UNITE (2015)

Challenge: The support of slavery in the past and now the inability to see ongoing systemic racism in the present, have led white pastors and their
congregations to remain silent on issues of race and to stay segregated in their churches and lives. Many of the gains made in the name of
diversity have affirmed racist views and have only appeared to have brought deeply rooted change. This has contributed to the ongoing oppression of the black community across the United States. 

Objective: If pastors were equipped with knowledge on how race was formed in America and were given tools to be able to shift their thinking and language, they could focus on building unity rather than shallow solutions to encourage diversity. With this understanding, these pastors could begin to build more unified congregations. With this shift in world view, congregants and pastors could be motivated to join in on the plight of their fellow community members of all skin tones and ethnicities.  

The following material highlights some of my research, planning, and intervention on this topic. To view a more in-depth version of my thesis, request a copy of my thesis publication here. 

Special thanks to: 

Joel Kurz, Michael Crawford, Imhotep Infatiu, Rolando Castro, Montrel Haygood, Ronjour Locke, Ken Patterson, Dan Hyun, Erica Jackson, Michelle Norton, Carde Cornish, Peter Bruun, Heber Brown, Shawn Burnett, Charles Klepadlo, Cru, Mike Weikert, Lee Davis, Jonathan Erwin, Myra Margolin, Mira Azarm, MASD class of 2015, and The Southern Baptist Convention