WALKING THE LABYRINTH OF RESISTANCE:
RACE, RACISM AND WHITENESS
Report of the retreat of the Voices of Sophia local planning team: April 4-5, 2001
Johanna W.H.van Wijk-Bos
A place
On Saturday, August 4, the local team of the Louisville region, involved in planning the Voices of Sophia Annual Meeting in 2002, met for a retreat to explore theme and logistics of the annual conference. For this two-day experience we had chosen to meet in the same location selected for the conference itself: The Monastery of Immaculate Conception of the Sisters of Saint Benedict in Ferdinand, Indiana. While driving west on I 64 from Louisville through the rolling hills of southern Indiana, the monastery is visible from a good distance as its Byzantine-style sanctuary crowns the hill on which it is built. It looks solid, massive, both from a distance and up-close. The grounds of the monastery are extensive and very pleasant: rolling hills, gardens, and a small lake frame the impressive structures that house the monastery itself. The entire space breathes peace and stillness. The brochure that describes the retreat center of the Monastery states that its atmosphere "fosters a contemplative attitude and calls forth transformation and action." An appropriate place for our planning.
An experience
Twelve of us have come to plan around the theme "Race, Racism and Whiteness" which we chose as the focus of the annual Voices of Sophia 2002 Gathering. We approached our subject with a fair amount of trepidation, already aware of some of the difficulties it entails and preparing ourselves for more unearthing of complexities and painful realities. There was also excitement and eagerness to step into a closer familiarity with a subject that we feel must be explored more fully in our denomination. We knew that Voices of Sophia is the organization that can take on a theme with this particular challenge. In our Illuminations we have clearly issued the call to the church "to be outraged at racism in the church and in the world, to confess the sin of racism which pervades our lives and institutions, and to work toward creating authentic community where persons of every color can speak from the particularity of their experience and enjoy the fullness of human life." (‘95 Illuminations 47) In light of this statement and continuing the challenge laid down by Joan Martin at this year's General Assembly Voices of Sophia breakfast speech, we have settled on the theme of race, racism and whiteness for the annual meeting. Jennifer Harvey, a doctoral student in the field of racial ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, has come to facilitate a process of racial/ethnic awareness with the group. Our other resource person is Mieke Vandersall, Coordinator for Voices of Sophia, who has joined us for the retreat. Mary Kuhns has agreed to facilitate the part of the planning that deals with the logistics of the annual conference.
The grounds of the monastery in Ferdinand contain a labyrinth, laid out in the grass, patterned after the one at Chartres Cathedral in France. These days many people use a labyrinth as a form of walking meditation and we anticipate that participants in the annual gathering will walk the labyrinth at the Monastery in this way. In the Monastery brochure it states that walking the path of the labyrinth makes one "quiet, centered, and more mindful of your actions." Yet, a labyrinth is not an altogether comforting place. Originally it was a structure designed to confuse and bewilder, making it difficult to find the way out or in. Strikingly, the monastery labyrinth is named after Hildegard, the very same who inspired us to name our ‘95 theses Illuminations. Hildegard was a woman of many talents, brilliant, eccentric, independent, not altogether comforting either. And thus many strands of our theme come together in the imagery of Hildgard's labyrinth. To consider the realities and consequence of race, racial constructs, race hatred and oppression certainly involves entering a labyrinth as a maze of difficulty and pain; it also invites us to be "more mindful" in all ways of speaking and acting; and we can do with some of Hildegard's tempestuousness, her fierce dedication and illuminating insights.
To begin our work together, Jennifer set us on the path by checking with us on our initial feelings and concerns and walking through a consideration of "teachings, thoughts, experiences and feelings" about race throughout different stages of our life. Through readings, all of which are listed below, and discussions Jennifer invited us to wrestle with white privilege and to think of our bodies as "wedges used to disrupt the system of privilege."
With each reading and each discussion we entered more deeply into the labyrinth. At times we felt lost, no way to get to the core, at times centered and ready for new ways of seeing and acting. Through working on specific questions regarding whiteness, reading and discussion in small clusters and in the larger group with Jennifer's guidance we began to face the oppressive constructs of race and racism and discovered points of resistance.
A call
On Saturday afternoon we entered another labyrinth, conference logistics. Fortunately we were guided through the maze by Mary and thus made excellent progress. We ended that session in the hope that the next planning period on Sunday morning would see us through the major decisions that needed to be made. As we started on Sunday morning, we came to the discussion with a deep sense of the importance of the issues we are addressing; a heightened awareness made clear that we have made only a beginning and that more time will be needed to complete our process; finally, the conviction predominated that we must be able to both plan adequately and accompany an intensive and theme-focused annual meeting faithfully. In light of all these considerations and after a lengthy discussion we decided that we could not go forward with the planning of this conference with integrity in 2002. Therefore, we will hold this Voices conference in the spring of 2003 rather than 2002, with the theme of "Race, Resistance, Racism and Whiteness." In this way we may be able to model a pace and an approach determined by the importance of the issues involved and follow in Sophia's footsteps by walking along paths of justice with "prudence." With this shift, we issue a call to members of Voices of Sophia and local groups to begin their own work on issues related to race; we encourage members to engage in conversation and action with each other regarding "Race, Resistance, Racism and Whiteness" and to pursue the insight that we need to break the silence around race and racism in order to engage in right action. VOS will provide resources and suggestions for local chapters; if no chapter exists, members are encouraged to gather in groups of three or four in order to prepare for the 2003 annual gathering.
We recognize that many Voices members may be disappointed at the possibility of not having a national meeting in 2002. When walking a labyrinth, one does not control the path; as we have begun to explore our theme we find ourselves on a path that demands integrity, discernment, trust and more time than we had anticipated. We invite you to approach this change with us as an opportunity to connect in new ways and to explore how we may walk the labyrinth of resistance together even at a distance from one another.
CHANGE IS POSSIBLE!
Resources for further education and group discussion. A full list is posted on our website at www.voicesofsophia.org.
Lorde, Audrey. Sister Outsider. Freedom, CA: The Crossing Press, 1984.
Kivel, Paul. Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice. Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1996.
Pratt, Minnie Bruce. Rebellion - Essays 1980-1991. Ithaca: Firebrand Books, 1991.
Segrest, Mab. Memoir of a Race Traitor. Boston: South End Press, 1994.
Tatum, Beverly Daniel. "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" And Other Conversations About Race. New York: Basic Books, 1997.
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