Help Your Meeting Challenge Racism

Image credit: Marta Rusek/FGC

Enrichment

Do you want to help your meeting challenge racism and work for racial diversity?

Do you feel led to travel in the ministry with a concern for racism?

Are you looking for ways to connect with other Friends of color?

The Ministry on Racism Program at FGC offers assistance and support to meetings and yearly meetings that want to develop their racial and ethnic awareness, increase their diversity, and strive to address the impact of the institution of racism on our Society.

FGC connects Friends and meetings doing work and witnessing about racism and racial diversity, supports individuals traveling in the ministry with a concern for racism, and identifies resources to help people engaging in this work.

In 2018, Friends General Conference began hosting virtual worships for People of Color. FGC established this practice as a result of a request by Friends of Color who participated in a retreat that summer. During that weekend Friends of Color expressed their pain of feeling oppressed in their meeting which caused them to stop attending. These Friends were clear that Quakerism and worship was core to their lives and wanted an opportunity to continue to worship in community. FGC agreed to support these Friends with providing monthly virtual worships on Zoom. These worships are provided as a place for Friends of Color to come together in community and worship in an environment with Friends who experience marginalization in their lives and Quaker meetings because they are a Person of Color.

During this time of the global COVID-19 pandemic, FGC has agreed to offer these virtual worships on a weekly basis. The weekly virtual worships will be held on Wednesdays at 1:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM CDT/ 11:00 AM MDT/10:00 AM PDT. These weekly worships will be in addition to the already-scheduled monthly meetings for worship, which happen on the third Sunday of each month at 8:00 PM EDT/7:00 PM CDT/6:00 PM MDT/5:00 PM PDT.

If you identify as a person of Color and would like to join us for our worship, please complete this form:

Each year, the Ministry on Racism Program sponsors annual opportunities for Friends of Color and their loved ones to come together to build multi-generational community through worship, mutual support and sharing, and activities that tighten the bonds among us. These events are:

Fall and Spring Retreats for Friends of Color: annual regional weekend retreats for Friends of Color only.
The Pre-Gathering Retreat for Friends of Color and Their Families: a spiritually-grounding prelude to the annual FGC summer Gathering, for Friends of Color and their immediate family members only.
The White Privilege Conference: a four-day conference on dismantling racism and white supremacy that features a daily People of Color and Indigenous Caucus.

FGC also plans and holds retreats to create opportunities for:

Learning about racism
Training in building racial diversity
Sharing experiences of the impact of racism
Community building
Worshipping together around the issues arising from the impact of racism

The annual FGC Gathering:

Provides opportunities for mutual support and sharing for individuals engaged in challenging racism
Hosts the People of Color Center where Friends of color can connect
Holds meetings for worship for racial healing
Provides a Pre-Gathering Retreat for Friends of Color and their Families

Invite a Visitor to Your Meeting