Act, Learn, Pray, which began June 2020 in response to the way the murder of George Floyd, brought conversations about systemic racism and the on-going police violence against Black men and women to the fore. This group of parishioners gathered bi-monthly for conversations to dismantle the racist ideals we all hold, knowingly and unknowingly and to determine actionable steps we can take as people and as a parish, to affect structural change.
In 2021, this group studied "Sacred Ground," a film-based dialogue series on race and faith which is a part of the Becoming Beloved Community initiative of the Episcopal Church—a long-term commitment to racial justice, healing and transformation in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. In 2022, we took what we learned in Sacred Ground and brainstormed with members of both our parish and our neighborhood to develop a series of activities aimed at actively dismantling racism within, and supporting the members of, our local communities.
We are currently in discussions on how to continue to “Walk On” from all that we’ve learned into 2023 and beyond.