Words Without Works = Nothing
By The Rev. Lauren R. Stanley

Three resolutions focusing on slavery, reconciliation and reparations (A123, A127 and C011) offer a good start for work on these important issues, but unless they are taken seriously, they won’t mean a thing.

C011, calling for the study of proposals for reparations, monetary and otherwise, has been watered down so much that it is now nothing more than a mere call to Congress and the American people to do that which neither has been willing to do in the past. But a mere call is not enough. This resolution needs more teeth.

A127, on the other hand, does have some teeth, but only if dioceses will actually do what it asks, which is to spell out what anti-racism training actually is taking place, whether it is effective, to report this back to the Church, and to work toward setting up truth and reconciliation commissions, which many see as a necessary step in recognizing the role the Church historically has played in slavery and discrimination. Bishops passed A127 Monday; now it is up to Deputies to first pass this resolution, then to go home and enact it.

A123 also has some teeth, asking that each diocese report on its own complicity in slavery and discrimination. Unfortunately, it will be almost two years before a report will be made to Executive Council, and three more years before General Convention will be able to take any positive actions.

Which begs the question for all people of color: How long, O Lord?

These resolutions certainly deserve to be passed, but that alone will not be enough. These three, by themselves, do not allow the African-American community to regain trust and respect.

All three resolutions could be seen as more great ideas – and that’s that. But more great ideas are not enough. The Church supported slavery for centuries. Virginia Theological Seminary archivist Julia Randle noted last week in Center Aisle that 82 percent of the Episcopal clergy in the Diocese of Virginia in 1860 were slave owners. We need to make amends. These resolutions may lack teeth and funding (another problem with each of them), but we should not lack the resolve to do the right thing.

If the Episcopal Church wants to be the “repairer of the breach,” every member will have to make these more than hollow words meant to make us feel good about ourselves, and take specific – and sometimes hard – actions to restore the trust and respect of the African-American community.

Without waiting for yet another report, we can begin by acknowledging our history. We can make race-relations training mandatory for all leadership positions, lay and ordained. We can provide more funding to our historically African-American institutions – colleges, parishes, the Union of Black Episcopalians, the Office of Black Ministries and the Urban Caucus, among others – all of which already do some of the work to dismantle institutional racism in this country.

Taking these actions would be a good start to healing centuries-old pain, and would show that we in the Episcopal Church truly mean to be the reconcilers and healers we claim we are.