Long-time member Randy Ellis will lead a two-part conversation about the origins and impact of racism in our churches, neighborhoods, and economy on Sunday, October 29, and Sunday, November 12, 2023, at 11:15 a.m.
“Christian Commitments Confront Systemic Bias” will be held after worship at Newton Highlands Congregational Church, 54 Lincoln Street, Newton Highlands, MA.
Session 1
Define and talk about five types of racism and how they appear in our lives.
- Aggressive racism: Illegal acts including violence and intimidation that are mostly what we hear about in the media
- Overt racism: Offensive racist words, writings, and acts
- Microaggressions: Possibly inadvertent questions, comments, and actions that wear down people of color
- Institutional racism: Laws and policies of our governments that suppress minorities
- Systemic racism: Beliefs, behaviors, and market forces that reinforce existing inequities
Session 2
Discuss actions, both easy and difficult, that we can take as individuals and as a church to reduce systemic racism and bias.
Mr. Ellis is a professor of economics at Boston University. He has been studying and reading about racism and systemic bias since 2018. Summer worshippers may recall his sermon “Systemic Bias from a Woke Christian,” from a service he led on July 16, 2023.