invitation to reconiliation

In Matthew 18:15-20, Jesus calls us to be reconciled one to another. He goes a step further and promises that when two or more gather in his name, he will be there with us in the process. At Kingo we hear the call of reconciliation and commit to the difficult and necessary work of confronting systemic racism.


Kingo is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The ELCA is the whitest denomination in the United States (Pew Research Center, July 2015). Jesus is calling us to be reconciled and promises to be present with us in the work of dismantling racism wherever it exists, even and especially in the church, in order to take actions toward racial equity and justice in the church and the community.


To begin the process of reconciliation will require that each of us:

  • commit to the sacred work of listening
  • give up the power and privilege of a dominant voice so that all may have power and privilege
  • make reparations
  • remember that repenting is a daily action for the 400+ years of slavery, racism, and systemic injustice

It will take longer than one sermon or a book study to change the demographics of the ELCA. It will take a lifetime of reprentance and reparations in order to be in the process of reconciliation. It will take very single one of us coming together to listen, to pray, to repent, and to repair.


This page will be updated regularly with resources and opportunities to listen, learn, and lean into antiracism work.

EVENTS & Opportunities

Click bold/underlined links below for more information.

  • Click here for an article with links to more than 150 Black-owned businesses.

  • Rachel Elizabeth Cargle's 30-day, self-paced course is designed to be an eye-opener and a call to action for those who seek to be allied to Black women. Daily prompts call the reader to think critically and act tangibly.

  • Kneel for 9 minutes at 5:30 PM seven days a week at the intersection of

    N. Hawley Road & W. Vliet in solidarity and for as long as the protests in Milwaukee continue. Group peacefully assembles in unity to signal a clear demand of elected officials and police departments that Black Lives Matter. 


    Peaceful social disruption, while practicing physical distancing and wearing masks.

BOOKS

Nonfiction, literary fiction, poetry, and drama educate and provide a window into the daily lived experience of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). 

The Brooklyn Public Library created a BLM reading list:


BLACK LIVES MATTER READING LIST FOR ADULTS


** NEW **  Planning to purchase some books? 

Consider supporting a black-owned business, such as Reparations Club, which was one of the featured businesses in a Dec 2019 New York Times article.


Additional suggestion:

The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein


Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the U.S. by Rev. Lenny Duncan


From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century by William A. Dairty Jr. & Kirsten Mullen

PODCASTS / SOCIAL MEDIA

"1619"

Five-part podcast series that examines the long shadow of that fateful moment

400 years ago when a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia.


ABOUT RACE

Reni Eddo-Lodge interviews key voices from the antiracist activism community and addresses the recent history that led to the politics of today. (read or listen)


BRIDGE THE DIVIDE

Hosted by one black woman and one white woman who come from different backgrounds but are united in friendship. Recorded at the Cedarburg Public Library, the discussions focus around racial reconciliation, seeking to identify instances of inequality, foster empathy and educate others to recognize their part in problems and solutions.


CODE SWITCH

Hosted by journalists of color, NPR's podcast about race and identity explores how race impacts every part of society - from politics and pop culture to history, sports, and everything in between. Episodes dating back to 2013.


DRIVING THE GREEN BOOK

BBC broadcaster Alvin Hall hits the road with activist and social justice trainer

Janée Woods Weber for this living history podcast that preserves a powerful legacy and honors the stories of those who lived through the era, supported and uplifted each other, and fought for equality. 


NICE WHITE PARENTS

Five-part podcast about building a better school system, and what gets in the way.


SCENE ON RADIO: SEEING WHITE

Scene on Radio tells stories exploring human experience and American society. 

In Season 2 Seeing White, John Biewen and Chenjerai Kumanyika explore the history and meaning of whiteness.