Dismantling Racism, Youth Edition

The youth ministry department offers Dismantling Racism to middle school and high school youth in our Diocese at select times. The curriculum is offered as a hybrid in-person/online course. This curriculum comes from the Absalom Jones Center in Atlanta and is designed specifically for youth in Christian community.

Participants must plan to be at all sessions. There is some flexibility in making up missed Zoom sessions, but each participant needs to be in touch with the youth missioners to schedule any missed content. If you are unable to be with us for the beginning and ending sessions in person, please wait until the next offering.

There are no sessions scheduled at this time.

CURRICULUM

Lesson 1—Introduction and Covenant
Creating an agreement on how we will relate to God, each other and ourselves in discussing this subject and learning the stories of those who have already started to dismantle the effects of racism in their own lives

Lesson 2—God, The Artist
Witnessing the beautiful diversity of all God’s creation, including all of humanity, and
recognizing that every people, race, language, culture and ethnicity on earth bears God’s image, revealing something wonderful about who God is

Lesson 3—History of Racism in America: How we Got Here
Bringing to light the deep roots of systemic racism throughout our country’s history before we truly can understand the pain from racism we are seeing today, and what is needed to dismantle it

Lesson 4—White Privilege
Understanding how racist systems give advantages to certain groups (and disadvantage others), and how to respond when we find ourselves in a place of privilege

Lesson 5—Internalized Oppression
Understanding how racism negatively affects disadvantaged groups, particularly their understanding of their own identity, and beginning to choose God’s understanding of what makes people valuable

Lesson 6—Repentance, Healing and Reconciliation
Understanding that even though we didn’t create racism, we have a responsibility to dismantle it, and, learning from the example of the prophets, we will start to turn toward each other through naming racism in all its forms as sin, and resolving to turn away from (confession and repentance)