…With Liberty and Justice for All
As we’re approaching July 4th, the celebration of our nation’s liberation from English rule and our national day of independence, I want to believe that every American shares in this liberation … yet if nothing else, the past year has taught me differently. The all too frequent murders of African Americans at the hands of our police, the mass incarceration of our minority brothers and sisters, and the often violent acts of intolerance perpetrated against those who are not Christian continue to flourish. It makes me wonder if freedom really is … for all. I’ve been reading the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson. I was appalled to read that during Hitler’s rise to power in Germany, the emerging Nazi party was looking toward the United States as a model for how to systematize oppression of a select group of people without being viewed negatively by the rest of the world. I thought I knew our history. I thought I understood the evils of racism. I thought I knew how to be anti-racist. I thought … I thought … I thought, but thinking isn’t enough. I still have so much to learn, and that learning often needs to come from living among and talking with people who are different than myself. That happens in CPE.
This year the ACPE national conference focused exclusively on Racism and Justice. We are an organization that has prided itself on its openness to difference and its ability to not only welcome, but integrate, varieties of people into our life and work. We thought we were well ahead of the game. After conducting a survey of our membership it turns out, many in the nondominant culture do not really feel as welcome as we supposed. At our conference their voices were given space to tell stories, to lament, to teach, and to help us see ourselves more honestly. We learned about the insidious nature of racism and white supremacy, and recommitted ourselves to rooting it out of our organization and our CPE centers. It isn’t easy, but every tear was worth it. Oppression is a spiritual matter. Our souls die a little bit with every injustice, known and unknown. Already the ACPE foundation is looking at how to be even more socially responsible in its investments, and at how to start a scholarship fund to benefit minority students, particularly African Americans, with limited income so that more students of color can access CPE. That diversity will enrich all of us.
Here at Crossroads, we know that cost is a barrier to many who are interested in taking CPE, particularly pastors of black churches. Many of those pastors are part-time or non-stipendiary, and have other full-time jobs to pay the bills. Those small churches do not have the financial resources to assist a pastor with their CPE tuition. I’d love to see more people of color in our groups. You can help. Every donation to Crossroads of Caring, no matter how small, helps to pay for programming that could lower our CPE tuition and allow us to provide other trainings at a reduced cost. More equity. Better spiritual and emotional health across the board. That’s the goal … for all. Look for the donate button on the top of our webpage.
