Beloved Community
RACIAL RECONCILIATION SERIES
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by Misty Landers
"Where are We Now, and Where do We Go From Here?" with Dr. Catherine Meeks
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n September 18, 2021, Dr. Catherine Meeks, Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing in Atlanta, GA, joined members of the diocese for a virtual workshop. The seminar opened with a powerful spoken word poem by the center’s program manager, Dominique Hardy called “My Black Life.” The poem is a call to action to recognize the humanity in one another and a brave testimonial of how unsafe and traumatizing it is to be a person of color in America. The remainder of the workshop was spent listening, discussing, and reflecting on the sin of racism and how to forge a new way forward as pilgrims. At the conclusion of the workshop participants felt renewed and hopeful about the work of racial reconciliation.
The work is hard, and it can often feel defeating but as Andrew Walker, a parishioner at St. Augustine’s in St. Petersburg commented, “I found the experience to be profoundly joy inducing and encouraging. Dr. Meeks made the beloved community seem achievable rather than insurmountable.” Parishioners from the diocese who attended expressed gratitude for Dr. Meeks’ time, wisdom, and energy. We will do our best to become pilgrims on this journey and to each answer in our own way the call of where do we go from here? As a follow up to the Racial Reconciliation online event, Dr. Meeks shared a letter she wrote, “Can We Have A Word With You?” for reflection of current events and the voices lost.
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Can We Have A Word With You? Dr. Catherine Meeks | May 29, 2020
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e were really just trying to live our lives. And we are wondering if you are a person who is white, if we could ask you a question. What part of the privilege that comes from having white skin are you willing to give up, so that people in black and brown skin can just live without the kind of violence that took our lives?" We realize that many of you are sad and very sorry that we were killed. Some of you are going out to march in the streets. Others are resorting to violence which is very unfortunate because we do not think that will help the situation at all. Some of you are hosting vigils. You bring flowers to the places where we were murdered. You are outraged as you should be. But you see, we are gone, and we are not coming back. Was there anything that you could have done about the way that you have chosen to travel through the world as a white person that could have helped to create a world where it would not be thought that a white person in a uniform could practice violence against folks in black and brown bodies without having to worry very much because they would be protected? How do you resist white supremacy? Is it only when a few of us get murdered in plain sight? How does white supremacy serve you? What parts of it are you ready to let go? What will that mean for you? What do you have to change? Are you willing and ready to make that change? We want to know. We have paid the ultimate price for the world that was made for you because for some reason we were sent into the world with black skin instead of white skin. So we think that we can ask you hard questions. What part of your white skin privilege are you willing to give up so we can have a world that does not hate black and brown bodies so much? Once you know the answer to that question, please do it. And then light a candle for yourself in the hope that the light will grow larger and help you see what you need to do next. Let our deaths not be in vain! - George [Floyd], Ahmaud [Arbery], Breonna [Taylor] 10
