Oklahoma Church Makes Racial Justice A Priority

Written by Jackie Kropp

Weatherford, Oklahoma

WEATHERFORD FEDERATED CHURCH, OKLAHOMA - Over the past few months we have been running a social justice focused book club.  The wonderful members of our Federated Book Club have joined in the mission of KO to help bring racial justice to our world. We were blessed to have some new participants join our group who came specifically because we were going to center our conversations around racial justice.  Since October, we've read White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo,  How to be an Antiracist by Ibrim X. Kendi, and Be The Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation by LaTasha Morrison.  We know reading books and gaining information doesn’t change anything in and of itself. However, we have, at least, begun the hard work of looking inward in order to understand and acknowledge our own biases.

We know that our faith community is not alone. Discussions are being held like this all across this country, and in many of our sister KO congregations about how we move forward. I believe that the Church has some unique contributions to offer this struggle for racial justice. As a people of faith, we recognize the fact that the problem is both societal and deeply spiritual.  How often do we repeat amongst ourselves that we must love one another, every single other?

I write this to you on the one-year anniversary of Ahmaud Arbery's tragic murder. The work before us is daunting, and yet, it begins with each one of us and also in each of our faith communities.  Even if no single person or congregation can change everything and set things right overnight, there is room in our spaces for reflecting, learning, and growing. As a predominantly white Conference, we can begin by acknowledging our privilege and the ways in which we have benefited from a system that subjugates people of color. As individuals and as congregations, we can stand up and speak up when we notice things in our nation, or even more importantly, right in our communities that are not just. We can realize that our language has power, and our voices-- even more so! We can step back and listen and amplify the voices of people of color telling us their truth and their stories.

I have built my professional life's work, as a Librarian, on the foundational belief that literature changes lives. I know that I am different now than I was at the outset of this project. I am a firm believer that every discussion, every acknowledgment of wrong belief or action, every consciousness we raise is a step in the right direction.  Book clubs don't change the world, but people do. We need to be more than allies, we need to be accomplices. If our Book Club’s readings and discussions have taught me nothing else, it is this.  If you’re already involved in the struggle for racial justice, please continue to stay the course! If you are hoping you can be a difference-maker, I encourage you to follow those hopes. I know I still have more to learn, more to do, and more to tip the scales towards racial justice myself. I am so grateful we don’t have to do any of this alone. We have our beloved communities to inspire and encourage us on our journey.