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Racial Healing Survey Report Prepared by: Tracey Hartmann (hartmant@dolphin.upenn.edu In the spring of 2002 surveys were distributed to The surveys asked questions about parishioners'
experiences and reactions to the racial healing process. For white members, surveys also asked about
their racial attitudes and inter-racial contact experiences. For people of color, the survey asked about
their experiences and perceptions of institutional changes at In addition to the surveys, 16 interviews and other conversations with members of the parish regarding their experiences in the racial healing process were conducted. The goal of this report is to summarize and reflect back to the parish the varied feelings and perceptions that parishioners have about the racial healing process. It is hoped that this report will further dialogue about racial healing in the parish. Participation in
the Racial Healing Process 83 people or 37% of those who had completed the survey had participated in at least one racial healing activity. The activity that drew the most participation was the small racial healing groups. About 15% of participants only participated in a small racial healing group and did not attend other activities. 12% participated in 2 or more racial healing activities. Between 85-90% of survey respondents recalled hearing homilies about racism and 85% read material that AALM put out on the racial healing table in the back of church. People were more likely to participate in the racial healing process if they were: · Women · Older (average age of racial healing participants was 54) · More actively
involved in the parish: White members
who participated averaged 13 years of membership in the parish and were twice
as likely to be involved in other parish ministries then
non-participants. People of color who
participated averaged 16 years of membership at St. Vincent's and were also
more likely to be involved in other ministries at Reasons for NOT
participating: The reasons given by white respondents for not participating in racial healing activities included lack of time, already having worked on these issues in other settings and not being aware of the racial healing activities because they were new to the parish. Also, a number of people mentioned living too far away from the parish to attend activities outside of Sunday morning services. The reasons people of color gave for not participating included: lack of time, having already worked on these issues in other settings, a feeling that nothing would change and that their opinions would not be respected. In addition, some people of color have expressed that racial healing is something that is more important for white members of the parish to engage in than for people of color. In addition, some people who are not of African American or European descent expressed that the racial healing process didn't address their experiences. People of Color:
Reaction/Impact Surveys were received from 31 people of color. The majority of the respondents (22) were
African American. The remaining nine
individuals identified themselves as Latino, Asian American, Native American
or multi-racial. 12 respondents were
men while 19 were women. 18 of the 31
respondents have attended There was a range of reactions to the racial healing process among people of color. Responses ranged from feelings of anger and frustration that the process had only scratched the surface to feelings of hope that the racial healing process had resulted in some positive changes. The multi-ethnic/multi-racial icons were seen as one of the most positive and appreciated changes among people of color. The survey asked people of color to comment on both institutional
and individual changes they have noticed since the racial healing process
began. The institutional changes
included changes in the racial climate, the liturgy and political activism
against racism. They were asked to
rate How do you rate the racial climate at SV? (Rate 1-10, 1-5=less welcoming and 6-10 = very welcoming) 5 and below? 5 6 and above? 18 Has it changed since the racial healing process began? Don't know 8 No 2 Yes 13 How well does SV reflect your cultural style of worship? (Rate 1-10, 1-5=less reflective and 6-10 = very reflective) 5 and below 10 6 and above 15 Has this changed since the racial healing process began? Don't know 9 Yes, less reflective 4 No change 3 Yes, more reflective 8 People of Color:
Reaction/Impact How important is it to you that the worship reflects your cultural style? 5 and below? 5 6 and above? 18 How well does SV challenge institutional racism? (Rate 1-10, 1=less challenging and 10 = very challenging) 5 and below? 6 6 and above? 16 Has this changed since the racial healing process began? Don't know 10 Yes, less activism 2 No change 5 Yes, more activism now 7 How important is it to you that SV challenge institutional racism? 5 and below 3 6 and above 22 In addition to these questions, some respondents added
written comments on the impact they thought the racial healing process had
had on Respondents overwhelmingly approved of the new
multi-ethnic and multi-racial icons in the church-20 of the 31 respondents
expressed approval and appreciation for the icons. Said one respondent "this is the true
meaning of Catholicism". Three
respondents also expressed appreciation for the outreach that There were many people who did not answer these
questions. Therefore, we have to be
cautious about how we interpret the responses. One observation, however, is that there
is support for People of
Color: Personal Changes In addition, the survey asked people of color whether the
racial healing process had personally affected them. Five respondents reported that their
thoughts and feelings about race had changed while seven people said that
they had new insights. Among the new
thoughts, feelings and insights reported were a greater understanding of the
connection between one's faith and responses to racism. Also, two people reported feeling
"more connected" and "more comfortable" at Only one respondent reported having joined a church ministry as a result of the racial healing process. There were concerns raised by two respondents that their opinions or views would not or had not been heard when they had participated in the past. Said one respondent: "I purposefully have not joined for the reason that knowingly, people approach me with a surprise that I have the ability to discuss my opinions respectfully. I don't see the need to bite my tongue and very few people are willing to accept what is reality for most minorities." Ten people said that they had invited friends to join Nine people reported having taken more time to examine and try to overcome their own prejudices. Three people reported having been more outspoken in their workplaces about racism. Again, several people commented that they have been doing this for a long time and did not do it to a greater degree because of the racial healing process. No one had joined an advocacy group or participated in direct action events designed to promote racial justice however, three people had attended meetings about overcoming racism that they would not otherwise have attended. 14 people said they had made friends with a person of another race. However, many said that they have always had friends of other races. It did not happen because of the racial healing process. Concerns of
people of color There were some comments and concerns expressed as well. They included: · A desire to see
more changes in the visuals, music and occasionally, even Afrocentric
liturgies. Said one member "I
guess what I find hard is that people don't realize that · There was a recommendation that the pastoral plan of the Black Catholic Congress be a tool for the next phase of the racial healing process. The Black Catholic Congress encourages parishes to "identify and incorporate cultural symbols, language and experiences [of African Americans] in their parish liturgies". · There was concern that White parishioners would not recognize racial healing as an on-going struggle but want to relax their efforts towards racial healing prematurely. · People of color who are not African American also expressed feeling left out of the process. White
Participants: Personal Changes A series of short answer questions asked white participants and non-participants if they felt the racial healing process had impacted them. The results showed that a majority of people who participated in racial healing activities felt that they had been affected in some way by the process. Also, between 10-30% of people who did not participate in any specific racial healing activity felt affected by the process. Therefore, having homilies about racism as well as reading material available in the back of church (the two efforts that affected a majority of the congregation) have been helpful. Percentage of Yes Responses
The most common change or new insight the people reported was an increased awareness and understanding of white privilege. Said one respondent: "the biggest awakening for me was being made aware of "white" privilege-how insidious it is, how it affects our thinking in the subtlest ways…" However, there were other positive changes reported as well. The following list includes changes that at least four or more people reported experiencing:
White
Participants: Personal Changes White people who participated in racial healing activities were also more likely to:
Therefore, the people who already have some experience thinking and talking about racial issues were most likely to get involved. The process has been less likely to engage people who have less experience addressing racial issues. The written comments of participants suggest that the process may also have heightened participants' awareness of the importance of their own race in their social context and encouraged them to have more inter-racial contact. The survey also asked about inter-racial contact
experiences for whites. Several graphs
are included in the appendix displaying the amount of contact The survey also asked whether white participants had felt changed in other areas of their lives. Following are their responses: Percentage of Yes Responses
Concerns of
white parishioners The majority of comments received about the racial healing process from whites were positive and encouraging, however, there were some negative reactions or feelings expressed as well. The concerns of whites included: · A question regarding the goals of the racial healing process. · Frustration that more people of color didn't participate in the racial healing process and aren't more involved in the parish. · White members of the parish also feel frustrated with each other at times. There are differing views about what racial healing looks like as well as fears of being judged by each other in our progress towards racial healing. The process was described by a few respondents as too "politically correct", too judgmental or conversely too superficial and not challenging enough. · White parishioners also raised the question "Are we trying to become a black church?" This question was raised in reference to the new icons as well as concerns that the parish may move towards changing the style of the liturgy. Again, this report is not intended to answer or address these concerns, but to bring them out into the open so that the parish can have a dialogue about them. Conclusions The African American Leadership Ministry has done a
tremendous job of launching the parish on the road to racial healing. They've invested time and taken risks both
personally and as a committee to engage the parish in racial healing. A large portion of the parish has become
involved and embraced the idea. 91% of
all respondents support on-going racial healing activities in the
parish. In addition, those who
participated felt that they had learned or been challenged by it. 60-70% of the whites
participants who completed the surveys reported that their consciousness had
been raised and that they now think more about racism and white
privilege. Over 50% of the people of
color who responded rated the racial climate of At the same time, a large portion of the parish has not yet participated in the racial healing process and the impact that white members reported has been mostly consciousness-raising. In addition comments from people of color and whites suggest there are differences in how each perceive the success of the racial healing process and that the parish still has racial healing work to do. The racial healing process could become broader and deeper by directly addressing some of the concerns that have been raised. The process has raised questions, anxieties and
frustrations among both white and black members and this is to be expected
when discussions about race and racism occur.
In fact, it demonstrates that the discussions and engagement of people
is real. The courage to honestly offer
concerns and frustrations should be acknowledged and welcomed. These comments only deepen the dialogue and
can be useful to AALM in focusing on the particular areas where One of the questions that has been raised focuses on the issue of our own racial identity as a parish-are we a white church? Are we a black church? Are we a multi-racial church? What does this mean for the appearance of our worship space and our liturgy? One parishioner summarized these questions saying, "How do we integrate cultures for life giving worship?" Opportunities for parish-wide dialogue on this question and other related issues such as integrating different cultural styles into the liturgy could be beneficial. The pastoral plan of the Black Catholic Congress could provide a jumping off point for such a discussion.
Other issues that could benefit from a broader dialogue and discussion include some of the tensions that arise between whites around racial issues including the tendency to judge or distance ourselves from other whites and the concerns about "political correctness". White members who've experienced consciousness-raising in the racial healing process could be supported in working on further action-oriented steps in becoming allies to people of color.
It is also important for the racial healing discussion to
broaden beyond Black/White issues because the limited dialogue can be
hurtful, rather then healing for people who do not identify with either
group. The unique experiences and contributions
of each group should be upheld. At the
same time, the history of Blacks and Native Americans with Whites laid the
foundation for the racism experienced by other groups. African Americans are the majority minority
group in The involvement of people of color in leadership and other activities in the congregation continues to be a concern and frustration among all groups in the parish. Continued efforts to build personal relationships across racial lines could be helpful in understanding and alleviating the barriers for all groups to taking leadership roles in the congregation. In summary, Appendix I. Survey Sample Sex
Age in years
Race People of Color
European Ethnicity
Participation in
the racial healing process
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