This Introductory course is designed for lay leaders who are seeking a stronger understanding of racial justice issues in Canada and within The United Church of Canada.

Dates/Times

Please note these times/dates are still tentative, so we haven't opened registration yet. For that reason we haven't opened registration yet, but you're welcome to go onto the waitlist, and we'll send out an email when all the dates have been confirmed

• Module One -- work on this on your own time. All the activities should be complete by January 26, 2024
  
• Module Two -- work on this on your own time. All the activities should be complete by February 2, 2024
  
• Module Three -- a "live meeting" on Zoom, scheduled for February 6, 2024 at 7pm ET
  • click here to see the Module 3 start times in each of Canada's time zones
• Module Four -- work on this on your own time. All the activities should be complete by February 16, 2024
  
• Module Five -- a "live meeting" on Zoom, scheduled for February 22, 2024 at 7pm ET
  • click here to see the Module 5 start times in each of Canada's time zones

Topics covered will be: Racial identity, History of legalized racism in Canada, Layers of Oppression, White Privilege, Culture of White supremacy, Colonial doctrines, Microaggression.

Why are we meeting in separate groups for these initial sessions? It is because the learning needs of Indigenous and Racialized people are often different from the learning needs of White people. Because of their lived experiences, Indigenous and Racialize people certainly have different day-to-day realities than those of White people. At times, in past educational sessions, these folks were often called on to “educate” White people about racism but did not necessarily have opportunities to do their own learnings. And White people have sometimes felt that the need to self-censor because they did not want to say anything “wrong” in front of a Indigenous or Racialized person, even if they had genuine questions about racial justice. As a result, not everyone was receiving the full educational experience.

The Rev. Dr. Bill Smith, previous Chairperson of the Dismantling White Privilege Working Group, also adds the following, “The White Privilege Working Group realizes that separating into groups along racial lines may be uncomfortable for some and may be seen as an act of segregation.” There is, however, a difference between historical segregation and creating settings by self-identified groups that are beneficial for people to have their own space and conversations. The method used in these racial justice sessions is by self-identified groups and is in response to requests made by people who are Indigenous, racialized, and bi-racial to have their own space for dialogue.