Racial Justice

All of us are affected by racism in America, and God invites all of us into the holy struggle of changing our society. While concern for social justice has always been part of Cedar Ridge’s identity, ten years ago we recognized the need for greater urgency and intent around racial justice. Since that time we have sought to educate ourselves about the causes and impacts of racism at all levels of our society through documentaries, book studies, workshops, and difficult conversations. We continue to explore the implications of white dominant culture within our own church community, as well as pursing opportunities to promote racial justice in our local environment, with a particular focus on public education, and the justice system.

In 2022, Cedar Ridge engaged the internationally renowned racial justice consultant Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell to help us chart a path to greater diversity, equity and inclusion within our community. As part of this process, we held a series of Becoming A Beloved Community gatherings during January, February and March 2023 to receive input from our whole church on how we can make love and justice pervade every part of our life and work together. The notes from these meetings can be found here. Recommendations are being integrated into our plans and processes.

Concern for racial justice is core to our identity as a community committed to following the way of Jesus. Through various events throughout the year, we seek to deepen our awareness and understanding of historic and current racial issues that cause pain and inequities in our community and in society as a whole. We seek to create a brave and inclusive space where we can have open and honest dialogue about race so we can better understand the significance of diversity in the world, and empower and equip our community to live out God’s vision of peace and justice. Areas of particular focus for us include racial inequity in public education, and racial bias in the justice system.