Anti-racism charter is in the works

The church needs to work at dismantling racial prejudice in society and within its structures, according to a working group of the Council of General Synod that presented to General Synod a proposed Charter for Racial Justice Policies for the church.”This is a time that calls for racial justice,” said Canon Murray Still, an indigenous member of the anti-racism working group, noting “there is racism in our midst.” Presenters related stories of bigotry: one African immigrant to Canada was told “the black church is down the street,” and a native person saw her traditional healing knowledge denigrated.The church is attempting to address racism through the charter, which would commit General Synod to ensure its policies, including hiring, “reflect the principles of equity for all races, colours and cultures.”The group is revising the charter after some criticism from the Council of General Synod last March concerning a commitment to “identify factors that reinforce privilege of whites and prevent full participation of non-whites in the Anglican Church of Canada, including hiring, committee appointments, decision-making.”