Solidarity Summer

SSND Solidarity Summer Initiative – Education and Engagement on Racial Justice

School Sisters of Notre Dame are called to be alert to the signs of the times, to discern “which world conditions we are called to address” and “what the urgent educational needs of our times are.” (YAS, GD37) The signs of the times point quite clearly to the fact that racial bias and systemic racism is not only creating hardship for our sisters and brothers of color, it is in many cases killing them.

In partnership with the University of St. Thomas, the SSND Central Pacific Province has offered sisters, associates, and SSND ministry partners the opportunity to participate in a series of presentations and faith-sharings using the University of St. Thomas Becoming Human: Dismantling Racism materials as its foundation. The theory guiding this series is that the racial history we all inherit is dehumanizing for all of us, though it is dehumanizing for white folks in different ways than it is dehumanizing for people of color. The only way to “become human” is to confront the legacy of white supremacy and undergo a process of transformation, even conversion, to engage more humanely in the world, especially across the color line. Here are links to the presentations and related materials…

• SSND Solidarity Summer Opening Prayer Reflection - Downloadable Order of Service PDF

• Week One: Civil War to Civil Rights – Webinar recording and related materials (PDF)
• Week Two: The War on Drugs – Webinar recording and related materials (PDF)
• Week Three: Mass Incarceration – Webinar recording and related materials (PDF)
• Week Four: Defeating the "White Savior" Complex – Webinar recording and related materials (PDF)
• Week Five: Mobilizing for Social Change – Webinar recording and related materials (PDF)
• Week Six: The Blackness of God – Webinar recording and related materials (PDF)
• Week Seven: Where Do We Go From Here? – Webinar recording and related materials (PDF)

We are grateful to everyone for their participation in our SSND Solidarity Summer initiative. May our collective efforts lead to personal and communal transformation and ultimately help make the dismantling of racism a reality.

CP Shalom Racial Justice Committee - Susan Adrians, Gen Cassani, Vicki Chambers, Tim Dewane, Kathleen Drilling, Maria Gomez, Gail Guelker, Vincella Lake, Rose Mercurio, Nancy McNemar, Barbara Pfarr, Waltermarie Ray, and Karen Walther

For more information on the Solidarity Summer initiative,
please contact Tim (tdewane@ssndcp.org) in our CP Province Shalom Office.

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