"Racism is both an individual and an institutional sin"
By the Right Reverend Thomas Clark Ely, Bishop of Vermont
Mountain Echo, November 2001
During the past few weeks, I have been in conversation with several people about the subject of racism in Vermont. Racism is not something new for me, and neither is working to eliminate racism. Some will think and say that racism is not a problem in Vermont, "After all we don’t have many people of color here, how can it be a problem?" But it is a problem, and I think people of faith are called to understand the problem and do something about it.
Two of the formidable questions we are asked to answer in the Baptismal Covenant are: "Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?" and "Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being?" These are important questions in any consideration of racism. A third question from the Baptismal Covenant is just as important when we are thinking about the subject of racism: "Will you persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?"
Racism is not just a societal problem; it is not just a social issue; it is not even just a matter of loving and respecting other people. Racism is a sin, and it is both an individual sin and an institutional sin. It is our problem, our issue, a matter of concern to us, and I would like us do something about it.
One of the documents I received when I became your Bishop was the 1999 report from the Vermont Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights entitled, "Racial Harassment in Vermont Public Schools." This document offers some powerful testimony to the problem of racial harassment that many students experience in the public schools of Vermont. Most troublesome to me is the conclusion that, "The testimony gathered at the forum leads the Committee to believe that racial harassment is widespread and pervasive in and around the State’s public schools and is a reflection of overall race relations in the State." The report goes on to say, "...racism has permeated into the very fabric of Vermont life, undermining residents’ ability to contribute to the productivity and stability of the State."
Plainly defined, "Racism is the systematic oppression of one race over another. Such oppression occurs at the personal and institutional level." Oppression is "the systematic mistreatment of the powerless by the powerful, and it involves the devaluing or non-acceptance of the powerless group or person. This oppression can be economic, political, social and/or psychological" (The Episcopal Church, Racism and You, 1993). Racism is complex, subtle and destructive. It is about us—all of us!
Coming to grips with racism for me has been, and continues to be, a process of understanding and conversion. I seek to do all I can to learn about, combat and eliminate racism, not just out of consideration for others, but just as importantly for myself. I have come to realize that if I want to learn and change, and if I want others to learn and change, then I have to begin with me. I need to look inside at my own racism, my own prejudices, my own participation in, and benefiting from, systems that favor some (including me) at the expense of others. I know that the struggle with racism for me is an ongoing one and that I will continue to peel away layers of my own racism for the rest of my life. For me, it is not a "guilt trip" but a "freedom trip."
On November 16-17, 2001, I will attend the Province I Convocation in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where the subject of racism and combating racism will be the theme. Information about that event is in the Mountain Echo and has been distributed to all parishes. I hope many others from the Diocese will join me and participate in this important education and training event. Those of us who do attend will bring back to the Diocese both our experience and much useful information that will assist in the effort to raise the issue of racism as a matter of common concern for Vermont Episcopalians.
Several Vermonters are already at work thinking about and preparing an action plan for the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont around the issue of racism. If you would like to join us, please let me know. We can make a difference for the children of Vermont, for all people of Vermont and for ourselves. Please pray about this matter. Please learn all you can about racism and about combating racism. Please examine your own attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. Please care about this, not just for the sake of others but for your own sake as well. Please say, "I will, with God’s help."
Prayerfully and hopefully yours,
+ Thomas
Copyright ® 2001, The Episcopal Diocese of Vermont. All rights Reserved.