Our Covenant with People of Color
Against Racism in America

 The people of Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ in Spokane commit to stand with Black People, Indigenous People, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Hispanic/Latinx People, and all People of Color against interpersonal, societal, and institutional racism. 

As a majority white congregation, most of us have not experienced the pain and trauma of racism. We recognize that apathy and silence contribute to racism and hinder progress toward racial equity.  We want to challenge our complacency and understand those attitudes and assumptions that lead to prejudice and discrimination. We encourage each of us to become aware of our thoughts and actions that enable racism to persist.  We strive to listen, learn and act to dismantle interpersonal, social, and institutional racism.

In that light:

We recognize the history of inhumane and violent actions toward the Indigenous peoples of America, including stolen lands, broken treaties, wars, genocide, and systemic cultural erasure.

We recognize the cruel history of enslavement of Black people in America with its legacy of racism that was re-shaped into Jim Crow laws, lynchings, and legislation that denied Black people in America full human and civil rights guaranteed in the United States Constitution.

We recognize a legacy of racism furthered by public policies and legislation that continue to deny many People of Color in America full human and civil rights guaranteed in the United States Constitution.

We recognize the resulting institutional racism that impacts People of Color every day through discrimination in housing, employment, health care, voting, education, services, and the criminal justice system.  This discrimination compromises the financial, physical, and social well-being of generations of People of Color in America.

We stand with and support organizations that work to diminish and end interpersonal, social, and institutional racism and we join in working on policies, initiatives, and legislation for those purposes.

We stand in solidarity at rallies and protests.  We resist racism in rhetoric, jokes, comments, stereotyping, and tokenism which dehumanize others based upon race.

We lend support to candidates who speak out against racism and who bring true representation to our local, state, and national governmental bodies.

In our lives, we are taught and led every day by Jesus, a Person of Color.  With God’s help and with the confidence that nothing truly separates any of us from the love of God, we seek to do our part to overcome racism and heal the injustices in our society. We, at Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ, are ready to show up with open eyes, open hearts, and open minds to be instruments of transformation for justice and healing.

 Adopted by congregational vote 5/23/2021