There is an old proverb on the concept of sankofa from the Akan tribe in Ghana that translates loosely to English: “It is not wrong to go back to what you have forgotten.” Derived from the words for “return” (san), “go” (ko) and “seek and take” (fa), sankofa’s symbol is a bird whose feet are planted toward the future, but who looks back to learn from the past.

According to Dr. John Robertson, president of the Nelson Pinder Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians, the Becoming Beloved Community Task Force is working to bring this proverb to life. “To build a future of diversity, we have to look at the lessons learned from the past, just like this old African proverb tells us,” he said.

In a video report for the 2023 Diocesan Convention, the Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer explained the impetus for the task force, which he initiated in February 2022. While anti-racism training is a requirement for every diocesan priest, he believes there is still work to be done. “Our current political and cultural climate is doing its best to divide us. It is clear that our training is inadequate to the task,” he said.

Moving Toward Transformation

Brewer commissioned Robertson and the Rev. Michelle Roach, priest-in-charge of Christ Church, Longwood, to organize a group to meet with each other and then discuss with him the state of race relations in the diocese. From that meeting, the Becoming Beloved Community Task Force was born.

“The job of this task force is the creation of a long-term project that I am sure will go through many iterations and revisions, but at the heart of its work is a commitment to develop a Christ-like approach to race relations among our churches and in our communities,” Brewer said.

Roach, task force chair, explained that the group chose the phrase “beloved community” because it is already being used by The Episcopal Church. The phrase originated with philosopher and theologian Josiah Royce, who founded the Fellowship of Reconciliation in the 20th century. “The Episcopal Church eventually adopted the phrase ‘Becoming Beloved Community’ in 2017 to lead the way to racial reconciliation and healing through spiritual formation rather than through completing a training or implementing a set of programs,” Roach said.

Inspired by the Racial Justice Audit of Episcopal Leadership, the task force is committed to creating transformational rather than transactional experiences to generate change. “Mindsets are difficult to change, which is why we focus on transformation that comes from the heart,” Roach said. “That is living the gospel.”

Based on the feedback from task force members, the group identified several observations and experiences of race relations in the diocese. Some of the themes of racial conflict and challenges identified include stereotyping, feelings of dismissal, economic disparities and historical denials.

“The church is a microcosm of the world. What you see going on in the world has infiltrated our churches,” said Faye Henderson, task force member. “It is easy to forget who we are. We are children of God, and we need to be examples to the world.”

Task force members then identified several ways to counteract the identified issues. They discussed these ideas at the group’s first retreat, held in August 2022, when members engaged in discussions to identify four key topics and corresponding action plans to address racial reconciliation in our diocese: leadership, education and sharing stories. Goals include, but are not limited to, providing educational resources to lay and ordained leaders in our diocese, gathering stories of racial histories for a diocesan archive, fostering relationships with historically Black colleges and universities, and being intentional in the recruitment process to attract more clergy of color to the diocese.

Crossing Cultural Boundaries

One task force member, Lemar Williams, is a fourth-generation Episcopalian. “My daughter could be No. 5, but that decision is going to be up to her,” Williams said. “She might say, ‘Dad, The Episcopal Church is not a place for me because nobody looks like me.’ That should be a problem we all care about regardless of our race.”

Williams believes that fear –  fear of change and fear of differences – lies at the heart of many of our cultural and racial tensions. “But the antidote to fear is relationships,” he said. “We have to build better relationships within our households, communities and churches.”

Henderson agrees. “We have to be intentional, even in our homes,” she said. “We all carry biases and stereotypes. It’s important to acknowledge that so we can move forward.”

“Racism is a disease that needs to be handled by everyone,” said Williams. “It’s inclusive work we need to be a part of regardless of political affiliations or color. Luckily, we have the greatest resource ever created, scripture, as our guide.” Roach explained that Jesus went into the wilderness and crossed cultural boundaries for the sake of the gospel. “That is our call too,” she said. “We must better reflect the communities we serve, but first, our hearts have to be transformed.”

Robertson said that the task force has positioned itself to remain close to our Episcopal heritage by embracing the call to diversity in our baptismal covenant. “Will you seek and serve God in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? I will, with God’s help. Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? I will, with God’s help” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 305).

Robertson added that the task force builds on a long legacy of leaders who have gone before them. “Our UBE predecessors knocked on doors, but many were not open to them. The Becoming Beloved Community Task Force is proactively knocking on those doors again, bringing issues to light, so that the doors can be fully opened this time and so we can live out our baptismal covenant.”

The Becoming Beloved Community Task Force could be seen as a diocesan sankofa bird, looking back so we can enter a future with hope.