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Educating to end racism

Dave Borowski | Catholic Herald

Fr. Henry Sands, executive director of the Black and Indian Mission Office of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, delivers the keynote address at the peace and Justice Commission conference on racism Sept. 5 at Marymount University in Arlington.

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While many in the Washington metropolitan area were enjoying
one last weekend of summer, dozens of people came to
Marymount University in Arlington Sept. 5 to hear speakers
talk about ways to combat racism. The conference theme, “Race
Relations: Educating to End Racism and Build Solidarity,”
brought together experts and parish social justice activists
to help find a way to end racism.

The morning began with Mass celebrated in the Chapel of the
Sacred Heart Chapel of Mary Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde.

The bishop said that racism is not something new. He said
that the U.S. bishops recognized this when they released
“Brothers and Sisters to Us.” Their 1979 pastoral letter on
racism in 1979. The letter said that while great strides have
been made, much of what has been done “has only been a
covering over.” The bishop said that changes to laws and
policies are important, but “hearts have to change too.”

Bishop Loverde urged all to be like Pope Francis and embrace
the poor, the marginalized and the outcast.

Participants moved to the Reinsch Auditorium for the main
program.

The keynote speaker was Father Henry Sands, executive
director of the Black and Indian Mission Office of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops. He succeeds Father Wayne
Paysse.

Father Sands, a Native American and member of the Ojibway,
Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes who spoke of his youth and
experience with racism.

As a child, he remembered a Native American funeral being
halted when it was discovered the man was to be buried in a
white cemetery.

He said that at the time, Native Americans were seen as
children, needing to be taken care of, or demonized.

“We were seen as not fully human,” he said.

Father Sands also talked about “white privilege,” a term that
means people with white skin enjoy certain rights not
afforded to people of color.

“It actually exists,” said Father Sands, “(although) people
don’t want to admit it’s real.”

Father Sands called racial anxiety “the elephant in the
center of the room.” He said that in order to solve racism,
we need to talk about it. We need to “rule and transform the
elephant in the room into a house pet.”

There is an “in-group bias” that helps to cause prejudice,
said Father Sands. The bias is the special treatment and
positive feeling we afford to people who we decide are in our
group.

Father Sands defined prejudice as a negative attitude toward
a group of people simply because of membership in that group;
stereotype, generalizing about a group by assigning identical
characteristics to all members of the group regardless of
reality; and discrimination, a negative or harmful action
toward a member of a group simply because of membership in
that group.

After the keynote address, a panel discussion on racism was
held with Father Sands, Deacon Al Douglas Turner, retired
director of the Office of Black Catholics of the Archdiocese
of Washington, and Maria Hamm, director, Hispanic Life and
Leadership Development of the Archdiocese of Washington. The
panel was moderated by Father Gerry Creedon, chairman of the
Peace and Justice Commission and pastor of Holy Family Church
in Woodbridge.

Hamm talked about experiencing racism as a Hispanic youth,
but overcoming it.

“If you know who you are, you can stand up to it better,” she
said.

Deacon Turner said that people need to confront “white
privilege” and face up to the reality of racism.

Talking about racism was seen as a start in the process of
respect and inclusion.

As Deacon Turner said, “racism will not be healed until we
have an honest conversation. We’re not there yet.”

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