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
- Module One -- work on this on your own time. All the activities should be complete by May 23, 2025
- Module Two -- work on this on your own time. All the activities should be complete by May 30, 2025
- Module Three -- a "live meeting" on Zoom, scheduled for June 3, 2025 at 7pm ET
- Module Four -- work on this on your own time. All the activities should be complete by June 13, 2025
- Module Five -- a "live meeting" on Zoom, scheduled for June 17, 2025 at 7pm ET
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.
