Community Conversations on Race and Inclusion

St. Matthew’s is part of an ecumenical consortium that was started in 2017 by Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, a historically black congregation deeply rooted in the Rondo and Minneapolis African American communities. For the last year, we have been offering a film and discussion series designed to invite diverse members of the community to learn together in a safe environment about racism and its historical roots among us.

The next film events focus on Jeffrey Robinson’s documentary film Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (flier attached). Jeffrey Robinson, a civil rights lawyer for over 40 years and former legal director for the ACLU, draws a sobering historical timeline of anti-Black racism in the United States. Using his personal life experiences, Robinson highlights America’s contradictions as the world’s greatest democracy yet one which throughout its history continues to be plagued by racism. He stresses that clarity about our history is an important step to understanding “who we are” and how we can and must do better.

We will view the documentary in two parts, the first on Sunday April 23 and the second on Sunday May 7, from 3-5pm at Hamline Church, 1514 Englewood, St Paul. Following the showing of each part, there will be a discussion of the film, with the audience meeting first in small groups and then reporting out to the whole group. Registration is encouraged but not required. Please register at tinyurl.com/commconvo2023.