Preston Hollow Memorial
Preston Hollow United Methodist Church in Dallas has turned its lawn into a memorial to Black people who have died from violence, including police brutality. (Photo courtesy of Tom Watisches)
A United Methodist Insight Column
Think the new “Dismantling Racism” initiative for The United Methodist Church means the denomination is at last “woke” when it comes to racism? Think we’ve improved because of cross-racial appointments? Think the UMC is having a beneficial influence on race relations in its communities? Think again.
A July 6 report on the website of Colorado Public Radio (CPR) begins:
“Last August, Rev. Akilah Bixler optimistically moved with her two kids and husband from New York for their next adventure in Colorado. Bixler was appointed to a Denver-area church. But less than a year later, they were fed up, packed their belongings and moved back.”
The article goes on to describe the many overt acts of racism that Rev. Bixler, her spouse and their two children faced over the past year. It’s not a pretty picture by any means, but it is a view into the kinds of overt bias and micro-aggressions faced by people of color every day.
Rev. Bixler’s story should be a must-read for all United Methodists if the UMC’s “Dismantling Racism” initiative is to have any integrity and authenticity. White people need to ask themselves what their lives would be like if they faced the kind of discrimination described in the CPR story. As Trevor Noah of “The Daily Show” remarks in one of his broadcasts, Black people in America are facing continued racial discrimination while at the same surrounded by the threat and uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic and all its disruptions.
A memorial to Black lives
Speaking of “Dismantling Racism,” one of the unofficial themes has been to adopt the Black Lives Matter practice to “Say Their Names” as a way to recognize the epidemic of violence against Black people. Preston Hollow United Methodist Church in Dallas has turned its lawn into a memorial to dozens of Black Americans killed by violence.
The display features rows of labeled photos of those who have been killed. Its pastor, the Rev. Tom Waitsches, posted a photo and a video of the display on his Facebook page. He said that visitors are invited to come by the church to view the photos and say the names of the departed.
Coronavirus openings slow down
Historian Heather Cox Richardson provided a helpful summary of how re-openings have slowed down as coronavirus infections have spiked:
“As of today [July 7], we have almost 3 million confirmed cases and more than 130,000 deaths. In a number of states, especially in the South, cases are hitting new highs. Europe has banned American visitors, and Mexico and Canada have both closed their border with the U.S.
“… Meanwhile, governors who reopened their states before cases had begun to decline significantly are now backpedaling. Texas governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order last Thursday requiring masks in more than half of the state’s hardest hit counties; Georgia Governor Brian Kemp asked Georgians to wear masks; Florida’s Miami-Dade County closed gyms, party venues, and ballrooms; and California closed beaches in Orange County over the holiday weekend. Washington state has stopped its reopening process for at least two weeks and is requiring face masks; Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have issued travel advisories requiring people coming from fifteen states experiencing Covid-19 spikes to self-quarantine for fourteen days.”
Please continue to pray for those infected, the families and friends of those who have died, and health care workers and first responders. Remember our litany: mask, wash, sanitize, distance.
Coronavirus Q& A offered
One of United Methodist Insight’s content partners, The Conversation, will hold a webinar Tuesday, July 14, from 4 to 5 p.m. EDT/1 to 2 p.m. PDT featuring Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Dr. Schaffner will answer viewers’ questions about COVID-19. Space is limited, so register as soon as possible.
Score two for the climate crisis
There’s good news on the climate crisis this week for Americans: a federal court has ordered closure and emptying by Aug. 5 of the Dakota Access Pipeline that runs through lands of the Standing Rock Sioux. The pipeline is to stay closed until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers produces an environmental report. United Methodists, especially those of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, have supported the Standing Rock Sioux since their protests of the pipeline began in 2016. In addition, support came from the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, according to a Religion News Service.
Energy Transfer Partners, owner of the pipeline, promised the line would be environmentally safe without leaks. Earlier this year the pipeline broke, spilling hundreds of gallons of crude oil into the tribal lands’ water source, an event that was both feared and predicted by protesters.
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman Mike Faith said in a statement: "Today is a historic day for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the many people who have supported us in the fight against the pipeline. This pipeline should have never been built here. We told them that from the beginning."
The federal court’s July 6 decision was the second recent climate-friendly decision with two days. According to National Public Radio: “On Sunday [July 5], Dominion Energy and Duke Energy canceled the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project.
“The companies said the cancellation was necessary 'given the legal uncertainties facing the project.' The 600-mile natural gas pipeline was to have run from West Virginia to population centers in Virginia and North Carolina, crossing at one point under the Appalachian Trail.
“The companies' CEOs said that ‘this announcement reflects the increasing legal uncertainty that overhangs large-scale energy and industrial infrastructure development in the United States.’"
United Methodists have been pushing for at least 12 years for the denomination to completely divest from its investments in fossil-fuel corporations. The General Conference has rejected such proposals since 2008. Last year, Wespath, the pension and benefits agency, explained that its leadership believed it was better to retain its investments so that it could use its shareholder clout to persuade the fossil-fuel industry to transition to cleaner fuels.
Media Mentions as of July 7, 2020
Back to church – but not, let’s hope, back to normal – The New Yorker *
Black churches have lagged in moving online during COVID – reaching across generations could help – Religion News Service
The religious roots of a new progressive era – The New York Times *
*Paid subscription required.
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.