Dear Siblings of the Presbytery of San Francisco,
The work of Dismantling Structural Racism is as much an inward journey as it is the external commitment we make to live into our goals as Matthew 25 congregations and Presbytery.
I firmly believe with Dr Ken Hardy that this transformation begins with seeing and being, examining our hearts and minds in an effort to let go of what does not serve the causes of personal and collective freedom and replacing it with the new thing God is doing. It is with this in mind that I invite you to join me in a five month study and conversation using the journal/workbook, “What Lies Between Us, Fostering First Steps Toward Racial Healing.”
We will meet twice a month starting in February to do some deep work on our own and together to examine our racial experiences, beliefs and ideas. We will be looking closely at America’s racial history and its impact on the people we are and the country we live in today. We will be doing this through a faith lens that will include scripture, meditation, and prayer. We have much to learn, much to share, and much to let go of.
Please join us.
~ Rev. Kamal Hassan
What Lies Between Us: Fostering First Steps Toward Racial Healing
- Duration: Bi-monthly on Wednesdays for 5 months/10 sessions (2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month)
- Start Date: Wednesday, Feb 10th
- Time: 4:00-5:30pm
- Where: Zoom
- Registration is now closed
Resources for Book Study
- Introductory Video
- Brownicity Book/Journal Introduction
- Haas Institute Report
- Purchase What Lies Beneath:
- on Amazon
- Check availability at Marcus Books (a Black-owned Bay Area bookstore).
- K.I. Toolbox – Respectful Communication Guidelines, Mutual Invitation, Bible Study Process
- Brownicity terms and definitions
- WLBU Chapter Resources: Chapter 7 and Chapter 8
- Land Acknowledgement Powerpoint
- Land Acknowledgement Version 1
- Land Acknowledgement Version 2
Change the Narrative Campaigns
Our Book Study, “What Lies Between Us: Fostering First Steps Towards Racial Healing”, has not only been eye opening, but also transformative on how we can participate in changing our inner world to reflect our outer hopes. We have been able to reflect, discern and find ways to continue working towards racial healing needed for us to re-member the Kingdom of God.
During our last few sessions, we worked in groups to share our learning and create a project to reflect our 5 months together. The project called “Change the Narrative Campaign” asked us to look at the relationship between media representation, stereotypes, and the implicit bias. The group was to create a campaign to disrupt, change, or reverse narratives that create bias or have been harmful through its strong influence towards shaping local communities. We were to consider the following:
- The Target audience for your campaign
- Your Goal
- The message that will help you meet your goal
- The strategies you will use
We would like to share with you the Team Projects. We invite you to use these new narratives to help move your congregations and communities towards racial healing and our collective work in Dismantling Structural Racism.
- Team 1 Change the Narrative Project Powerpoint
- Team 1 Change the Narrative Supplemental PDF
- Team 2 Change the Narrative Project Powerpoint
- Team 3 Change the Narrative Supplemental PDF
- Team 4 Change the Narrative Video
- Team 5 Change the Narrative Video
- Team 6 Change the Narrative Project Powerpoint
- Team 7 Change the Narrative Project Powerpoint
Class Schedule
Click here to download the full and complete syllabus (as of 2/22/2021)
If you are willing to do either an Opening and/or a Closing prayer at one of our sessions, see dates below. Click here for Book Study Prayer Sign-ups
| Date | Topic | Homework |
| 2/10 | “Why” Powerpoint Slides |
Read and work through pages 25-38 Blog post topic: My hopes for this study |
| 2/24 | “Believe Differently” Powerpoint Slides |
Watch episode 1 of “Race: The Power of an Illusion” (Username: posf | Password: digital) Work through pages 39-46 Blog post topic: An “Aha” Moment from the Video |
| 3/10 | “Race, Genetics, and Biology” Powerpoint Slides |
Watch episode 2 of “Race: The Power of an Illusion” (Username: posf | Password: digital) Work through pages 47-55 |
| 3/24 | “A Lie Perpetuated” Powerpoint Slides |
Watch episode 3 of “Race: The Power of an Illusion” (Username: posf | Password: digital) Work through pages 57-67 |
| 4/14 | “The Profit of Race” Powerpoint Slides |
Watch: Choosing a Race: Overcoming our Racial Antagonism Work through pages 69-76 Blog post topic: Structural Economic Inequality |
| 4/28 | “Disrupting Lies, Living Truth” Powerpoint Slides |
Watch the Implicit Association video and take the Black White IAT test Work through pages 77-84 Blog post topic: IAT test |
| 5/12 | “Representation, Stereotypes, and Bias” Powerpoint Slides |
Listen to a podcast from This American Life: The problem We All Live With Work through pages 85-92 Blog post topic: How I felt while listening to the podcast |
| 5/26 | “Power, Policies, People” Powerpoint Slides |
Work through pages 93-100 |
| 6/9 | “After Amen” Powerpoint Slides |
Prepare to share gratitude, appreciation, 1 pearl and 1 promise |
| 6/23 | “Conclusion” | Blog Post: The Struggle Continues |
