FGC’s Institutional Assessment on Racism – June 2019 Update

During this year’s FGC Gathering in Grinnell, IA (June 30th to July 6th), the Institutional Assessment Working Group and the Ministry on Racism are offering a series of opportunities for Friends to think, learn, and share about the spiritual leading to address issues of systemic racism and white supremacy in our beloved faith community.

During this year’s FGC Gathering in Grinnell, IA (June 30th to July 6th), the Institutional Assessment Working Group and the Ministry on Racism are offering a series of opportunities for Friends to think, learn, and share about the spiritual leading to address issues of systemic racism and white supremacy in our beloved faith community. The People of Color Center will host listening sessions, discussions and worship opportunities on Monday 7/1, Tuesday 7/2, Thursday 7/4, and Friday 7/5 at 1:30pm local time. These events are for everyone at the Gathering, especially F/friends who are just beginning to think about anti-racism and wonder how it is a door into our spiritual lives, and attenders who have been thinking about stepping into anti-racism work their entire lives.

At the Tuesday night Gathering plenary, Friends who participated in the Institutional Assessment process, including David Ethridge, Vanessa Julye, Sharon Lane-Getez, Carolyn Lejuste, and Katrina McQuail, will lead a conversation and share personal stories about how they came to make a commitment to “Becoming an Anti-Racist Faith Community”.

Outside of Gathering activities, the FGC Executive Committee has approved additional names to the Anti-Racism Implementation Group, which is charged with enacting recommendations brought forward during the Institutional Assessment on Systemic Racism. The completed list of volunteers and FGC staff includes:

  • Euclid Bautista (NPYM)
  • David Etheridge (BYM)
  • Sarah Haber (PHLYM)
  • Vanessa Julye (PHLYM/FGC Staff)
  • Jaya Karsemeyer Bone (CYM)
  • Carolyn Lejuste (LEYM)
  • Madison Paulus (NPYM)
  • Marta Rusek (FGC Staff)
  • Regina Renee Ward (IMYM)
  • Eppchez Yes (NEYM) 

Executive Committee also approved a minute to make the Implementation Group a standing committee to be reviewed in ten years.

Friends everywhere are invited to consider whether your meeting would like to have someone from FGC come visit your meeting to talk with Friends about the Institutional Assessment on Systemic Racism and how your Quaker meeting or church may wish to make a lived commitment to becoming an anti-racist faith community. If you find upon prayerful discernment that the answer is “yes,” then please contact the FGC Institutional Assessment team.

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