Racial Justice

At St. Paul & St. Andrew, we are actively working to become a multi-ethnic, anti-racist community.

St. Paul & St. Andrew’s racial justice work began when members together read Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God by the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas. That study group then challenged the congregation in worship through liturgy and personal testimony. The group led three thought-provoking community conversations and learning sessions on white privilege, un-doing racism, and New York City’s historic dependency on slavery to become an economic power. St. Paul & St. Andrew and B’nai Jeshurun launched a joint Racial Justice Initiative, beginning with a book study of Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. We held a joint racial justice Shabbat service in the wake of the 2017 presidential election.

More recently, St. Paul & St. Andrew and B’nai Jeshurun have formed a leadership team from among the active participants in the book studies. Our shared goal is to effectively collaborate with partner organizations to undo racism and bring greater justice through advocacy, direct service, and ongoing education.

In addition to the Racial Justice Initiative, we have created the Anti-Racism Taskforce, whose role is to create a structured and programmatic response to white supremacy that is focused on St. Paul & St. Andrew, both as an institution and then individually. Through training sessions, study, and worship, as well as an historic audit of our own church and denomination, we hope to do the hard work to live into the reality of being an anti-racist community.

To join us in this vital work, click here.