By Janette Helmick of Muhlenberg, Harrisonburg
An adult faith formation class at Muhlenberg, Harrisonburg has been gathering via Zoom throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. During our digital conversations, one subject which has generated the most conversation was the response to the issues regarding racism, especially with regard to Black Lives Matter protests. Our group looked for guidance from the ELCA’s 2019 “Declaration of the ELCA to People of African Descent” and we realized we had a lot of work to do.
Our group discussed how to educate themselves and developed a reading list which included books including “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo among others. We also had a pastors group opportunity from our church to read and discuss The Rev. Lenny Duncans “Dear Church” and later some of our group members participated in an online webinar event hosted by Luther Memorial, Blacksburg, and distributed by the Virginia Synod.
We began to understand that discussing this problem was not enough. The last line in the ELCA 2019 Declaration says, “an apology is only empty words and promises unless it is accompanied by action, which is grounded in prayer, education, and soul-searching repentance. We trust God can make all things new.” Now the discussion was what action could we, as a group, take. At the same time, a letter by Virginia Governor Northam came to our attention announcing the Launch of a “New African American History Course.” In that letter, it listed only 16 school divisions that were going to participate in this high school-level elective course this academic year. None of those listed were schools in our county or city both of which have talked about this very subject for some time. The group decided to find out if our schools had been invited, were they aware of the curriculum, and if so, were there plans to include it in our local schools. We felt this would be a major step in educating our community about the origins of racism and its legacy.
We drafted two letters, one to the city and one to the county School Superintendents, and are currently awaiting any response. In the meantime, we continue to give thanks for the presence of the Holy Spirit as we struggle with this hard subject, pray for guidance, and reaffirm that God can make all things new. We now have a better understanding of why it is important to walk with those who suffer injustices, prejudices, etc. We may not be able to solve the big problems, but we can watch for and help make changes in our community.
