LENT COMES EARLY THIS YEAR -- SERIES STARTS ON FEBRUARY 21ST, AT 5:30 PM AND WILL INCLUDED A SOUP MEAL!
This Lenten series is based on a curriculum developed and distributed by the United Church of Christ: "White Privilege." Clearly, our society is in need of racial healing, every bit as much today as in the past. The UCC and First Congregational Church of Prescott believe that people of faith have a special role to play in working to heal racial divides and advance the cause of justice. One place to focus this important work is on understanding and recognizing how deeply, and often invisibly, white privilege permeates our society, standing in the way of equity and justice for people of color. The aim of the "White Privilege" curriculum is to help participants understand that disapproving of the systems that privilege whites will not be enough to change the system.
Racism will not simply end if white people change their attitudes, because racism is racial discrimination coupled with societal power. The systems that benefit white people in obtaining jobs, housing, healthcare, education, etc. must themselves be challenged, disempowered, and changed. While individual acts can help, they cannot by themselves end these systemic problems. Therefore, addressing the problems of racism requires first seeing the systems of power in place and their colossal unseen dimensions that create and perpetuate privilege for some and injustice for others.
The curriculum is intended to help people to “see” race-based power and privilege, their manifestations and their impacts. Only after getting honest about how white privilege has functioned and continues to be perpetuated can there be dialogue about how to address its causes and make strides toward the necessary reparations and redistribution of power and opportunity.
Bill Bryant is a member of First Congregational Church United of Christ of Prescott. He is Founder and CEO of BetterRhetor, an educational resource company aimed at better preparing students for college-level academics, regardless of income or background. He earned a PhD in American Studies from the University of Iowa.
Feb. 21 Lenten Series Begins – White Privilege Curriculum – “Laying the Groundwork”
Feb. 28 Lenten Series – White Privilege – “Whiteness as The Norm”
Mar. 7 Lenten Series - White Privilege – “The Cash Value of Whiteness, Part 1”
Mar. 14 Lenten Series - White Privilege - “The Cash Value of Whiteness, Part 2”
Mar. 21 Lenten Series - White Privilege – “Spiritual Autobiographies Told Through the Lens of Race”
Mar. 28 Lenten Series - White Privilege – “Becoming an Ally”
