UILX1104S25

$99.99 CAD

Suggested Amount
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
This item includes:
6 On-your-own hours
3 Live sessions

Introduction to Racial Justice for White Lay Leaders - Spring 2025

May 19 - June 20, 2025

English ‎(en)‎
UILX1104S25

$99.99 CAD

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
This item includes:
6 On-your-own hours
3 Live sessions

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

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.

Cost

The tuition fee for the Introductory course is $99.99. If you are a lay person or a Licensed Lay Worship Leader, please pay this amount.

In some Provinces, employers may not charge employees for mandatory educational programs. Accordingly, if you are Ministry Personnel, you're welcome to adjust the fee to $0 when you check out, if you choose to. If you choose to contribute to the costs of offering these courses anyway, thank you!

Waiting List

All of these courses are offered 3-4 times a year, and we leave these course descriptions visible even if future dates or curriculum isn't completely finalized to the point where we can accept registrations yet. If the program you'd like to take is showing "Join the waiting list", you're welcome to add your name to the list. We'll notify everyone on the list once registration opens.