The Racial Justice Issue Team's mission is to promote racial justice within the Marianist Family, the Church and the world, with a keen awareness of our own individual need for “conversion of hearts, minds and institutions to address the evil of racism that still exists in our communities" (Open Wide Our Hearts, USCCB). Providing spaces and pathways to be challenged and engage conversation towards a goal of transformation, we hold one another accountable and seek accountability beyond ourselves. We encounter this work in community and through collaboration. 

Our Mission

Racial Justice Issue Team

Volunteer!

Any interest in learning more about or joining this issue team?

Facilitating Difficult Conversations

Initiate Engagement with SM Office of Education & Office of Sponsorship and FMI Office of Education

JUNETEENTH RACIAL JUSTICE DIALOGUE EVENTS

The Racial Justice Team has put together a guide for anyone who will be leading a discussion about the topic of racism, or any other group dialogue about sensitive topics. We encourage all Marianists to be mindful of the guidance in this document as they lead in a group setting. This resource is meant to accompany training, and the Racial Justice Team is leading the next virtual training on Thursday, December 7th. More details and register here!

PODCAST DIALOGUE ON RACIAL JUSTICE FOR MARIANIST FAMILY

Systemic Racism Training & Follow Up

Facilitating Difficult Conversations

Facilitating Difficult Conversations
Racial Justice Resource

Systemic Racism Training and Follow Up

Initiate Engagement with SM Office of Education & Office of Sponsorship and FMI Office of Education

JUNETEENTH RACIAL JUSTICE DIALOGUE EVENTS

The Racial Justice Team, in coordination with MSJC’s Steering Committee, organized an anti-racist training facilitated by Crossroads Antiracism Organizing and Training in February of 2022. As a group, participants: 
  • Discussed systemic racism and its relationship to white dominant culture in the US
  • Used a framework and common language to assess our current status 
  • Stated discussing strategic work that our organizations and Family will need to do to dismantle systemic racism
 

PODCAST DIALOGUE ON RACIAL JUSTICE FOR MARIANIST FAMILY

Systemic Racism Training & Follow Up

MSJC and the Racial Justice Issue Team have since hosted follow-up conversations to focus on next steps for our organization as we pursue this anti-racist work. The Racial Justice Team and MSJC’s ongoing hope is to identify barriers, provide tools to overcome these barriers, and develop leadership for the effort. We will continue to update our community as we move forward on this.

Facilitating Difficult Conversations

Podcast Dialogue on Racial Justice for the Marianist Family

The Racial Justice Team has offered the Seeing White podcast series and dialogue for the Marianist Family to engage in more intentional, internal conversations and provide more space for conversion of hearts in regard to racial equity. It is helpful for us as as family to hold the mirror up to our own shortcomings and opportunities for growth and intentional invitation to address the evil of racism that still exists in our communities. 

This program has now been run with five different cohorts and the Racial Justice Team is working to create follow up programming for past participants. 

Initiate Engagement with SM Office of Education & Office of Sponsorship and FMI Office of Education

JUNETEENTH RACIAL JUSTICE DIALOGUE EVENTS

PODCAST DIALOGUE ON RACIAL JUSTICE FOR MARIANIST FAMILY

Systemic Racism Training & Follow Up

Facilitating Difficult Conversations

Juneteenth Racial Justice Dialogue Event

The MSJC Racial Justice Issue Team has hosted events to commemorate Juneteenth, the day African Americans celebrate their freedom from slavery. These events have invited participants to join in sharing prayer, songs and dialogue focused on overcoming racism. The experience has been inspiring, challenging, and reflective.
 
Please see resources below from our past Juneteenth programs on how you can start doing the work of overcoming racism: 

Initiate Engagement with SM Office of Education & Office of Sponsorship and FMI Office of Education

JUNETEENTH RACIAL JUSTICE DIALOGUE EVENTS

PODCAST DIALOGUE ON RACIAL JUSTICE FOR MARIANIST FAMILY

Systemic Racism Training & Follow Up

Facilitating Difficult Conversations

Initiate Engagement with SM Office of Education & Office of Sponsorship and FMI Office of Education

The Racial Justice Issue Team is exploring ways our Marianist institutions are and/or could be living out the Church's mission of racial justice. Similar to how some Marianist schools have successfully addressed environmental sustainability efforts, we feel racial justice could become an integral part of how we talk about and do things at an institutional level. 

Initiate Engagement with SM Office of Education & Office of Sponsorship and FMI Office of Education

JUNETEENTH RACIAL JUSTICE DIALOGUE EVENTS

PODCAST DIALOGUE ON RACIAL JUSTICE FOR MARIANIST FAMILY

Systemic Racism Training & Follow Up

Facilitating Difficult Conversations

Our Current Projects

Particularly in advocating for racial justice, we acknowledge there is a personal ownership needed. We have to name our own implicit bias, become attentive to societal constructs that benefit some and oppress others and develop right relationships that call us to true community. 
 
The Marianist Family has a gift for forming community and it’s important that we have intentionality around advocating with and for those on the margins. We know the conversation must start within us, both as individuals but also as the Marianist Family. The initial work is internal. If we do this reflection, research and action well together, then our collective gift to the world as a Marianist Family will be amplified. 

Why is the Marianist Family called to work on this issue?