The history of racial oppression in the United States is complicated and challenging.  When we consider the federal government’s unfulfilled promise of land redistribution after slavery by way of 40 Acres and a Mule, we also must think about whose land the 40 acres actually belonged to.  This month, we will attempt to address the legacy of historic, systemic oppression by considering the implications of the intersections between our last two Second Tuesday Race Forum meetings: Reparations in March, and Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples in April.  We will look at both the cooperation between African Americans and Native Americans, and the challenges of being pitted against each other.  How do we all heal and move toward Right Relationship and systemic change?

Accessing the Forum
Please remember to come into the church from the large parking lot on the north side of the church that is accessible off of Glencoe St, that is just east of the church. The door to the church you should use is the one that opens onto that parking lot. If you have passengers with mobility difficulties, you can pull up to that entrance and then park in the lot or on the street. We will be meeting downstairs in the Youth Lounge this month. Take the stairs to the right side just inside the door, or the elevator in the short hallway across from the entrance.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Many of you have heard that Park Hill United Methodist Church is now a sanctuary location with a family currently seeking refuge there.  Security has been enhanced as we continue to be welcomed to use the building for our meetings.  We can only enter the building from the parking lot where someone will be there to open the door for us.  You may not be able to gain access if you are more than 45 minutes late.

This month we will explore reparations for slavery.  The concept of 40 acres and a mule comes from General William T. Sherman’s Special Field Order No.15 issued on January 16, 1865.  This redistribution promise was overturned by Lincoln’s successor Andrew Johnson.  The United States has never fully addressed the consequences of government sponsored subjugation and the waves of repression that followed the end of the Civil War.
A panel will help us look at the case for reparations, various models for remedy, and what we can do today.
A critical question continues to be what kinds of attitudes would have to exist in American society as a whole for us to actually have a reparations program get inaugurated?  The idea is being raised and discussed even by a Presidential candidate. Channel 7 recently interviewed some members of our Forum who are making personal investments in reparations. You are invited to see two of these segments here.

Accessing the Forum
Please remember to come into the church from the large parking lot on the north side of the church that is accessible off of Glencoe St, that is just east of the church. The door to the church you should use is the one that opens onto that parking lot. If you have passengers with mobility difficulties, you can pull up to that entrance and then park in the lot or on the street. We will be meeting in the Sanctuary Parlor this month, on the first floor through the doors on the left just after you enter from the parking lot. Do not go down the stairs.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Many of you have heard that Park Hill United Methodist Church is now a sanctuary location with a family currently seeking refuge there.  Security has been enhanced as we continue to be welcomed to use the building for our meetings.  We can only enter the building from the parking lot where someone will be there to open the door for us.  You may not be able to gain access if you are more than 45 minutes late.

All it takes for despair to triumph is for fake news and propaganda to shed an iota of doubt on real news.  If there is any doubt at all, fabricated information can trump real information.  In the U.S., we are being challenged not only by people who are believing and passing on demonstrably false information, but even more so by those who have the authority and leadership to set us back decades, if not more.  Those who believe in human rights are feeling betrayed by this.  How can we strengthen ourselves to deal with the problems of injustice without demonizing the person with whom we disagree or have an entirely different interpretation?  How do we sustain ourselves and our personal health/wellbeing when we are confronted with misleading stories?  How do we effectively move forward with hope?
To see an example of popular misinformation, click here to see a video commentator seek to debunk the concept of white privilege.  Then watch this video of the Temptations’ song "Ball of Confusion" that was written 49 years ago and think how relevant it still is today.

Accessing the Forum
Please remember to come into the church from the large parking lot on the north side of the church that is accessible off of Glencoe St, that is just east of the church. The door to the church you should use is the one that opens onto that parking lot. If you have passengers with mobility difficulties, you can pull up to that entrance and then park in the lot or on the street. We will be meeting downstairs in the youth lounge this month.  Go down the stairs right inside the door, or take the elevator in the short hallway to the lower level.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Many of you have heard that Park Hill United Methodist Church is now a sanctuary location with a family currently seeking refuge there.  Security has been enhanced as we continue to be welcomed to use the building for our meetings.  We can only enter the building from the parking lot where someone will be there to open the door for us.  You may not be able to gain access if you are more than 45 minutes late.

The Second Tuesday Race Forum meets on the second Tuesday of each month from September to June at the Park Hill United Methodist Church at Montview Blvd and Glencoe St. in Denver. Here is a link to a map on Google:   https://goo.gl/maps/oekAR4UReYn
If you are not on our mailing list and would like to be, please go to this link and follow the directions to register to our list:
http://eepurl.com/dcnLN5

Please join us at the Second Tuesday Race Forum, held Tuesday January 8th at 7 PM at the Park Hill United Methodist Church at Montview Blvd and Glencoe St. in Denver. Entrance and accessibility information can be found at the bottom of this announcement.

Transformative Storytelling

Storytelling has long been used as a means of connecting and healing. At the start of this new year, we pause to reflect, through storytelling, on who we are, what we’ve been taught about who/how we are supposed to be, and how we have broken free from social conditioning or societal expectations. Using an intersectional lens, we will consider stories that span whatever social identities are significant for you. Join us for story sharing, listening, learning, and suggestions for stepping into your own unique self, more fully, in 2019.

Accessing the Forum
Please remember to come into the church from the large parking lot on the north side of the church that is accessible off of Glencoe St, that is just east of the church. The door to the church you should use is the one that opens onto that parking lot. If you have passengers with mobility difficulties, you can pull up to that entrance and then park in the lot or on the street. We will be meeting downstairs in the youth lounge this month. Go down the stairs right inside the door, or take the elevator in the short hallway to the lower level.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Many of you have heard that Park Hill United Methodist Church is now a sanctuary location with a family currently seeking refuge there. Security has been enhanced as we continue to be welcomed to use the building for our meetings. We can only enter the building from the parking lot where someone will be there to open the door for us. You may not be able to gain access if you are more than 45 minutes late.