Diocesan News Releases
Call for Comment: Race relations in the Episcopal Church
By
Feb 15, 2006, 13:27

Episcopal News Service] The Anti-Racism Committee of the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council, motivated by the stories and images of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the profound poverty and racism it revealed, is praying that the Episcopal Church will recommit to addressing institutional and systemic racism.

In a recent statement, the committee expressed concern about the “apparent linkages between poverty and racism” and that “it was predictable that those who would suffer so much as a result of Katrina would be poor, forgotten, marginalized, and people of color.”

“Beyond the apparent lack of timely and humane response to traumatized people desperate for basics like food, water, and shelter, the ravages of Katrina exposed America’s lack of progress in addressing institutional and systemic forces, which continue to marginalize and oppress people of color,” the committee’s statement said.

The full statement is below.

Statement of the Anti-Racism Committee of the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council

At our meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, we devoted part of our agenda to reflecting on the plight and pain of the poor, exposed so graphically by Hurricane Katrina. Like all Americans, we were confronted with horrific media images of people in New Orleans, mostly African American, in immediate and desperate need.

In the context of our work, we are troubled by apparent linkages between poverty and racism. Our view is that it was predictable that those who would suffer so much as a result of Katrina would be poor, forgotten, marginalized, and people of color.

Beyond the apparent lack of timely and humane response to traumatized people desperate for basics like food, water and shelter, we believed, sadly, that the ravages of Katrina exposed America’s lack of progress in addressing institutional and systemic forces, which continue to marginalize and oppress people of color.

Through the first hand account of one of our members, we were heartened to learn of the generous assistance in the form of funds, materials, emergency assistance, and volunteers flowing from many Episcopalians. These are reaching those in need, and appear to be having a positive impact, and making a real difference throughout the Gulf Coast. At the same time, we were disheartened to hear anecdotes about some volunteers selectively asking demeaning questions of people of color seeking emergency assistance.

We have often asked, “What would the Episcopal Church look like without racism?” In reference to Katrina, we ask the larger question, “What would America look like without racism?” More specifically, what would the aftermath of Katrina have looked like without racism?”

We are convinced that the human situation would have looked quite different.

Katrina’s devastation and human toll played out before us through the media, making it impossible to ignore. We pray the Episcopal Church will recommit to addressing institutional and systemic racism, which, in the end, impoverish us all.