Black History Month in the United Church

 

                                                    Black History Month poster from 2020

This is the first day of Black History Month and I'm pondering what that means in our Canadian context, and for those of us who are Christians. The emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States last year after the murder by police of George Floyd had repercussions in Canada and countries around the world with protests against racial injustice. 

The United Church of Canada made a commitment to become an anti-racist denomination, to intentionally work toward addressing racial injustice in what has traditionally been a white church. As someone who has spent a lifetime in the UCC , including nearly 40 years in pastoral ministry, I know that issues of racism have been addressed with opposition to apartheid in South Africa, the election of a Black moderator, Wilbur Howard, in 1974, and anti-racism training for clergy. The new General Secretary of the United Church, Rev. Michael Blair, is the first Black person in that position. I sense that there is a greater resolve in this recent initiative, beyond "virtue signalling". I am concerned that  the pandemic restrictions may mean that it is harder to raise awareness without in-person worship and study opportunities. 

                      Wilbur Howard at the 26th General Council in 1974, where he was elected moderator. (Credit: Observer files)

Beginning this month and through 2021 a group of six Black young adults in the UCC will tell their stories and provide leadership for conversation in the church. The introduction to this work offers: 

 It isn’t hard to rhyme off statistics that show racism is alive and well. For example, third-generation Black Canadians make about $32,000 a year compared with the $48,000 earned by those who aren’t a visible minority. While 94 percent of young Black Canadians want to complete a university degree, just 60 percent think it is possible. And Black Canadians are more likely than any other racial group in Canada to be the victims of hate crime, perhaps not surprising considering the last segregated school in Canada didn’t shut its doors until 1983.February is Black History Month. Since 1996, Canadians have set aside this time to recognize the realities faced by people of African descent and honour their contributions.

We can all ask what we might do to become better informed about Black History in Canada, and to examine what may be our racist assumptions. We can also find out what our congregations are planning to do to uphold and honour the stories of Black people in our United Church in this month and through the year.  

Here is the link to a Broadview Magazine article about Wilbur Howard.  

https://broadview.org/the-first-black-moderator-of-the-united-church-faced-racism-that-still-resonates-today/

                                                         Rev Michael Blair -- UCC General Secretary