Dear CORG Members and Friends,
I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are surviving this Holiday Season! As you know, CORG planned to lay low during the months of November and December. Now that the New Year is almost upon us, CORG has new events planned for January 2022.
I. POSTPONED due to COVID: Showing of Judas and the Black Messiah movie in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church, CS. Actor Melvin Bowser, a Bryan native who was in the movie will give a 30-minute introduction starting at 6:30 pm. Following the movie, we will have a casual 30-minute discussion with Mr. Bowser over drinks and a light dessert in a separate room for anyone interested in staying. II. Saturday, January 15, 2022, Race & Faith Forum - An interfaith discussion with a focus on solutions. We plan to have the same format as the Critical Race Theory: Reality or Myth Forum with introductions followed by questions from the audience.
The participants of the forum that we have so far include:
1. Pastor Eleanor Colvin, First United Methodist Church in CS
2. Pastor Kiya Heartwood, Unitarian Universalist Church of the BV, Bryan
3. Reverend Ted Foote, First Presbyterian Church, Bryan
4. Reverend Dan De Leon, Friends Congregational Church, CS
We are hoping to add one or two more speakers from different local religious groups. This will be a live event, again in the First United Methodist Church sanctuary. We also hope to present it in a hybrid style - live and live-streamed for those who cannot attend in person and wish to participate.
The details of these two programs are still being worked out and this is where we need your help. For the Critical Race Theory Forum, several of you submitted questions for the speakers, Professors Troy Harden and Joe Feagin to answer. We need your help again.
I. What topics should the speakers discuss in the Race & Faith Forum?
Some questions we are considering are -
A. Racism is defined as a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others. How has racism affected you personally and do you believe factors of racism are apparent in your religion?
B. Sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois wrote in 1903 that “the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line.” Does the color line that he described in 1903 still exist? in Bryan and College Station?
C. Institutional Racism is a policy, system of government, etc., that is associated with or originated in such a doctrine, and that favors members of the dominant racial or ethnic group, or has a neutral effect on their life experiences, while discriminating against or harming members of other groups, ultimately serving to preserve the social status, economic advantage, or political power of the dominant group. Are you aware of institutional racism in BC/S? Please give examples and how our local faith community could help alter these policies.
C. Are you aware of White Supremacy groups that may be active in BC/S? How can our interfaith community together fight White Supremacy?
II. What topics would be pertinent to discuss after the showing of Judas and the Black Messiah?
Thank you in advance for your help and input. Please send potential topics that you would want to be covered and questions that you would like to be asked. We will also need a few people to help set up, help with refreshments, collect questions from the audience, etc. If you would be willing to help, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Pam Johnson
Chair, Confronting Our Racism Group (CORG)
President, UUCBV Board of Trustees