Learn about the work of the Office for Racial Justice Advocacy

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) professes that racism, in all its forms, is contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, it acknowledges that racism is a reality in both church and society. In faithful witness to the love of Christ, the church is committed to confronting the ideology of racism and racial oppression, working to overcome racism with prayer, discernment and worship-based action. Learn more about the work of the Office for Racial Justice Advocacy.

The Belhar Confession of South Africa

A Witness for the PC(USA)

The 218th General Assembly (2008) approved a resolution to take the first step toward including the Belhar Confession in The Book of Confessions.  The Belhar Confession is a statement of faith and belief that was adopted by the Dutch Reformed Mission Church in South Africa in 1986.  It was written in response to the system of apartheid, a system that was implemented to legalize racial segregation in South Africa. It is a bold statement that the sin of racism, segregation and division must be confronted and calls for unity and reconciliation as marks of faithfulness in the church. [Keep reading]

My Young Adult Intern Year

The 2007-08 Young Adult Interns (l to r): Alexandra Marie Buck, Bridgett N. Cannon, Adam Fischer, Rachel Elizabeth Morris, Irene Pak, Anna McQuere and Tiffany B. Gonzales.

By Irene Pak

“Where are the young adults in this denomination?  How can we find them, attract them?” I am here to present one modest answer. Hidden in the depths of the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, Kentucky, are seven young adults, and in New York one young adult, making an impact on this church. This past year, I had the privilege to be one of them.

I had heard of the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) Program, but I had never heard of the Young Adult Intern (YAI) Program. The Young Adult Intern Program is a leadership development program that provides the opportunity for young adults to work at the General Assembly Council level of the Presbyterian Church for one year in different ministry areas. [Keep reading]

A new dream

Noushin holds a little girl in one of the palapa homes in the village of Dzan, Mexico. Photo by Tiffany Gonzales.

Read the reflection provided by Noushin Darya Framke, chair for the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns (ACREC), on her experience in Merida, Mexico. Noushin traveled there in the fall of 2007 with ACREC committee members for a joint meeting with the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns (ACWC). Together they explored and learned about the driving forces behind immigration, and the impact on those who immigrate as well as on the communities they leave behind.

Not Just Jena’s Problem

Nooses hanging on school campuses and on the back of trucks and hate-filled Web sites publishing addresses of six young black men are symbols not of the past but of the present. In the recent events occurring in Jena, Louisiana, our nation has been issued a wake up call to the depth of racism that still resides in our society. In August of 2006, three nooses were found hanging from a tree at Jena High School after some black students sat under it. This was dismissed as a prank, and those involved were briefly suspended.  A few months later, six black students were arrested after a school fight in which a white student was beaten.  He suffered a concussion and multiple bruises. The six black students were charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy. The charge later was reduced to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated second-degree battery. These students have come to be known as the Jena Six. One of the teenagers, Mychal Bell, was the first to stand trial and was found guilty of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy. [Keep reading]

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