A Letter from Rev. Graham McCaffrey
Written on June 10, 2020
"I write to you amid rather uncertain times. Not only are we grappling with a once in a century pandemic which has altered daily life beyond recognition but we are also witnessing a moment in history where the ancient evils of racism and white supremacy are being brought into the light and challenged all across the world."
Click here to read more:
https://gracechurchscarborough.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Anti-Racism-Letter-2020.docx
Letter to the Diocese from Bishop Andrew Asbil
Posted on June 5, 2020
"Racism is a sin. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about the three evils that plague society: racism, poverty and war. He went on to say, “…And we must face the hard fact that many Americans would like to have a nation which is a democracy for white Americans but simultaneously a dictatorship over black Americans. We must face the fact that we still have much to do in the area of race relations.”"
Click here to read more:
https://www.toronto.anglican.ca/2020/06/05/letter-to-the-diocese-from-bishop-andrew-asbil-june-5/
“Our own house is not in order”: Bishops issue statement on confronting racism
Written June 8, 2020
Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada have issued a statement to remind everyone of the Church’s commitment to confronting racism in its own life and acknowledging the place of racism and colonialism in Canada. They have stated that “this commitment needs to be renewed daily”.
Read the Episcopal Statement here:
https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/Statement-on-Racism-R2.pdf
Church leaders acknowledge the racism in their midst
Posted on June 2, 2020
The Primate, along with leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and The United Church of Canada, has issued a joint letter in response to recent events of anti-Black racism which have taken place across North America.
Read the joint letter here:
https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/ELCIC-ACC-UCC-JOINT-LETTER-Racism.pdf
From the Primate: Lament and mourn today - and seek change tomorrow
Posted June 1, 2020
"Sometimes there is a certain Canadian smugness expressed when we see the dire situation of our neighbour to the south. We shake our heads and express dismay at the level of racial violence that periodically emerges there while feeling a sense of relief that, of course, this does not happen in Canada. But it does."
Read the full article here: https://www.anglicanjournal.com/from-the-primate-lament-and-mourn/
Call for churches to do more to address anti-Black racism
Posted March 20, 2020
Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the Anglican Church of Canada, and The United Church of Canada have issued a joint letter recognizing the International Decade for People of African Descent and committing to our call upon churches to do more to address anti-Black racism and to uphold the main objectives of the International Decade for People of African Descent.
The letter commits these churches to “gather and share resources that encourage conversations across our churches, facilitate deeper understanding of human rights and help eradicate racism. We hope to work with a variety of people who share these objectives, including our interfaith partners.”
Read the joint letter here:
https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/ELCIC-ACC-UCC-Joint-letter-ENG.pdf
A Charter for Racial Justice in the Anglican Church of Canada
Received by the Council of General Synod in March 2004
with slight modifications by the The Anti-Racism Working Group.
"As members of the Anglican Church of Canada, we strive continuously to be faithful to our life in Jesus Christ that we embraced at our baptism. We are learning that one of our strengths as a church lies in our diversity and in our commitment to eliminate systemic and individual racism, whether intended or not. We are called to be a church where people will have the assurance that they will be treated with dignity and respect, and where they will find a community that is determined to be free of racism."
Read the full document here: https://www.anglican.ca/about/ccc/cogs/arwg/charter/
