Celebrating Black History Month
Illustration Courtesy of Western North Carolina Conference
A United Methodist Insight Column
COVID and climate have overshadowed the crisis of race for United Methodists, but the start of Black History Month and threats against UMC-related Historically Black Colleges and Universities have brought racial issues back into focus.
While the threatened colleges – Bethune-Cookman, Philander Smith and Rust – are recovering from bomb threats on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, new restrictions on teaching racial diversity are altering observance of Black History Month. If the legislative trends in states continue, the church may soon be the only place where racial-ethnic histories can be taught authentically. Trouble is, the church already fails to take on the task.
Axios reports: “Since last year, 14 states have imposed such restrictions through legislation, executive actions or commission votes, an Education Week analysis found. … The constraints — under the guise of banning the teaching of critical race theory — limit what some state-supported institutions can discuss about the nation's racial past, Axios' Russell Contreras writes.”
Educators teaching Black history even have received death threats. Now, Axios reports, “35 states have introduced bills or taken other steps to restrict teaching critical race theory — a concept that focuses on the legacy of systemic racism — or limit how teachers can discuss racism and sexism. Elementary school teachers, administrators and college professors have faced fines, physical threats and fear of firing.”
If United Methodist congregations have the courage to tackle the issue, there are plenty of resources available.
For starters, United Methodist Women’s Faith Talks at 2 pm ET Feb. 3 will mark Black History Month with a panel looking at the African disapora and the contributions of African immigrants to the African American story. Host Jennifer Farmer will interview
- Nancy Hagans, RN, and president of the New York State Nurses Association.
- Judith Cutchin, RN, and executive committee member of the New York State Nurses Association.
- Dr. Chioma Oruh, founder and principal consultant at ChiBorn Free.
- Ruth Jeonnel, a doula and Haitian-American immigrant and;
- Dr. Baranda Fermin, interim executive director and lead pastor, Life in Deep Ellum.
The General Commission on Religion and Race offers “29 Ways You Can Participate in Black History Month”. Says the website: “No matter your heritage, culture, or racial background, Black history is EVERYONE’s story.” Among the options:
- Patronize a local or online Black-owned business.
- Attend church, Bible study, or worship at a historically Black church and experience the Gospel from another vantage point.
- Sing hymns or songs during worship by a composer from the African diaspora. Include the history of the song or hymn in the church bulletin or on your website.
- Attend or co-host a Black history or Black culture event in your community, in partnership with a Black congregation.
- Take a church family field trip to a Black history site or museum in your area.
Conspiracy theories rest on apocalyptic narratives
As United Methodist Insight has been documenting for several years now, race also plays a role in far-right conspiracy theories. Writing for The Conversation, American literature and religion professor Christopher Douglas suggests that conspiracy theories stem from Christian “end times” theologies. These are marked by extreme moral dualism that casts one’s political enemies as foes of God, often manipulated by demonic forces.
This view has become prominent in white evangelicalism, leading to some white Christians thinking of themselves as “victims” because people of different religions, races, and ethnicities gain more participation in politics and culture once dominated by white people. Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) has found “ that 18% of Americans believe that the ‘government, media and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex-trafficking operation’ (a core tenet of the QAnon-fueled conspiracy theory). Similar percentages of Americans believe ‘a storm is coming soon’ and that ‘true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.’”
These are some of the attitudes underlying legislation against teaching critical race theory and factual Black history. We find these false narratives all the more reason for churches to observe Black History Month with as much factual information as possible.
Effort to protect oceans announced
The ecumenical organization Creation Justice Ministries is kicking off its new Ocean Equity Collective, a Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC)-led and focused coalition of organizations and people committed to ocean conservation. An online launch event at 5:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 9 will include a panel discussion, a Q&A and time to hear from panelists on their issue areas, including staff from Creation Justice Ministries. Closed captions and Spanish translation will be provided. Register.
While much climate change effort has focused on air pollution and extreme weather, the health of the world’s oceans plays a major role in environmental conditions. Becky Ferreira of VICE reports: “In recent years, more than half of Earth’s oceans have surpassed extreme heat thresholds on a regular basis, a trend linked to human-caused climate change that has sobering implications for marine ecosystems and the many species that rely on them, including our own. Scientists have been tracking the rise of marine heat waves, which are short-lived pulses of intense heat in specific regions, but less is known about the general long-term pattern of extreme marine heat across the entire ocean surface. To bridge this knowledge gap, a pair of marine ecologists built a map of sea surface temperatures that dates back 150 years, which revealed that a 'new normal' of extreme heat in the global oceans began in 2014, according to a study published on Tuesday in PLOS Climate.” Sounds to me like good reason to join the Ocean Equity Collective’s Feb. 9 event.
Meanwhile, 350.org, the godmother of climate change activism co-founded by United Methodist layman Bill McKibben, celebrated a rare environmental victory: “Last week, a court invalidated Biden’s 80-million-acre lease sale for oil drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico – ruling that his administration must consider the climate impacts of oil drilling.”
The folks at 350.org want to build on the momentum of the court ruling, urging climate activists, including faith-based groups and individuals, to take two actions:
2. Call the Department of Interior at 866-834-8040 and demand that Secretary Deb Haaland accept the ruling and not appeal the decision. We’ve included a script for you to follow, but you can also share a message in your own words. Call now »
More climate notes
Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous rodent of Groundhog Day, saw his shadow Feb. 2, meaning we can expect six more weeks of winter according to legend. Historically Phil is right about half the time, so take his prediction with a hefty dose of road salt.
Still, the nation is preparing for another severe winter storm as this column is written. To understand why the warming planet can suffer more snow and ice, check out the article on The Conversation by atmospheric scientist Michael Rawlins from UMass Amherst.
Media Mentions as of Feb. 2, 2022
For tornado-ravaged churches, rebuilding means rethinking - Yahoo News
Rainbow Pride flag set on fire at Sparta church, police investigate - New Jersey Herald
Tree at Centralia Church Memorializes Lewis County COVID Victims | The Daily Chronicle
Mardi Gras group donates to respite ministry | Local News | dothaneagle.com
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.