c. 2008 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Ever since Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., parted ways in May, churches across the country have been talking about race.

The Rev. Linda Jaramillo, 60, is the executive minister of justice and witness ministries for the United Church of Christ _ which Obama called home until Wright’s fiery sermons became too hot to handle.

From the UCC’s national offices in Cleveland, Jaramillo oversees what her denomination calls Sacred Conversations on Race. Because UCC congregations are autonomous, no one knows how many have undertaken these conversations, but she said the National Council of Churches and other denominations have endorsed the project.

Jaramillo, who was ordained in 2005, talked about sacred settings for talking about race. Her comments have been edited for length and clarity.

Q: What actual forms have these conversations taken?

A: Some have been actual circles of conversation. Some have been preaching and teaching, Bible and book studies, multicultural worship experiences, adult and children’s education programs.

Q: Why have them in churches?

A: Sacred space is safe, a place where we’re compelled to be accepting and loving. These conversations can be provocative, challenging and, at times, less than friendly.

Q: What makes a church a safe setting for such a conversation?

A: Church sometimes isn’t safe for a lot of folks. But we can use what we know about Jesus Christ and his ministry. He showed us how to challenge injustice. What’s safe for me is infusing prayer into the process of the conversation and keeping forgiveness and confession at the front to relieve some of the anxiety and anger.

Q: What about congregations that are not diverse? Is there any point in their talking about racism?

A: You don’t have to have racial diversity to have the conversation. No matter who we are, we have to look at racism. An all-white group can explore what it means to be a person living in privilege and how that plays out across the system. People of color can talk about how we have internalized the oppression. Do we accept it, live with it, how should we speak about it?

Q: How do you move from conversation to action?

A: You enter the conversation wherever you can. I think of it as a continuum. There are people for whom racism has never been part of their reality, and those who have been engaged in fighting it for most of their lives. The bottom line is that relationships come first, then understanding and education and working for systemic change and social justice.

Q: The United Church of Christ has a liberal reputation. Does it include people who don’t believe that racism warrants a conversation?

A: Yes. We’ve heard from some of them. We have to realize how deeply embedded racism is. It is an American tradition. All we need to do is look at our history.

Q: Does guilt have a role in these conversations?

A: Guilt can provoke us to move, but otherwise it doesn’t serve us very well. We need to move beyond it and take responsibility.

(Nancy Haught writes for The Oregonian in Portland, Ore.)

KRE/PH END HAUGHT

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