JEDI Group (formerly Racial Justice and LGBTQ+ Inclusion Groups)

JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Group

The JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Group combines the former Racial Justice Group and the LGBTQ+ Inclusion Task Force. The name change reflects the group’s broader mission to love and serve all people.

JEDI Group Leader: Dick Swaisgood

Staff Liaison: Pastor Lara Forbes

Meetings: Fourth Wednesday, 7:00 pm

On this webpage….

Current Opportunities

Please join our work!  Contact chair Dick Swaisgood to get involved.

JEDI Group Statement (Approved at the group’s April 2023 meeting)

Statement:
At Saint Andrew’s we take our mission statement seriously- “to Love and Serve All People”. Saint Andrew’s stands in support of BIPOC (Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other People of Color) and LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Plus) communities.
Recognizing the systemic racism, racial inequality, homophobia, and transphobia in our community and nation, we acknowledge that we cannot remain silent, nor can we sit idly by. Remaining silent only contributes to injustice.

Learn More by Viewing These Discipleship Hour Forums

• March 19, 2023 | Film Discussion ~ we watched and discussed the film “Roosevelt High School: Beyond Black & White”, a documentary about race and education based on the experiences of Seattle’s Roosevelt High School yesterday and today
• October 16, 2022 | “A Noose: The Meaning, Horror, and History” ~ we delved into the subject of and lead meaningful discussion around the historical context of noose incidents across the U.S. and in our local communities, and the anti-racist work we are called to do in order to heal from and prevent further racially-motivated harassment and threats. A list of resources used for the presentation is on the page with the recording.
• June 12, 2022 | “Juneteenth” ~ we learned about Juneteenth and our place with this National Holiday.
• February 13, 2022 | “Japanese-American WWII Incarceration” ~ a look at what we were taught at school about these “Japanese Internment Camps”, and listened with compassionate hearts to the testimonies of survivors.
• November 7, 2021 | “Examining Native American Justice” ~ an exploration of Native American Justice and a look at the history of the Fish Wars
• October 17, 2021 | “LGBTQ+ Inclusion” ~ a review of the steps Saint Andrew’s has already taken and presentation and discussion of the proposed Statement of Inclusion
• May 16, 2021 | We discussed “Who is Our Neighbor?” and specific actions we can take (updated November 2022)
• April 18, 2021 | “LGBTQ+ Reconciliation: Speakers Bureau” ~ this Forum featured people from the LGBTQ+ community and those whose congregations have been through the Reconciling in Christ (RIC) process.
• March 7, 2021 | “What the Bible Does and Does Not Say About LGBTQ+” ~ an examination of Biblical and theological perspectives.
• February 28, 2021 | “Racial Justice” ~ The Racial Justice Group shared why this work is important, why the group was created, and what our goals are.
• February 14, 2021 | “Love is Love” ~ a brief history and insight into the LGBTQ+ community and the long battle for civil rights. Notes from February 14 Forum
• September 27, 2020 | “Introduction to Reconciling in Christ” ~ an introduction to the ELCA’s program of Reconciling in Christ and a broad overview of the process to become a Reconciled in Christ congregation.

Book and Movie Suggestions

Book Suggestions:

The Hate You Give by Emmanuel Acho
A young black student from a poor neighborhood who attends a prep school in an affluent area finds her uneasy life balance further disrupted when she witnesses her childhood friend being shot by a police officer. Caught in the middle of the subsequent turmoil, she is forced to look inside herself and figure out just where she stands in her young life. Based on a book of the same name by Angie Thomas.

Movie Suggestions:

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho
In Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man, Acho takes on all the questions, large and small, insensitive and taboo, many white Americans are afraid to ask―yet which all Americans need the answers to, now more than ever. With the same open-hearted generosity that has made his video series a phenomenon, Acho explains the vital core of such fraught concepts as white privilege, cultural appropriation, and “reverse racism.” In his own words, he provides a space of compassion and understanding in a discussion that can lack both. He asks only for the reader’s curiosity―but along the way, he will galvanize all of us to join the antiracist fight.

Background Information

For background information, visit these pages: