Diocesan Racial Justice Initiative

Chair's Update: Racial Justice Committee 2022 Annual Report Shows Impact of Four Funded Initiatives

Samuel A. Dodson, Racial Justice Committee Chair

The impactful work of the Racial Justice Committee (RJC) and its 11 members is transparent through the RJC Annual Report 2022, compiled and released by Samuel A. Dodson, committee chairman.

The RJC is composed of Bishop Doyle and 10 members of historically Black churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. It holds four meetings per year.

The committee was created in August 2020 as Doyle committed $13 million toward racial justice and reconciliation. Funds were divided equally between the RJC and Seminary of the Southwest.

Work is conducted through three funds. The Henrietta Wells Scholarship Fund supports African Americans attending a historically Black higher learning institute. The John and Joseph supports diocese projects that tell the stories about the history of slavery and other racial injustices, along with projects that uplift the community. The Thomas Cain Fund supports deferred maintenance projects at historically Black churches in the diocese.

The RJC works with the Episcopal Health Foundation to leverage its outreach to 57 counties of the diocese. work with EHF includes but is not limited to health issues and racial disparities.

The Seminary of the Southwest completes its work through three major funds.

Details of the work of all the funds—from the RJC and the Seminary of the Southwest—are outlined in Chairman Dodson’s report. Learn more about the committee’s work at edotracialjustice.org .