Why must I water down my experiences to make them easier to hear?
Deepening Our Engagement
A 1-minute version of the video is available on YouTube. Consider linking to it from your church website, e-newsletter, or social media.
Prayer
Creator,
thank you for all the beauty and uniqueness you have blessed each and every one of us with.
Thank you for all those who tell their stories, share their pain,
and continue to show kindness to all with pride in existing as you made them.
During this reflection period help us stop and listen to all those who share their stories and experiences with racism, prejudices, and discrimination.
Help us to stay in the discomfort that may arise in our hearts and to open ourselves to reflect on all that is shared.
May we become kinder to each other and share in the love that you unconditionally and unwaveringly give us.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Congregational Responses
- Inzwi names the importance of stories. She shares that, as a racialized Black person, she sometimes makes her story about racism more “palatable” so that White people can understand. She laments that she has to water down her experience; truths are shared at a cost.
- What happens to you when you hear a story about racism or anti-racism? If you are White, do you expect a story to teach you? If you are Indigenous or racialized, do you change your story to make it palatable for others to hear? What changes could you make in your congregation so that everyone can share their stories authentically without needing to teach or change their reflection? How might your congregation facilitate a story-sharing time?
- The United Church’s Vision for Becoming an Intercultural Church is a vision of radical welcoming that calls all of us to change. It says that an intercultural church is a welcoming one that “is committed to listening and learning, not just to speaking and teaching. It invites full participation and dialogue. It allows itself to be changed.” How might this vision be lived out in your congregation?
Credits
- Prayer: Inzwi Munikwa
- Congregational responses: Adele Halliday
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