The events of 2020, including the protests surrounding the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the growth of #BlackLivesMatter, have made many of us examine the cultures of our camps and retreat centers as we relate to race and racism. Recognizing this need, UMCRM created a monthly gathering for camp and retreat professionals to have a place to learn about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) values and practices in our ministries. Using this knowledge, this group will develop tools and strategies to help all UMCRM ministries grow in DEI literacy and practice.
Earlier this month, 20 UMCRM professionals met with Dr. Carmen Phelps, the lead DEI and Racial Equity Consultant for Project 986 Consulting. Dr. Phelps comes to UMCRM through support from the Legacy of Leadership Fund. She brings over 20 years of experience partnering with various organizations to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion values. She will walk alongside this learning/volunteer group over the next six months or more.
The most recent educational session with Dr. Phelps was a starting point for our future discussions. As an introduction to anti-racism work, participants reviewed key terminology and concepts so everyone would have a shared language for future conversations. Dr. Phelps then led the group in a gallery tour of the history of the cultural, societal, and economic status of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) in the United States. The overview spanned from the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to the British colonies, through Emancipation and Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Movement, up through current social justice movements. Dr. Phelps also provided a framework of levels of racism and ways we interact with these in our everyday life, including examples ranging from microaggressions to structural racism baked into systems of government, education and housing policies, and the church. The exercise helped the group tap into both the facts and feelings surrounding white racism in our society.
Meeting monthly, this group of professionals will continue to grow in our work to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in UMC camp/retreat ministries. No matter where you or your program is on the journey, you are invited to engage in this work and join this group. The next steps include developing shared principles, solidifying a vision and mission for the group, and focusing our efforts in the short term so we will have concrete action steps to implement for summer 2021.
To join this group of colleagues in dedicated time for learning and creating sharable resources for the whole UMCRM community around anti-racism, email jessica.gamache@umcrm.org to express your interest.
John Spelman is Executive Director of Aldersgate Camp and Retreat Center in Rhode Island, where he has integrated a social justice focus into the center's programming. This summer John and the Aldersgate summer staff created an amazing Anti-Racism Series of educational videos on their YouTube channel.
