“There is no certificate at the end of this workshop” – Facilitator from A Starting Guide to Becoming an Anti-racist Family”
Those words play again and again as I continue the lifetime work of becoming anti-racist. As a director of a Children’s Ministry in a mostly white church, I feel the deep need for change, staying in the movement and not the moment, and to never stop learning. I also feel the need to encourage families that are doing this work that there really is no certificate at the end and the learning and work never does stop.
In our ministry, we are looking at every facet from the curriculum to the posters on the wall. We are encouraging our families to also continue in this work. Over the summer, we hosted a workshop and asked the following questions of our families. I would encourage you to reflect on these questions:
- When did you first discover you had a race?
- What has shaped and conditioned your understanding of differences and race?
- What were you taught in regards to racism and inclusion?
- How has these conditioned bias and learned cultural norms shaped the decisions you have made for your family?
Think a little deeper about home and family life:
- Take an inventory of your children’s literature
- What representation are your children seeing?
- Any books actively addressing anti-racism and activism?
- Look at your children’s toys- what messages are they sending?
Though there is no certificate at the end - reflecting on these questions, doing the work, and continuously learning is worthy lifetime work.
About Elyse: Originally from the Midwest, Elyse is happy to be back in Indianapolis, most recently moving here from Florida! She is a mom of four, an educator, and enjoys all things coffee related. Elyse is passionate about connecting families as they grow in their faith and experience God's love!