Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Racial Justice Statement
We proclaim that we are all created in God’s image and that God has called us all “good.” That God, through Jesus, gathers us together as diverse and equally beloved children. That the Holy Spirit through the gospel compels us to follow Jesus’ reconciling footsteps toward racial justice.
Those of us who are people of color or indigenous suffer injustice when these truths are not lived out in God’s world. Those of us who are white are entwined in a network of unearned privilege that distances us from the fullness of humanity and from God. We all acknowledge that standing in silence strengthens racism and violence. Given these beliefs, we confess all these sins and strive to be the beloved community to which we are called.
We understand that the call to racial justice applies to us as individuals, as participants in institutions like Holy Trinity, and in larger systems in our world. We take responsibility to use a “racial justice lens” to look at the ways in which racism and white privilege shape our congregational life and our interface with our community.
Holy Trinity has had a long history of involvement in social justice, racial justice work, and, more recently, identifying white privilege. Yet, we know that there is more for us to do to ensure that all elements of our congregational life reflect equity and justice.
Be it resolved: Following the inclusive and reconciling footsteps of Jesus, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church publicly declares that we will actively pursue racial justice in all aspects of our congregational life and make changes to better align our practices to being a racially just, beloved community.
Community Partners
Below are examples of community organizations we partner with in our racial justice work.
CTUL (Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Luches)
CAIR MN (Council on American-Islamic Relations in Minnesota)
MIGIZI, a local agency that supports the educational, social, economic, and cultural development of Indigenous youth
Mother St. James AME
Pangea World Theater
Recent racial justice activites and efforts:
- Laying groundwork and acting on racial reparations for individual congregants and for our congregation as an organization. Read about the work our Indigenous Rights Task Force has undertaken.
- Hosting 1-2 worships a year with JustMove. Topics have included microagressions and white supremacy culture.
Interested in getting involved in racial justice at Holy Trinity?
Email or call the office (612-729-8358) and you’ll be directed to a member leader who can assist you.
Resources for group discussion:
Dialogues on Race available through Spark House
I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown. An eye-opening account of growing up black, Christian, and female in middle class white America
Dear Church by Lenny Duncan. Written by a formerly incarcerated Black preacher in the ELCA who draws a link between the church’s lack of diversity and the church’s lack of vitality
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates based on an extended letter to the author’s son that exposes a new framework for understanding our nation’s history and the current racial crisis
Articles, documentaries, podcasts, videos:
The following is a partial list of resources sent weekly to Holy Trinity participants in the ACTION Project – an interdenominational year-long anti-racism program led by Rev. Jia Starr Brown.
“The History of American Policing” NPR, 64 min. listen
“Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable” Video by Luvvie Ajayi Jones, 10 min 54 sec
“Christian Privilege Check List” Samuel Killerman
“Millennials Show Us What ‘Old’ Looks Like | Disrupt Aging” AARP, 4 min 8 sec video
Resources for Parents and Caregivers:
Embracerace.org and from that website “8 Tips for Talking to Your Child about Racial Injustice.”
Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism by CNN and Sesame Street Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Tolerance.org website – Affirming Black Lives Without Introducing Trauma
Resources for Children:
A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara (also on Youtube read by the author)
The Proudest Blue-A Story of Hijab and Family by Ibtihaj Muhammad (also on Youtube)
Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis by Jabari Asim
Whoever You Are by Mem Fox (also on Youtube)
Check out other initiatives under our website “Justice” tab such as Caring for Creation, Immigration, Indigenous Rights, Palestine-Israel, LGBTQIA+, Affordable Housing, and George Floyd.
