The National Council of Churches, of which the Episcopal Church is a member, is launching a “sweeping initiative to end racism.”
The NCC’s 38 member communions, a broad coalition of historically African American, Mainline Protestant, historic Peace Churches, and Orthodox Churches, will all be actively engaged in this project.
“This is a new day in the life of the Council, and we pray it is the beginning of a new day for all Americans,” said Bishop W. Darin Moore, Chair of the NCC Governing Board. “The governing board has been wrestling with this call from God for a long time. We all know the road will be long and difficult, but we believe the time is right. God is about to do a new thing.”
“It breaks my heart to be fighting the same battles today that I began fighting forty years ago,” said Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Director of the Social Action Commission of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and co-chair of the NCC’s Truth and Racial Justice Task Force. “Christians are people who believe in miracles, and I for one believe that together, we can finally end racism. With God’s help, this can be accomplished.”
Bishop Staccato Powell of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME-Z) noted, “It takes faith and courage to do what lies ahead. But as God parted the waters before Moses even as the armies of Pharaoh gave chase, we already see signs that freedom lies ahead. God is with us in this holy effort.”
Task Force Co-Chair John Dorhauer, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ (UCC), said today, “After months of hard work and soul-searching, we are so excited to see the whole Council embrace this ambitious work. There is a lot of hard work ahead, but we believe God is with us. Ending white privilege and white supremacy has been a lifelong work of mine, and one only needs to see in the daily headlines why it’s so vital to do it.”
The initiative will launch with a “massive rally” on the National Mall to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 2018.
More information is at the NCC website.