eric Dyson
- Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson
- The Sin of White Supremacy: Christianity, Racism, and Religious Diversity in America by Jeannine Hill Fletcher
- Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving
- How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
- Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
- Atlas of the North American Indian, Carl Waldman
- America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America by Jim Wallis
Other Reading Resources
- The Anti-Racist Reading List: 38 books for those open to changing themselves, and their world from Ibram X. Kendi
- Books categorized under “Racial Reconciliation” from Church Publishing
- Antiracist Reading List from Changing Hands Bookstore
Children & Youth
- Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America by Jennifer Harvey
- 31 Children’s Books to Support Conversations on Race, Racism and Resistance
- Dismantling Racism: A Youth Curriculum – Leader Guide
- Black Lives Matter Instructional Library (click on each book to hear a Read-Aloud)
Safe Alternatives to Calling the Police
- A Resource from the Unitarian Universalist Association
- Before you Call the Cops: Tyler Merritt Project
Prayers
- Prayers for a Privileged People by Walter Brueggemann
- A Year of Prayers to End Racism