Emmanuel’s Anti-Racism Project

Emmanuel Church formed the Anti-Racism Project in 2016 after many of us attended Seeing the Face of God in Others, the antiracism training sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland’s Social Justice and Reconciliation Commission. Since then, the Anti-Racism Project has meet regularly for discussions on antiracism books and articles. We invite guests to speak with us about antiracism and racial equity initiatives and we visit innovative programs in the community.  

To translate our new understandings and good intentions into action, we decided to form a meaningful relationship with two nonprofit organizations in Baltimore that work at the intersection of providing direct services and advocacy to bring about systematic change toward racial equity.  One of our partners, Helping Oppressed People Excel (HOPE), is an organization that lives up to its name by bringing hope to individuals returning from prison. No Boundaries Coalition, a resident-led advocacy organization building a unified and empowered Central West Baltimore across boundaries of race, class, and neighborhoods is the other partner.  

The Anti-Racism Project produced a brief report in January 2021. As we move forward, the Anti-Racism Project is collecting our church’s own historical record of racism and compiling the information for current and future members as well as the larger community. We will continue to work with our partners HOPE and No Boundaries Coalition and again ask them: Are there specific ways you think members of Emmanuel Church can be helpful to your mission? Many of us will continue to take direct action in the struggle for racial equity. We welcome and encourage others to join us as we pursue this important work.