All Saints rector Mike Kinman is on his way to Geneva, Switzerland today to participate in a groundbreaking hearing focused on racism, discrimination, afrophoia and xenophobia. Mike’s presentation is entitled Challenging White Privilege and White Supremacy — and he shared before his departure: “I love that I get to be on a panel with two dear friends … Traci Blackmon and Leah Gunning Francis … as well as the brilliant Dr. Iva Carruthers and the Rev. Karen Georgia A. Thompson. Looking forward to soaking up Spirit and wisdom from this group!”

The program will be live streamed from Geneva on Monday, September 25 from 9-11am CET/1-3am PDT — and we’ll look forward to a report back from Mike when he returns next week.

From the description on the World Council of Churches website:

The experience of people of African descent in the USA: The Hearing is organised by the World Council of Churches, together with the National Council of The Churches of Christ in the USA. It will be an opportunity to learn about the racial discrimination, xenophobia and afrophobia that people of African descent are experiencing in the USA, and acknowledge and reaffirm the role of faith communities as agents of transformative justice in the face of racial injustice.

Keynote address:
Mr Sabelo Gumedze, chairperson, UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (WGEPAD)
Moderator:
Prof. Isabel Apawo Phiri, deputy general secretary, WCC
Panel discussion:
• Dr Iva Carruthers, general secretary, Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference
• Reverend Mike Kinman, rector, All Saints Church
• Reverend Traci Blackmon, executive minister, United Church of Christ
• Dr Leah Gunning Francis, vice president for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis
• Reverend Karen Georgia Thompson, secretary on the Executive Committee and the Governing Board, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA

Moderator: Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, vice-moderator, WCC Central Committee