What if changing two small words could make a significant difference in racial justice work?

“If we can get to ‘us and we’ and away from ‘they and them,’ that will speak volumes,” says Darlene Alfred, a United Methodist woman who is a racial justice advocate in her home state of Texas.

Addressing that question, as well as offering action steps to combat racism in the United States is part of the longstanding work of the United Methodist Women (UMW). The Charter for Racial Justice was created and adopted by the Women's Division (now United Methodist Women) of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries in 1978. In 1980, General Conference adopted the charter for the whole denomination and has consecutively readopted it every eight years, most recently in 2016.

“We’ve come a long way and we have a long way to go,” says Emily Jones, executive for racial justice, United Methodist Women (pictured, right). “We celebrate the progress,” says Jones, “but we aren’t naïve about how much farther we have to go to fully live into what God is calling,”

Across the connection, UMW leaders organize discussions, group studies, peaceful protests and other activities in support of the Racial Justice Charter, work that is two-pronged in its approach.

“In what ways are we living faithfully and what ways are we living racist? The internal self-analysis work is so important. And the external work of justice and advocacy is also important as we think about environmental racism, maternal mortality rates, school to prison pipeline and voting rights,” Jones points out.

Alfred (pictured, left) has been at the work for decades, leading youth at her church, as well as an ecumenical group of adults in her community. In addition to her UMW work with racial justice and domestic violence, Alfred is part of a group that brings legislation to local government leaders in support of the initiatives.

“We’re trying to show people that there’s more than one way to do something,” she explains. “When we talk about being pro black, it doesn’t mean that we’re anti anything else or anti everything else. It means we recognize there is an inequity that exists. It’s always been there.

“We all have to remember when God made man, He looked and said, ‘This is good.’ He did not say, ‘This is good enough.’ Lately, we’ve settled for good enough. It’s OK that this person is not doing as well as I am because I’m doing OK.”  Read more>