People of Faith Gather to Address Racial Healing
On May 22, Tacoma received the opportunity to meet Rev. Gregory Drumwright, who issued an ecumenical worship call for racial healing for people of faith.
Tacoma’s own Melannie Denise Cunningham (former Greater Tacoma Peace Prize Laureate) met Rev. Drumwright in the spring of 2022 at the National White Privilege conference in North Carolina. She was so moved by his message that she decided then and there that he should come to Tacoma. Melannie worked with several local organizations to make it happen!
The service, focusing on racial healing for people of faith, was a gathering of challenge, healing and commitment. America’s problem with race has deep roots, dating back to our nation’s founding. White privilege has been colliding more and more with the changing demographics of a diverse nation. But many churches have been slow to respond. Some faith leaders are now speaking candidly to Christians, particularly white Christians, urging them to work on overcoming the racism that is so ingrained in American society, and which the church has ignored for too long.
Rev. Drumwright is a nationally respected educator and advocate for diversity and inclusion, higher educational access and social justice. As an ordained faith leader, Rev. Drumwright has addressed more than 300,000 persons around the world since he began his pastoral career.
The sermon Rev. Drumwright delivered was powerful, insightful, and motivating. He urged all to be an “actionist”, not just an advocate. Individual actions are where the change begins. To view his entire sermon, visit this Facebook site. Find additional recordings of his powerful messages on his YouTube channel.
Recently, several congregations that are predominantly white have reached out to Associated Ministries, seeking an opportunity to get together with other congregations to better understand white privilege, recognize bias, and learn how to incorporate racial justice work within their congregation. If you are interested in what it might look like to take an additional step forward in the area of racial justice within a faith community setting, please e-mail Sandy Windley at sandyw@associatedministries.org.
Thank you to all the event organizers:
Peace Works United
Peace Lutheran Church
Associated Ministries
PLU Campus Ministry
Tacoma Ministerial Alliance
SW WA Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America