Too Few in Quantity, Big in Quality
“I had hoped that the white moderate would see this need. Perhaps I was too optimistic; perhaps I expected too much. I suppose I should have realized that few members of the oppressor race can understand the deep groans and passionate yearnings of the oppressed race, and still fewer have the vision to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent and determined action. I am thankful, however, that some of our white brothers in the South have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and committed themselves to it. They are still all too few in quantity, but they are big in quality.”
How are we doing on “quality” if we were to measure up to what Martin Luther King, Jr. observed about his own white siblings who sought racial equity and the ending of oppression for those who identify with racially oppressed groups in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail? “They are still all too few in quality, but they are big in quality,” King Jr. writes.
On MLK day, which this year was Monday, January 15th, the synod office was officially closed in observance of the holiday. While I was off, I noticed many weren’t. As a culture, we savor the glorious, traditional end and beginning of summer. Working through Memorial Day or Labor Day is often avoided if at all possible. And yet, here is a federal holiday that provides hit or miss time in or out of the office.
In a way, I felt slightly guilty of taking a day that so many don’t observe. You might be wondering - why then, do you take it off? Our office is closed on federal holidays. If you were to look at your congregation’s personnel policies - which holidays are observed? Which ones are missed? Our office is closed as a way of shifting the institution in at least one small way toward racial equity. MLK day is not just for one portion of the population. It’s for all of us. It’s for the whole community.
And yet, I asked myself what I would do to honor the spirit of the day. So part of the day was spent re-reading King’s writing and reflecting on the ways our synod is striving to do something… anything… to work at dismantling systemic racism.
We are not all white in the territory of the ECSW - although we are mostly comprised of people who would identify as white in majority of our congregations. Our church does not reflect the demography of the places we live. If you pull up census info for Green Bay, for example, 72.3% of the population identifies as white alone. Here’s the other data for Green Bay:
17.1% - Hispanic or Latino
10.5% - Two or more races
4.2% - Black or African American
4.1% - Asian
3.2% - American Indian or Alaska Native
Let’s also look at neighboring Shawano County, where I live in a small, rural town. Of the 40,886 people estimated to live in all of Shawano County in 2022:
87.5% - White
8.9% - American Indian or Alaska Native
3.3% - Hispanic or Latino
2.4% - Two or more races
.6% - Black or African American
.6% - Asian
.1% - Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
How do we work on either “quality” or “quantity” in our synod life together as we endeavor to live out the baptismal commitment to the work of justice and peace in all the earth?
At the time of this writing, some of our rostered ministers are engaging in continuing education lead by the ECSW’s racial equity team. Going through the resource, “Now is the Time,” our rostered ministers are reflecting on systems of oppression and the church’s relationship to racism. This is hard an important work. It’s hard to prioritize the time. It’s hard to be vulnerable in conversations and trust colleagues. It’s hard because the work is not always fully understood - or even appreciated. But that’s why it’s important.
The Racial Equity Team of the ECSW was born out of multiple resolutions passed at synod assembly. The racial equity team is always looking for new energy because the work is complex and non-linear. Do you want to learn more but don’t know where to start? Are you looking for people to talk to about the work of racial equity? Think about joining the synod’s team?
The Letter MLK write from Birmingham Jail was written to “my fellow clergymen.” MLK writes, “In spite of my shattered dreams, I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just grievances could reach the power structure. I had hoped that each of you would understand. But again I have been disappointed.”
While the shaping of all of society’s institutions is not possible, what is possible, within our scope - is the shaping of the churches and the synod that we embody in this time. Could we imagine moving the needle by looking at something small, like our personnel policies, to give them a read through for ways that we can move even just a little toward racial equity? Could we imagine creating space on council agendas to ask the question about ways to improve inclusion across the board? What big changes could we make over time if we didn’t lose focus on the call of Christ, “to love our neighbors as ourselves”? (Mark 12:30-31)
MLK would have been 95 years old yesterday. How can we be guided by his legacy and informed by his work - that we might endeavor to be “quality” until we are “quantity?”
Rev. Jenn Pockat
Associate to the Bishop
Director for Communication and Community
