DO THE WORK OF JUSTICE
Sarasota County School Board Meetings
Join our team and show up for educators and teachers at the school board meetings. You have the option to speak for public comment, but most importantly, join us as people of faith supporting justice for our schools.
1st Tuesdays @ 6pm
3rd Tuesdays @ 3pm
1960 Landings Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34231
Blessing Bags
We have an ongoing ministry where we prepare Blessing Bags for those we see in need. We hope you’ll join us in preparing and giving out these bags. See more information on our TikTok.
Position Statement
Church of the Trinity Metropolitan Community Church (MCC)
Racism and White Supremacy in America and in the Church
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but the spirit of power, of courage and resolution, to meet difficulties and dangers; the spirit of love which will carry us through opposition.” 2 Timothy 1:7
At Church of the Trinity Metropolitan Community Church, we were founded on the precepts of inclusion, diversity and Christian Social Action. Today, in the face of unprecedented acts of racism and white supremacy in our country, we find ourselves called to look inside ourselves and find a way to stand in the place where we should be . . . with the peaceful protesters, taking a knee, listening to the stories of African American people, crying with the mothers who have lost their sons and daughters, and grieving with the daughters and sons who have lost their fathers and mothers.
We stand in the place where we should be . . .
Searching and learning how to face our own white privilege and racists actions.
Confessing the times that we have turned the other way or were tone deaf, just because we could.
Lending our voices of whiteness and privilege to move toward the dismantling of racist systems and structures that plague this nation at every turn.
Walking with those who feel that no matter how many black lives are lost, no one is listening.
Offering our hearts with compassion in such a way that we become more and more aware of our need to denounce white privilege in all its forms.
Investing time and effort in our own education about racism and white supremacy so as not to make it incumbent on black people to teach us.
Standing with and beside our black siblings in every moment because we see them and appreciate their worth.
Speaking out against anything that would cause our black siblings to say, “I Can’t Breathe.”
We take our place in following Jesus by saying a “Holy NO” to any who might use religion or our houses of worship to sell goods and ideas that are for their own purposes. We recommit ourselves to walking humbly, remaining prayerful, and always seeking justice for the least of these.
“Open the gates of justice! I will enter and tell the Lord how thankful I am.” Psalm 118:19
EMMA E. BOOKER TEACHER WISH LIST
We had so much fun working with Emma E. Booker Elementary School that we would love to continue to help! Linked HERE is the Amazon Wish List for their wonderful teachers; just click on a teacher's name, purchase an item from the list, and it will be delivered right to the school!
Anti-Racism Resources & Action Items for White People
It is never too late to start taking action and educating yourself.
To Read:
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack (13 min essay)
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism (9 min article)
The Myth of Reverse Racism (1 min read)
Becoming Trustworthy White Allies (8 min read)
For Our White Friends Desiring To Be Allies (5 min read)
No, We Won’t Calm Down - Tone Policing (comic)
When Spiritual Bypassing Meets Racism Meets Gaslighting (6 min article)
Entrepreneurship: The Ultimate White Privilege? (4 min article)
Why White Lady Sisterhood Needs to Evolve (5 min article)
Countering Racism & Oppression in Holistic Healing (6 min read)
How Do You Know if You’re Spiritually Bypassing? (5 min article)
I need to talk to spiritual white women about white supremacy (15 min open letter)
I need to talk to spiritual white women about white supremacy (Part Two) (10 min open letter)
Facing Race, Equity & Diversity in the Coaching Industry: 10 Considerations (10 min list)
What’s My Complicity? Talking White Fragility (7 min article)
How to Decolonize Your Yoga Practice (4 min read)
Me and White Supremacy (NYT Best Selling Book, by Layla Saad)
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism (book by Robin DiAngelo, PhD)
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (book by Michelle Alexander)
To WatcH:
Race Forward: Education on Systemic Racism (1 min videos)
Why is this Happening? - an introduction to police brutality from 100 Year Hoodie
How to tell someone they sound racist (3 min video)
TEDx: Coming to Terms With Racism’s Inertia: Ancestral Accountability - Rachel Cargle (13 min video)
To Listen (Podcasts):
To Support & Learn:
How to Pay Your Teachers for Emotional Labor
Find out your intersectionality score! (calculator)
The Great Unlearn Community (resources/critical discourse)
To Take Action:
Petitions and other Information
Donate to #BlackLivesMatter (you can also search for your local chapter)
To Explore:
Rachel Ricketts’ anti-racism resources
75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
To Follow:
DID YOU HEAR WHAT HAPPENED IN BOSTON?
In Boston, during a verbal dispute, an unarmed teenage boy was forcefully hit in the head with the butt of a weapon by local law enforcement.
Word of the incident spread quickly, and a large number of locals gathered in the street where the incident had happened to protest almost immediately.
As the crowd grew, angry protesters shouted slogans; some business owners, fearing property damage, shut their doors. The local authorities called for uniformed backup; backup came, well-armed.
The assembly was deemed "unlawful," and the crowd was ordered to disperse. The protesters began to throw dirt clods in response.In response, multiple uniformed law enforcers fired on the crowd. The first protester to die was a black man and the authorities justified the shooting by claiming that they "feared for their lives".
The year was 1770, the authorities were British soldiers, the protest would later be called the Boston Massacre, and the first protester killed in that conflict was Crispus Attucks, a black man considered by many to be a heroic American patriot and the first casualty of the American Revolution.
If, while reading this story, you found yourself siding with the authorities and thinking that the protesters should have dispersed when ordered, and/or that the protesters armed with dirt and sticks deserved to be met with deadly force by armed law enforcement, be aware that you chose the side of the tyrant King George III, not the American patriots.
Ponder that.
WANT TO LEARN MORE? READ:
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
Waking Up White by Debbie Irving