Dear Saint Ambrose Episcopal Church,
As part of our mission, West Raleigh Presbyterian Church is committed to doing our part to educate people and shine a light on systemic racial inequities in our society. In 2020, our Mission Peace and Justice committee formed a task force to address systemic racism and to work with others in our wider community to help right the wrongs. Toward that end, West Raleigh will play host to virtual Groundwater training sponsored by the Racial Equity Institute (REI) on Saturday, March 26 from 9 a.m. to noon. The church website is wrpc.org
We would love for you to join us in this eye-opening and lively Groundwater presentation. “Groundwater” is the metaphor REI uses to describe systemic racism. As an example, they say, “Imagine half the kids in a given region are failing in the education system, half the children suffer from ill health, half are performing poorly in the criminal justice system, half are in and out of the child welfare system, and often it is the same kids. In that light, picture five lakes around your house, and in each lake half the fish are floating belly up dead. Then, it is time to examine the groundwater that feeds the lakes. It could be all the lakes are connected by the same groundwater system. Maybe this groundwater system itself is causing consistent, unacceptable outcomes for students.”
In addition, after the training we are inviting those interested to join us virtually on Wednesday, March 30 from 7-8:30 p.m. to unpack what we heard and learned from the Groundwater training. We will have a guided conversation that should enrich our experience and perhaps give us ideas about going forward as a community, united to do our part to dismantle racism.
Registration for Groundwater training is required, and will be handled through our church office. Register HERE. ***When you enter your name, in the same space, to the right of your name, please add what church/organization you represent in parentheses.
Deadline for registering is March 19.
Contact person: Kathy Huffstetler firstname.lastname@example.org
West Raleigh Presbyterian Session Statement on Dismantling Racism
West Raleigh Presbyterian Church is dedicated to following Jesus’s commandment to love our neighbor, and thus we stand in solidarity with all who affirm that Black lives matter and repudiate discrimination, violence, and mass incarceration against people of color. We commit to resisting and opposing the culture of white supremacy in all ways, including prayer, education, organizing, protesting, and voting. We also pledge to examine our own unconscious prejudices with clear eyes in order to shape a beloved community that embraces and cares equitably for all of God’s people.