RICHMOND, June 29 - The Committee on Mission Coordination and Budgets repeatedly adjusted the thermostat on the "Climate for Change Report" of a task force from the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns (ACREC), and as a result didn't finish Tuesday's business until 7 p.m.
"I remind you that we are here because of the absence of people of color in the upper management offices (of the denomination)," said the Rev. Curtis Jones, a task force member who also is executive director of the denomination's Office of Black Congregational Enhancement.
The committee eventually amended and approved a recommendation that the Assembly create a position to ensure that PC(USA) policies include equal-employment opportunity and affirmative-action principles and offer staff training in "cultural proficiency." Jones said the task force felt that creating such a staff position would address what the task force's report called failures of "inclusiveness" and "representation" and "systemic misuse of privilege and entitlement."
The committee did not approve the task force's suggestion that the term "racial-ethnic" be replaced in denominational communications with "emerging majority." A similar item having to do with Native Americans - changing that designation to "First Nation" - was withdrawn from the report at the request of two speakers who said Presbyterian Native Americans were not consulted about the change. |
