We started by introducing ourselves and the mission of the Task Force. To prepare for our first conversation, group members were asked to reflect on their own upbringing and think about how cultural or ethnic norms might have influenced their current views. This exercise provided a way for members to get to know one another while also illuminating aspects of our own lives that shape our beliefs. We then began our discussion of White Fragility: Why it’s So Difficult for White People to Talk About Race (Robin DiAngelo). There were a wide range of feelings expressed – embarrassment, shame, sadness, surprise, disbelief, anger and discomfort among them. Critical to the discussion was aligning on a shared understanding of key terms used throughout the book and how they might have differed from the way we have typically understood them, including but not limited to: white supremacy (a system of structures designed to keep white people on top); the good/bad binary (challenging the commonly held belief that only “bad” people can be racist and do racist things, while “good” people cannot); racism vs. prejudice (that in the United States, only whites have the strength in numbers to impose racism on others, and that while people of color might be prejudiced against whites, they do not have the power to impose racism and racist structures.) Perhaps the most challenging idea posed by the author is that all white people are racist to a degree – that because of our formation, from the time we’re little children throughout our adult lives, there is no way not to be. Many of us were encouraged by the author’s statement that she is on a continuum, where she recognizes that she is constantly trying to unlearn racism, identify and own her biases and to make changes in herself as she learns from her missteps.    

For our second discussion, participants were asked to complete at least the Foreward of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (Michelle Alexander) and to watch the Netflix documentary, “13^th,” about the 13^th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery in the United States. Central to both is the issue of ‘crime’ and how the various ‘wars’ that have been waged in the United States – from the War on Poverty, to the War on Crime, to the War on Drugs – have unjustly targeted people of color, in essence giving rise to a new form of slavery through the creation of a massive, profit-driven structure whose benefit is solely derived from our world-leading rate of incarceration. Some of the insights that surprised us were the jump in incarceration rates in the United States (from approximately 357,000 in 1970 to more than 2 million in 2016); how unifying the issue of criminal justice was for politicians and that the building of this system over time had full bipartisan support; the lifetime likelihood of imprisonment for black men (1 in 3) compared to white men (1 in 17); and the permanent, second-class status held by convicted felons that forever impacts their ability to secure housing, employment, government assistance and much more. We agreed that understanding the statistics in our own communities – from incarceration rates to law enforcement budgets –would be a good next step so that we can begin to understand the local impact.

For our third discussion, participants were asked to complete the Harvard Implicit Association Test (IAT) on race, to finish reading The New Jim Crow and to begin reading Racial Justice and the Catholic Church (Fr. Bryan Massingale) so that we could start our examination of the issue of racial justice in the context of our Catholic Faith. We began by discussing our individual results from the Harvard IAT. While we acknowledged that tests like these have limitations, we agreed it was one element that could be used in self-reflection about our unconscious biases. We then continued sharing insights from our reading. We learned about the power of prosecutors, 95% of whom are white, in determining charges against those accused of crimes, the virtually limitless ability of police to use “stop and frisk” tactics and to seize property, even from those who have committed no crimes and that, in spite of the statistics that would show otherwise, the courts, up to and including the Supreme Court, have ruled that there is no racist intent in our justice system, showing just how daunting a challenge it will be to reform the system to one that is not prejudicial. We talked about three possible actions our group might initially take: learning more about the Supreme Court decisions specific to these issues, engaging on voting rights reforms for former prisoners and looking at the bail system in Racine to determine if there are ways we might assist.

For our fourth discussion, participants were asked to finish reading Racial Justice and the Catholic Church (Fr. Bryan Massingale) so that we could begin our study of racial justice in the context of our Catholic Faith. We started by sharing some of the points that stuck with us – key among them Fr. Bryan’s assertion that the church has had opportunities to be at the forefront of this issue and has not stepped up.  Seminaries were not welcoming to black men, resulting in low numbers of black priests, brothers, etc. Fr. Bryan shared his own experience of being one of only 25 black theologians in the United States, which he said could be a heavy burden at times. 

And when he thinks about people of color in the Catholic church, “struggle” is the main word that comes to mind. But we were also heartened, knowing that he is part of our church and hopeful that he is someone who will help drive change. We found his definitions of ‘white supremacy,’ ‘unconscious bias’ and other terms to be both helpful and consistent with how these terms were defined in the books we have read previously. It was noted that the conclusion of all three books was essentially the same – that we can change laws and policies, but it is critical that we begin by changing hearts and minds. With this in mind, we wrapped up our meeting by talking about the areas where we might begin to engage, including developing educational opportunities for our fellow parishioners, recognizing the importance of taking care of our own house before going outside.

Given the officer-involved shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha and the resulting unrest, we spent most of our time working through our thoughts and feelings around what had happened and what we can do. We shared some of the individual experiences we have had so far in trying to dialogue with others who do not share our views. One frustration expressed was that we see many people who are reluctant to acknowledge the victim, dehumanizing him in a way, which we believe is an attempt to deny or ignore that racism exists. Another frustration was the information suggesting that, just as it happened in Minneapolis, those perpetrating the violence and looting in Kenosha are not from within our communities, are organizing online and are descending on Kenosha simply to fan the flames and incite more violence. We acknowledged the complexity of the situation and agreed we must pray for Jacob Blake and his family, for the police officers and their families and for the entire Kenosha community. We were grateful that Archbishop Listecki issued a prompt and compassionate statement, in which he acknowledged Jacob Blake and his family, decried violence and called for us to pray “for peace, justice, mercy and protection for every human being.” We also began a discussion of how our group might want to move forward, with ideas that included but were not limited to the following:

• Continuing to study and learn, especially about how these issues manifest locally.
• Finding opportunities for ongoing prayer, such as including a weekly petition in the Prayers of the Faithful and engaging those who participate in our parish prayer tree.
• Looking at the upcoming gospels to find opportunities to share messages on social justice and Catholic Social Teaching.
• Using one of the three sessions at our January scripture conference to focus on social justice.
• Preparing a Lenten reflection series for our parish, recognizing the importance of starting inside of our own walls with those in our Faith community.

For this discussion, we welcomed our first invited guest – John Costabile, retired Racine Police Officer – to give us the perspective of a career law enforcement officer. Over his 30-year career, he held many positions in law enforcement, from patrolman to inspector, and he oversaw professional standards, which included handling citizen complaints and disciplining officers. He was also a founding member of the Association of SWAT Personnel – Wisconsin, the country’s first organized tactical association. He continues to serve this organization in retirement. Mr. Costabile shared the history of policing in the United States – how it was modeled after the London night-watch program of the 1800s and how the function was instituted here in the United States to maintain status quo for the wealthy and powerful. The institution evolved over time and in a number of cities across the country, including Racine, community policing is in place so that officers serve as partners to citizens. He believes that most people who become police officers do so for altruistic reasons and the institution, itself, is not racist. He asked us to keep in mind that the violent situations that we see on the news are aberrations compared to the many police-citizen interactions taking place on any given day. He did, however, state that institutional racism does exist and that police are put in the position of having to enforce laws that are inherently racist. He said that police do need reform but that they have been consistently resistant to change. We asked for his perspective on “defunding the police.” He talked about how under the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, the resources were in place – social workers, early childhood programs, access to psychologists, etc. – to provide the support needed. This changed during the Reagan administration, when social safety nets were slashed by 70% – and continued to be cut by subsequent administrations – leaving the police to try and handle myriad problems when they are neither equipped nor trained to do so. Multiple reports have identified the same set of issues – lack of jobs, poor education/inequitable schools and more – as causing the breakdown of communities, but little has been done to address this in the inner cities. He commended the group for the effort we have undertaken to educate ourselves through reading and recommended two additional books – The Mismeasure of Man (Stephan Jay Gould), which analyzes the early works of scientific racism, and, From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime (Elizabeth Hinton), which outlines the rise of mass incarceration in the United States and the bipartisan efforts across administrations that built and continues to fortify the structure. On the Catholic realm, he mentioned the USCCB document, Economic Justice For All. We asked him how a group like ours could help in the community. He suggested that we talk to the Mayor’s ombudsman to talk about housing issues in the city. He also advised meeting with the police department as concerned citizens. He left us with a final thought: Find ways to build up others.