Anti-Racism Team Update – July/August 2021
RocACTS – Rochester Alliance of Communities Transforming Society
Third Church, as an active member of this 12-year-old interfaith organization, joins other congregations in the work of dismantling racism. Did you know? During this past year, RocACTS:
- Partnered with Rochester Monroe County Anti-Poverty Initiative in support of the Fight for $15
- Contributed to the research of the Commission on Racial and Structural Equity
- Presented a position paper on the reallocation of police resources
- Advocated for the passage of Humane Alternative to Long-Term Solitary Confinement legislation (HALT Solitary Confinement)
- Participated on Police Accountability Board Alliance
- Advocated for antiracism education in all Monroe County schools
- Advocating for passage of NYS Wealth Tax
- Partnered with The Children’s Agenda and the Black Nurses’ Association on a Virtual Candidates Forum
There are Third Church people on every one of the RocACTS task forces. You are always welcome to join a task force and help in this work!
Education Task Force:
- Creating an antiracism report card for all Monroe County School Districts
- Working to ensure action on the “Stand Against Racism” pledges made by Monroe County Superintendents on June 9, 2020
- Advocating for districts to designate part of one-time pandemic relief funding for antiracism projects
Justice System Task Force:
- Advocates for the passage of Daniel’s Law (named for police victim Daniel Prude), which would create a mental health response council and response unit in the NY Department of Health. Members of the mental health unit would respond to emergency calls relating to mental health crises.
- Advocates for reform of the cash bail system, which disproportionately impacts people of color (the 2019 Bail Reform Act was largely reversed just 3 months later)
- Advocates for Parole Justice, which would create more fair and meaningful release opportunities for incarcerated people
- Advocated for Raise the Age legislation, which raised the age at which an adolescent may be tried as an adult
- Advocated for an end to long-term solitary confinement (the HALT Solitary Confinement Act)
Poverty, Jobs & Housing Task Force:
- Pursues Universal Basic Income
- Campaigns for large employers to meet the standard of $15/hr minimum wage.
- Partners with Rochester Tenants Union to help educate legislators and public about the local housing crisis (rising rental rates, lack of decent housing options, eviction threats)
Anti-Racism Rewind
Listening and learning resources from last month’s Congregational Updates
Watch:
- Shane Wiegand’s Redlining presentation about Webster
- Netflix series High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine transformed America
Listen:
- Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed Fresh Air episode on the History of Juneteenth
- The New York Times’ Nice White Parents podcast (5 one-hour episodes).
Read:
- Phrases to Avoid
- Past Due: Redlining, Reparations, and RCSD
- Actions you can take in response to white supremacist violence
- Matthew 25: 14-30, focus on the servant with one talent, and ask yourself:
- What is this servant’s assessment of God?
- How are the servant’s actions related to the servant’s view of God?
- As we consider the task of dismantling structural racism, how will our conception of God affect our actions?
- In the effort to dismantle structural racism, what are your ‘talents’? What are Third Church’s ‘talents’?
Learn about the 1921 Race Massacre of Tulsa, Oklahoma:
- Read a comprehensive history from the Tulsa Historical Society
- View a 3-D model of “Black Wall Street” in the Greenwood District of Tulsa
- Watch a detailed account of the massacre
- Discover a timeline of 24 other Black massacres.
Drop off plastic and paper bags with handles to Memorial AME Zion Church (549 Clarissa St, Rochester, NY 14608) on Wednesdays from 3:00-7:00 pm; bags are used to distribute needed food to over 200 families.