Celebrating a Quarter Century of Racial Justice Ministry

Posted by: Susan Russell November 7, 2017 Events

A quarter-century is no small milestone; it’s one worthy of an all-out celebration! That is just what the Racial Justice Ministry is looking forward to on November 19th from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. in Sweetland Hall, honoring 25 years of service to All Saints Church Pasadena.

While All Saints has long been committed to addressing injustice, a group of dedicated individuals came together under the auspices of “Black and White Together” to further cross-cultural dialogue. When civil unrest threatened to tear the city apart in the aftermath of the 1992 verdict that acquitted four LAPD officers of assaulting Rodney King, that core group of peace and justice-minded congregants and clergy formed COLORS, Christians Offering Love to Overcome Racism.

As All Saints continued to welcome more parishioners of color, COLORS began community outreach with programs such as Night Basketball and Books, and events such as a Multi-Cultural Choir concert. Members of COLORS joined with the larger All Saints community in issuing a clear directive on addressing racial injustice in our community and nationally with the Racial Justice Resolution, adopted by the All Saints vestry in May of 2016. In order to align with the points and action items set forth in the Resolution, the members agreed to rebrand as the Racial Justice Ministry, to more clearly and explicitly reflect the work that will see All Saints and the wider community through the coming years.

Please join the Racial Justice Ministry for a luncheon and celebration on this auspicious occasion. We are honored to have All Saints parishioners Hilda Boulware and Jenny Watts as our keynote speakers, sharing their narratives about their respective relationships to the enslavement of Africans; Hilda as a descendent of enslaved people, and Jenny as the descendent of enslavers. We’ll have a feast provided by the non-profit Share a Meal, (khalsapeacecorps.org), and Mike Kinman will offer the invocation. Let’s celebrate the vibrancy of our ministry as we communally commit to the work ahead as defined by our mission statement and resolution.