Racial Justice

The United Church of Canada has a long history of engagement with social justice issues, rooted in the social gospel movement of the early 20th century. Building on this tradition, the 37th General Council in 2000 recognized the need to address racism within and outside ourselves, and adopted the Anti-Racism Policy That All May Be One.

Racism is a system of oppression fed by individual and collective attitudes, and by actions that discriminate against, oppress, exclude, and limit minoritized people on the basis of race and/or the colour of their skin. It is also a system of privilege that gives White people in North America unearned economic, social, political, and cultural advantages.

Racism can inhibit those who experience it from realizing their full human potential. It affects us all through privilege or oppression-intentionally or not-and through our complicity in systems that maintain a status quo based on colonialism and paternalism.

As people of colour, we struggle with internalized racism and a society that does not always welcome us. As White people, we struggle with recognizing our unspoken guilt, and with dismantling White privilege in ourselves and our communities.

The journey toward racial justice is ongoing. This policy is but one step in the journey; we hope you will participate in, and create, many more. As you read and share the anti-racism policy, consider how you might deepen and apply your understanding of racism in your own context.