Sara Sandstrom, Nederland. If you are white and you read the title to this article you might not like it. You might get defensive. You might think that since you do not see people of color very often and do not hurt them then you are race friendly or that you are not a racist. 

I ask you, are you anti-racist? In your speech, in your actions, in your vote, in what you read, in what you watch and where you put your financial support are you anti-racist? 

Racism exists in every nook and cranny of this country. It is the ocean we have been swimming in since white people set foot on this land. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said, “Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible until you let the sun in. Then you see it everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it.” 

There are people in our community who want that light to shine. They are willing to look at their own thoughts and actions. They want to work together to create a society where social justice and anti-racism is practiced institutionally, culturally and personally. 

Nederland Community Presbyterian Church (NCPC) has formed a group called Social Justice Working Group. The group came about after the church’s book club read So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. Some of the members of NCPC who were part of this discussion wanted to take it further and do more than just read a book.

Allen Meyer who is a member of the group says that the protests this summer and the reading he is doing has helped him focus his thinking. He says, “Now I understand I am part of a culture and society that feeds on white supremacy. I have benefited many times by being white – through my white privileges – and thus these unwanted thoughts and actions persist. And now I see our white supremacy has affected us all to help perpetuate it. Its greatest power is manifest in institutional racism day in and day out, sometimes by conscious racist activity and often by seemingly automatic, racist measures. Dismantling our white supremacy demands conscious, focused, institutional anti-racist efforts.” 

Meyer believes that NCPC, as a community institution, is a great place to focus his anti-racism work. He wants the actions of the church and of the Social Justice Working Group to be based on justice, healing and peace. 

Tara Streng Schroeter another member of the group says, “I am excited about the ways that we as a small group will be able to push each other, our church and the greater community to be actively anti-racist and pro-social justice. I think that spending intentional and regular time as a group to really dig deep and work hard to find ways that we can make any difference in striving for a more equitable and just community is a beautiful thing.”

These conversations about racism and anti-racism are not easy and they can be uncomfortable. This group like most people in the area are all white people. This group of white people are ready to have these uncomfortable conversations about race. It is time to confront our country’s racist past and present. The conversations then need to lead to action to dismantle racism. The Social Justice Working Group believes they can be part of the work to tear down the walls and attitudes of racism. They are striving to show people what it is to anti-racist. This will then add up to a lasting change in society for racial equity. 

This group is first looking at how they can make their church more race friendly. What things have they been insensitive to and how can they do better. They also will be looking at how to reach into the community as a whole and how to encourage anti-racism. They will be starting a series of vigils on Zoom to focus on justice and peace. The first one will be on October 27, 2020, at 6 p.m. You can contact NCPC at 303-258-3579 or http://nederlandcpc.org/ for more information. 

(Originally published in the October 22, 2020, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)