2022 Resolution #3:
Task Force on Truth Telling, Reckoning, and Healing

Status

This proposed resolution has been reviewed by the Committee on Resolutions and is in its final form.  The committee intends to report it to the Convention for its consideration.

Resolved, That the 173rd Convention of the Diocese of California affirms the work of the Racial Reconciliation Task Force of 2009 and Resolutions A125, A126, A127, and A129 of the 80th General Convention;

​Resolved, That this Convention hereby establishes a Task Force on Truth Telling, Reckoning, and Healing, to be appointed by the Bishop or the Bishop’s designee, to plan for the implementation of these four resolutions of General Convention within the diocese; and

Resolved, That the Task Force shall consult with the Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice established by A125 and with the Canon for Diocesan Finance, and shall report its recommendations and plans for further action to Diocesan Convention in 2024.

​​Explanation:

Our Baptismal Covenant calls us to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” To fulfill that covenant and continue the work of becoming Beloved Community, this task force would plan the continuation of work from our diocese’s Racial Reconciliation Task Force of 2009 and General Convention. This task force is a next step in a much larger, on-going body of work.

This year, at the 80th General Convention, the Presiding Officers’ Working Group on Truth Telling, Reckoning, and Healing proposed resolutions to further the work of becoming Beloved Community.

• 2022-A125 established the Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice as a voluntary association for this ongoing work.

• 2022-A126 called for a review of language in the Book of Common Prayer and The Hymnal 1982.

• 2022-A127 drew our attention to the intergenerational trauma caused by the oppression of Indigenous peoples.

• 2022-A129 urged dioceses to research their historical financial ties to slavery and racial injustices.

• The working group’s report also included numerous recommendations for dioceses and individual congregations to participate in this work.

In our diocese in 2009, the Racial Reconciliation Task Force was charged to “study the complicity of the Diocese in the institution of transatlantic slavery and to disclose any direct or indirect economic benefits to the Diocese resulting from slavery, slave owners, and slave related activities.” The resulting report illuminated our history and made recommendations for further work. In particular, the task force noted that oppression is not limited to African Americans, and recommended further study of our complicity in other racist and discriminatory policies.

If passed, the Task Force on Truth Telling, Reckoning, and Healing would be charged to consider and recommend specific next steps for our diocese. Building on the work that has already been done, the task force can assess the specific needs of our diocese and develop actionable plans for future work (e.g. timeline, budget), including assessing what resources and skills would be needed to complete those projects. Future work may include further research into the diocese’s history, analysis of any financial impact of discriminatory policies on the diocese, or the development of additional resources. The task force can also collaborate and share information with other groups within the diocese of California and similar groups in other dioceses, and aggregate relevant resources from outside the church.