The Acts of Convention

House of Deputies

The House of Deputies Committee on Racial Justice and Reconciliation presented its Report #27 on Resolution A052 (Revise the Mandate of the Executive Council Committee on Anti-Racism and Reconciliation) and moved adoption with amendment.

Original Text of Resolution:

(A052)

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,

That the mandate for the Executive Council Committee on Anti-Racism & Reconciliation is hereby clarified as follows:

“This Committee is charged with supporting and monitoring the Church’s work in response to General Convention resolutions directed at dismantling racism and promoting racial healing, justice, and reconciliation in the Church by:

a) helping the church recognize and develop its work of racial healing, justice, and reconciliation as a fundamental and requisite part of Christian formation;

b) supporting the work of Becoming Beloved Community: The Episcopal Church’s Long-Term Commitment to Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation and other such initiatives the Presiding Officers, Executive Council, or Interim Bodies develop;

c) recommending, in collaboration with staff and other church organizations, resources and best practices for dismantling racism and for promoting racial healing, justice, and reconciliation that can be adapted to different contexts;

d) collecting information from dioceses and provinces about their successes and challenges in complying with the canonical requirements and with General Convention Resolution 2018-A045 for providing anti-racism training;

e) and sharing their findings with Executive Council on an annual basis.

Membership of the Executive Council Committee on Anti-Racism & Reconciliation shall be composed of:

one person named by the governing body of each province of this Church who has been trained in doing the work of dismantling racism and seeking to foster racial healing, justice, and reconciliation, has demonstrated experience in anti-racism/racial reconciliation work, has demonstrated the ability to make connections with people in their geographic area who do this work, and has demonstrated a commitment to make connections with people in the provinces who do this work;

one member of the Executive Council as appointed by the Chair and Vice-Chair of Executive Council;

one Bishop as appointed by the Presiding Officers;

members named who are from the racial or ethnic groups of black, Latino/a, Asian, Native American/Indigenous, and non-Hispanic white to ensure representation of diverse racial and ethnic voices on this Committee - if there are none, then the Chair and Vice-Chair of Executive Council shall appoint a member at large from each unrepresented racial or ethnic group;

a member named who is under 40, to ensure representation of multiple generations - if there are no members then the Chair and Vice-Chair of Executive Council shall appoint a member at large from each unrepresented generational group.

Members shall serve terms as follows:

Each Committee member shall serve one triennium beginning January 1 in the year following each General Convention until the December 31 following the next General Convention. Members may be named to serve consecutive terms by their provinces.

In the event that a province fails to name a person to serve on the Committee by [sic] January 1, when each term begins, the Chair and Vice-Chair of Executive Council shall appoint a qualified person from that province to serve on the Committee.

Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original members were named. Vacancies in excess of 30 days shall be filled by the Chair and Vice-Chair of Executive Council, and in the case of a Bishop vacancy, by the Chair of Executive Council.”

Committee Amendment:

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,

That the mandate for the Executive Council Committee on Anti-Racism & Reconciliation is hereby clarified as follows:

“This Committee is charged with supporting and monitoring the Church’s work in response to General Convention resolutions directed at dismantling racism and promoting racial healing, justice, and reconciliation in the Church by:

a) helping the church recognize and develop its work of racial healing, justice, and reconciliation as a fundamental and requisite part of Christian formation;

b) supporting the work of Becoming Beloved Community: The Episcopal Church’s Long-Term Commitment to Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation and other such initiatives the Presiding Officers, Executive Council, or Interim Bodies develop, and also the work of the Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice;

c) recommending, in collaboration with staff and other church organizations, resources and best practices for dismantling racism and for promoting racial healing, justice, and reconciliation that can be adapted to different contexts;

d) collecting information from dioceses and provinces about their successes and challenges in complying with the canonical requirements and with General Convention Resolution 2018-A045 for providing anti-racism training;

e) and sharing their findings with Executive Council on an annual basis.

Membership of the Executive Council Committee on Anti-Racism & Reconciliation shall be composed of:

one person named by the governing body of each province of this Church who has been trained in doing the work of dismantling racism and seeking to foster racial healing, justice, and reconciliation, has demonstrated experience in anti-racism/racial reconciliation work, has demonstrated the ability to make connections with people in their geographic area who do this work, and has demonstrated a commitment to make connections with people in the provinces who do this work;

one member of the Executive Council as appointed by the Chair and Vice-Chair of Executive Council;

one Bishop as appointed by the Presiding Officers;

members named who are from the racial or ethnic groups of black, Latino/a, Asian, Native American/Indigenous, and non-Hispanic white to ensure representation of diverse racial and ethnic voices on this Committee - if there are none, then the Chair and Vice-Chair of Executive Council shall appoint a member at large from each unrepresented racial or ethnic group;

a member named who is under 40, to ensure representation of multiple generations - if there are no members then the Chair and Vice-Chair of Executive Council shall appoint a member at large from each unrepresented generational group.

Members shall serve terms as follows:

Each Committee member shall serve one triennium beginning January 1 in the year following each General Convention until the December 31 following the next General Convention. Members may be named to serve consecutive terms by their provinces.

In the event that a province fails to name a person to serve on the Committee by [sic] January 1, when each term begins, the Chair and Vice-Chair of Executive Council shall appoint a qualified person from that province to serve on the Committee.

Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original members were named. Vacancies in excess of 30 days shall be filled by the Chair and Vice-Chair of Executive Council, and in the case of a Bishop vacancy, by the Chair of Executive Council.”

Motion carried

Resolution adopted with amendment

(Communicated to the House of Bishops in HD Message #66)