An opportunity for connection and conversation among people of color in the diocesan community is coming up on March 8, and the co-chairs of the Racial Justice Commission’s Subcommittee on Support for BIPOC Communities and Individuals are hoping for a virtual full house.
The online gathering takes place on Tuesday, March 8, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. (register here for the Zoom link).
BIPOC Support Subcommittee Co-chairs:The Rev. Diane Wong and Claudette Hunt
“We are hoping that when we say ‘BIPOC’ that Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Latinx people, Asians—all will feel invited to come and participate,” the Rev. Diane Wong of St. John’s Church in Arlington said in a Zoom interview with her subcommittee co-chair, Claudette Hunt of St. Andrew’s Church in Ayer.
“Hopefully not too far in the future, some time this year, we can plan another event where everybody can join, but March 8 is strictly for BIPOCs,” Wong said. “A goal is for the BIPOCs in our diocese to start to get to know one another and to build community.”
The event follows from a lunchtime drop-in gathering held for BIPOC clergy and delegates at Diocesan Convention last November, and is the first such event for BIPOC members of the diocesan community at large.
“Given that it will be a first time for some of the people we anticipate participating, we want to make sure they feel like they are in a zone where they can talk freely about some of the positives and negatives they might be experiencing within their community,” Hunt said.
“We have gotten requests from priests within the diocese asking us to help them, because persons of color who might be the only ones in their congregation have asked the question: How can we connect with other people of color in the diocese?” Hunt said. “So what we’re trying to do is broaden the umbrella so that we can accommodate people across the diocese that might just have a desire to connect with other people within their affinity group. It’s about making sure that people understand that they’re not all alone.”
The March 8 event will be informal, with time for both large and small group conversations.
“It’s really an occasion for people to get to know each other,” Wong said. “We also want to to hear from them about what their expectations and aspirations might be for our subcommittee so that we can plan and set out goals more appropriately.”
The Subcommittee on Support for BIPOC Communities and Individuals is one of five under the auspices of the diocesan Racial Justice Commission. Its focus is support for both individuals—including BIPOC leaders in primarily white communities—and communal support for historically Black churches, immigrant communities, Latino communities and communities of color.
“Insofar as the Racial Justice Commission and the BIPOC Support Subcommittee goes, what we’re trying to do is ensure that we’re getting the voices of people from the BIPOC community into the strategy for the diocese at large,” Hunt said.
Wong described the subcommittee’s initial focus as “working at the level of personal interaction” rather than at a structural or programmatic level. “Both are important. From a personal level, we can further inform what the bigger picture should include,” she said.
“What we’re really doing is hearing from and representing the voices in the pews,” Hunt added. “We need each other’s participation.”
Sign up to attend the March 8 gathering for BIPOC members of the diocesan community here. Questions may be directed to the co-chairs: Claudette Hunt at claudettehunt@aol.com and the Rev. Diane Wong at dianeckwong@gmail.com.