Sacred Ground

Join us for the
‘Sacred Ground’ Dialog Series!

What is ‘Sacred Ground?’

“Sacred Ground” is a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. The series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.

Why Should I Join?

“Sacred Ground” is part of “Becoming Beloved Community,” the Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, ministries and society. During and in between these sessions we will:

  • Come together in community around these important topics.
  • Learn more about our nation’s and our own histories.
  • Provide a safe place for each other to explore the reality and impact of these histories in our lives.

What is the Program Schedule?

There are 11, two-hour sessions which will be held Thursday evenings, every other week beginning Feb. 2, 2023. Most sessions will be via Zoom, with several to be held at the church.

Every Other Thursday
Feb. 2–June 22
Via Zoom and in the Church

FOR MORE INFO

Program Features

HIGHLIGHTS

  • The program is a combination of readings/films in preparation for each session. The
    sessions themselves are primarily dedicated to creating small groups for participants to
    discuss and process the material for themselves.
  • There is a time commitment. It will vary depending on how much a person wants to put
    into it.
  • Sessions will be conducted mostly virtual using Zoom. Several in-person sessions will be
    at the church and those dates are to-be-determined.
  • The meetings will be every other Thursday, beginning Feb. 2 and ending June 22,
    2023. (See the dates below.)
  • We will start at 7 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m.
  • This is an active-learning program. Participants will be encouraged to engage the
    material. There will be opportunities to share, but no pressure to.
  • Program Format:
    – Review of materials provided in advance of each session
    – Session Format: 1) Brief Plenary Opening, 2) Small Group Discussions (majority of time), 3) Plenary Closing
  • A primary goal is to provide a safe space for participants to engage their best thinking on the material. This will be grounded in mutual respect, confidentiality, and an agreed-upon program covenant.
  • Technical assistance with Zoom is available if needed.
  • We expect that over the time period planned that some people might miss several
    meetings. That is expected.

SCHEDULE – Thursdays, 7–8:30 p.m.

Feb. 2, Feb.16, March 2, March 16, March 30, April 13, April 27, May 11, May 25, June
8, June 22

COURSE SUMMARY CONTENT

  • Session 1: Stepping onto Sacred Ground – introduction to Becoming Beloved Community;
    race/racism
  • Session 2: The Roots of Whiteness, and Deeper Roots
  • Session 3: Whose Land? Exploring Indigenous History
  • Session 4: Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery: Exploring Black History
  • Session 5: Whose Land? More Layers: Exploring Latino History
  • Session 6: Americans, Not Foreigners: Exploring Asian/Pacific American History
  • Session 7: Selective Access to the Melting Pot and the American Dream: 1830s-1960s –
    Emphasis on the Jim Crow era up to Civil Rights of the 60’s
  • Session 8: Divisions in Present-Day White America
  • Session 9: Legacies: Racism’s Long Life – Present day perspectives/challenges regarding
    indigenous peoples
  • Session 10: Grief, Reckoning and Repentance
  • Session 11: Walk On: The Journey After Sacred Ground

LINK TO SACRED GROUND WEBSITE: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/sacred-ground/