Special to United Methodist Insight | April 3, 2024
Current members at Brentwood United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn., have been working on anti-racism efforts since the 1980s, but we all know that this work must be ongoing. For this year’s Black History Month, we organized a lecture by Dr. Jemar Tisby. The event taught us a great deal about how to organize an anti-racism event for best effect, practices we're glad to share.
Ten days before Dr. Tisby was scheduled to speak, the number of seat reservations exceeded the capacity of our historic chapel. Initially envisioned as a Sunday School classroom lecture, the event grew significantly, reflecting Dr. Tisby's fame and the pertinence of the topic of racism, drawing a diverse audience of over 600 from throughout Nashville. Following his lecture, attendees described the event as "glorious" and "historic." The two bishops in attendance said this was one of the most significant days in the history of our church.
As a large church in an affluent, predominantly white county, we feel a particular duty to combat racism. To quote Martin Luther King, Jr., "We must move past indecision to action...If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight." In 2016 we began joint worship and study at a historically Black church (Dixon Memorial UMC). By 2017 a small group that included experienced Black community organizers were eating together monthly. In 2020 we organized a Faith Forum with academics from Vanderbilt University and leaders from the then-Tennessee Annual Conference for a day of lectures, discussions, and shared meals.
During the pandemic and following the unrest after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, we organized monthly, facilitated, diverse, discussion groups over Zoom to talk about our personal and shared racial histories. Upon their conclusion, six months later, some participants said they were on fire to act.
Jemar Tisby
Dr. Jemar Tisby, historian of race and religion.
In Dr. Tisby's book, “How To Fight Racism,” he counsels that our efforts should be guided by the ARC model: Awareness, Relationships, and Commitment. Rather than a linear process, each element reinforces the others. Established in 2021, our Race and Faith team adopted the mission statement “to address the burden inflicted on all people by systems of oppression.” Our strategy is to promote justice and facilitate restorative social change through education, relationships, and action. The six-person lay planning team meets weekly and communicates to our 200 email subscribers bi-monthly. We invite them to anti-racism events and share relevant books, movies, and podcasts. Clergy and staff members assigned to our team provide vital guidance and are the conduit for working with the church’s leadership, communication, and facility teams.
The need to relocate Dr. Tisby's event to larger venues twice underscores the unpredictability of public interest. We offer the following recommendations for other churches seeking to hold anti-racism events based on our experience:
Provide Options
Some people are prepared to march to support reform. Some people are looking for a book study. No matter a person's interest or commitment or ability, we want to facilitate their engagement. We offer carpooling since attending anything as a group is easier. Sharing a meal is a wonderful place to start. As Rev. Stephen Handy noted at Dr. Tisby's event, Jesus didn't invite people to join him at the temple, but he did invite them to join him for a meal.
Build Your Network
Our members have been doing this work for a long time, and they've been doing it with people and organizations throughout Nashville and its suburbs. Our personal connections with a leader at Belmont University was key to bringing in someone as well-known as Dr. Tisby. Promoting this event throughout the now-reorganized Tennessee-Western Kentucky conference and outside the United Methodist Church, attracted a broad audience.
Model Civil Dialogue
We live increasingly isolated lives in these partisan times. On-line and in the media, we see angry debates that accomplish nothing. A big-tent church like the UMC is a unique place in the modern world where people with a broad range of perspectives might come together to have meaningful conversations. Dr. Tisby's event was followed by a three-week book study that centered on small-group discussions. We anchor those facilitated discussions with a covenant that emphasizes honesty, curiosity, and respect.
Support Black-led Organizations
We must always guard against white privilege and white saviorism, but by actively working with Nashville Peacemakers, a support group for mothers who have lost children due to gun violence, we have a bridge to the issues facing their community. Dr. Tisby said, "White folks, y’all got to build bridges instead of barriers. And you got a lot of experience with barrier building: neighborhoods, schools, churches.”
In his lecture Dr. Tisby said, “We don’t have a ‘how to’ problem, we have a ‘want to’ problem. It’s the will, the desire, the conviction, and the courage to fight racism.”
After this event, eight congregations asked Brentwood UMC members to work with them. Dr. Tisby has energized all of us, and we now have the responsibility to go out, do the work, and let God do the rest.
David Young is the lay leader of the Race and Faith team at Brentwood United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn.