Anti-Racism

  • Book Discussion

    My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies

    By Resmaa Menakem


    Sundays, 1 - 2 PM

    Join discussion online

    Meeting ID: 858 7280 6938

    Passcode: 801781

    Or join by phone: 301-715-8592


    Feb 21: Chapters 5-8

    Feb 28: Chapters 9-12

    Mar 7: Chapters 13-16

    Mar 14: Chapters 17-20

    Mar 21: Chapters 21-22

    Mar 28: Chapters 23-24


    Discussion guide (courtesy of First Unitarian Church of Baltimore)

    PDF file | MS Word


    Guided meditations: The felt sense and body awareness practices


    Metro DC ELCA Synod resources: Scriptural and devotional suggestions, weekly reflections


    Buy the book from a Black-owned bookstore like Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books.


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  • We write to convey the aches of our hearts in this moment of racial reckoning. We lament for the sins of racial injustice and white supremacy and recommit to building a more just and equitable society. We’ve been in discernment together over what is ours to do, ours to learn and how we might lead in this time with faithfulness and integrity. We acknowledge our engagement with and commitment to these issues must continue. We invite you to join us in this lament, learning and next steps. Read the letter

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  • How Then, Do We Account?


    "This is a tragedy, and sometimes the criminal law is not adequate to respond to a tragedy, and I fully acknowledge that," said (Kentucky Attorney General Daniel) Cameron[1].


    How then do we account for the murder of Breonna Taylor in her own home? Read more

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  • Black Lives Matter


    How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? –Psalm 13:1


    How long, O Lord? This ancient lament comes to me all too often and does again as we confront that another Black man has been shot by police. Read more

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  • Resolution

    Our Response to Racism

    Good Shepherd adopted this statement in 2015. Five years later, it seems little has changed. Send us, O Lord, and strengthen us to do the hard work that still lies ahead.

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Resources

We share the information and resources below as a part of our journey, as a primarily White congregation, to learn and grapple with America's racial past and present. We seek to be an intentional part of building racial equity and justice that leads at last to the beloved community.

For Kids & Talking with Kids

Social Story for George Floyd (for pre-K/kindergarten students)

Video Dora Cottrol created for her students and their parents that introduces the social story shared online.


Talking About Race and Racism with Children

A collection of resources from Christine V. Hides’ website, Weaving Faith into Everyday Life, shared by our education coordinator, Denise Steene.


Racial Justice Resources: Justice for Black Lives

A variety of resources curated by the NEA EdJustice, a program of the National Education Association.


Alexandria Black History Museum


ACPS Superintendent Message (June 2, 2020): We play a vital role in eliminating racial inequities.

EmbraceRace: Raising a Brave Generation

Subscribe to their emails

Talking Kids & Race webinars + online resources & articles organized around four goals to meet the challenge of raising children in a world where race matters:

  • Nurture resilience in children of color
  • Nurture inclusive, empathetic children of all stripes
  • Raise kids who think critically about racial inequity
  • Support a movement of kid and adult racial justice advocates for all children

Sesame Street Townhall on Racism


Talking About Race Web Portal

Resources for educators, parents/caregiver and people committed to equity curated by the National Museum of African American History & Culture

For Older Youth & Adults


Watch/Videos

A Prophetic Call to the Church

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s call to action to the Church and fellow clergy the 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail is grievously and regrettably relevant over 50 years later. In honor of Dr. King’s dedication to reforming the Church and American culture, listen to the African American voices of rostered leaders of the ELCA once again asserting a call for action to the Church by reading his prophetic call.


The Next Question


Young, Gifted and Black in the ELCA


Do Black Churches Matter in the ELCA? by Pastor Lenny Duncan Part I | Part II


Sermon by guest preacher Rev. Lamont Wells

Feb. 25, 2018: Educational forum, unity service with Rev. Lamont Wells, Assistant to the Bishop and Director of Evangelical Mission at the Metropolitan NY Synod and President of the African Descent Lutheran Association


Color Blind or Color Brave?

TED Talk by Mellody Hobson


Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise

PBS Series - watch full episodes online

Read/Articles, Books

Crisis in Black Education - Black History Theme 2017   

The people behind the integration of Alexandria Public Schools by Jim McElhatton  

Reflections/Faith Talks

Taking a knee during the national anthem

What Is Juneteenth? by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 

PBS


Listen/Podcasts


The Forgotten Racial History of Kentucky's State Song

NPR Code Switch


How Georgetown University Once Relied on the Slave Trade and New Efforts to Reconcile with Its Past

Diane Rehm Show, WAMU/NPR

About

Guided by the August 2015 resolution, Our Response to Racism and the Murders at the Emanuel AME Church, Charleston, SC, Good Shepherd’s Anti-Racism Team provides activities and outlets for individuals to:

  • Learn about the experiences, tragedies and triumphs of our African American brothers and sisters through history and to today.
  • Explore and prayerfully reflect on racism, white privilege and unconscious bias.
  • Stand with those who face discrimination.
  • Act to stem structural racism.

GSLC Anti-Racism Team annual reports (pdf)

Have questions or want to get involved?

Contact Corinne Berkseth Baker, Anti-Racism Team Chair

  • Dedication of

    Jesus of the People by Janet McKenzie

    In the mystery and wonder of God, we are each created unique and in the image of God. Jesus of the People is a reminder that envisioning God is like looking in a mirror and seeing all of God's children in our reflection.

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  • Resolution

    Our Response to Racism

    Good Shepherd adopted this statement in 2015. Five years later, it seems little has changed. Send us, O Lord, and strengthen us to do the hard work that still lies ahead.

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Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another? Malachi 2:10