Executive Board provides safe place to explore racism, dismantle white privilege

April 23, 2003

Contact: Laurie L. Oswald (316) 283-5100, E-mail:

by Laurie L. Oswald

NEWTON, Kan. (MC USA) - As Elaine Bryant, executive board member, spoke during an introductory anti-racism workshop April 13 about her struggles to find an apartment in St. Louis, Mo., in the 1960s, Mennonite Church USA Executive Board members grew quiet and reflective.

Kenyetta Aduma, director of the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board Office of Cross Cultural Relations, and Sue Miller, Executive Board member from Middlebury, Ind., participate in an introductory anti-racism workshop April 13 at the denominational offices in Newton, Kan.

The board had discussed racism and watched a video on the subject. But it was Bryant's story that most deeply struck them, some board members said. The board ended April 11-13 board meetings in Newton with the workshop, led by Bryant and four other board and staff members.

"Elaine's story really hit home in a new way," said Harold Miller, board member from Corning, N.Y. "No longer was I reading about racism, or seeing it on television. Here I was in the same room with someone telling me face-to-face about the pain of racism in her own life, and that hugely impacted me."

Bryant's storytelling followed the watching of a video, "True Colors," an ABC Prime Time television program from 1993. An ABC crew with anchor Diane Sawyer sent a white man and black man into St. Louis to rent an apartment, to buy a car and to purchase shoes. On hidden cameras, the crew captured how the white man in each instance was given preferential treatment, based on a societal system of white privilege.

"As I was watching the video about St. Louis, I had a de-ja vu experience," said Bryant, now a resident of Chicago. "We had moved to St. Louis, and I was eight months pregnant. We had been given a list of places where we could rent an apartment. But as we looked at these places, we ran into all kinds of challenges.

"First we were told we would have to put down two months rent as a deposit. We said we had that, but that wasn't enough. We were then told we had to put down a deposit for the carpet."

The video and sharing were part of the workshop, which explored the theme, "Racism is real, racism is present. I'm either part of the problem or part of the solution." The board discussed how Mennonites have benefited from racism in the past by willingly buying land taken illegally from Native Americans and by not using their power and position to protest slavery or Jim Crow laws. Today, Mennonites benefit economically in a variety of ways.

Mennonite Church USA Executive Board members participate in an introductory anti-racism workshop April 13 in the denominational offices in Newton, Kan. From left, some participants are Ed Rempel, board member from Littleton, Colo; Ron Byler associate executive director for the Executive Board; Kenyetta Aduma, director of the Executive Board Office of Cross Cultural Relations; and Sue Miller, board member from Middlebury, Ind.

"Racism is a systemic power problem, and Mennonite Church USA must work diligently and continually to be anti-racist," said Susan Mark Landis, another workshop leader and peace advocate for the Executive Board. "Being anti-racist is not a matter of correcting prejudice attitudes or being intentionally multicultural in worship. It's a willingness to dismantle white privilege."

Those joining Landis and Bryant in helping the board to begin to dismantle white privilege were Kenyetta Aduma, director of the Executive Board Office of Cross-Cultural Relations; Roy Williams, at-large board member and nominated for MC USA moderator-elect; Ron Byler, associate executive director of the Executive Board; and Jim Schrag, executive director of the Executive Board. They led the board in sharing in large and small groups and writing down personal thoughts. Reflection questions included: "What do you hear about racism in our society? What are your personal resistances to working on this issue?" Board members Jane Hoober Peifer from Lancaster, Pa., and Leslie Francisco III from Hampton, Va., gave input to the material but were not present at the meeting.

Board members shared what they've heard about racism -- whether true or false -- including that those who belong to the majority ethnic group of a nation tend to be oblivious that racism exists; that racism exists only in big cities; that racism is less of a problem today and therefore we don't need to spend so much energy on it; that one often hears the statement "I am not racist"; that we are working hard at putting different racial-ethnic groups on our church boards; and that having separate racial-ethnic groups in the church exacerbates racism.

After large-group sharing, Schrag offered personal reflections by using the Matthew 5 story of Jairus and his sick daughter.

"Jairus was the man in charge of the synagogue, and I have some similarities with Jairus," Schrag said. "He had one daughter. I have three. ... I can feel his utter dismay at being out-of-control with his little girl. He would probably risk it all if God would grant life to his little daughter.

"I wonder if the crowd parted for Jairus -- because of his privilege -- when he came to ask Jesus to come heal his daughter. ... Humility is something we must have. I know that people make way for me when I speak, and I must know that I am blind to that privilege."

Schrag gave an example of white privilege when he caused a car accident with an African-American man in Cleveland in 1988.

Sharon w.: Sharon Waltner, member of Mennonite Church USA Executive Board from Parker, S.D., participates in the board's introductory anti-racism workshop April 13 at MC USA's denominational offices in Newton, Kan.

"When we got to the police station, the white police officer didn't ask to see any of my papers, even when I explained to him that it was my fault," Schrag said. "Instead, he demanded to see the insurance documents of the black man. He gave that man a dressing down and said nothing to me for having caused the accident. That situation clearly included white privilege and bigotry, and I was the benefactor."

Schrag listed some of his hopes in dismantling racism in MC USA, including the fact that Jesus is our Lord and model; that we are beginning to develop strong leaders of color; that people of color on our board are willing to share; and that MC USA has named racism as an issue and has set goals for dealing with it. After the workshop, Bryant said she believes MC USA is meeting some of those goals.

"I am so grateful that our church is making efforts to speak the truth in love because our world seems to be getting more bold and hard-hearted in racism and is taking us back to bygone eras," Bryant said. "But the sincerity I see in leadership for dealing with these issues in our church has really helped develop trust and helps me be as transparent as I can be. And it's one of the reasons I remain in the Mennonite Church.

"Christians have access to Jesus, the one who can change hearts and minds. And as Mennonites -- because of our emphasis on being Christ's disciples and living as he lived -- we have a strong foundation from which we can speak out and act out on the issue." Photos available.

Laurie L. Oswald is news service director for Mennonite Church USA.