History of the EEAC/Social Justice Ministry
The St. Clare’s Social Justice Ministry was founded in the summer of 2020 as the Equity, Education, and Action Committee (EEAC). In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and amidst the protests against racial injustice that sprang up across the nation, a number of St. Clarians asked what was being done to ensure that racial justice was a focus of St. Clare’s mission of Acting For Justice. In response, several parishioners worked together to form the EEAC.
One of the first actions of the EEAC was to bring Sacred Ground to St. Clare’s. Sacred Ground is a powerful, in-depth program on race and faith created by the Episcopal Church’s Office of Racial Reconciliation. Nearly 40 folks in four circles participated in the first offering, and three more circles were offered after that. Sacred Ground directly inspired two other EEAC activities:
- St. Clare’s Land Acknowledgement (formally incorporated into St. Clare’s worship service in January 2023): Over the course of two years, members of the EEAC worked to draft a land acknowledgement. The process included input from members of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and the Pokagen Band of Potawatomi Indians. Representatives of the Nottawaseppi Band of Potawatomi also reviewed a draft of the land acknowledgement and made suggestions to ensure that the acknowledgement felt authentic to their experience. The Land Acknowledgement can be found here.
2. Partnership with Perry Early Learning Center (2023-present): Many of us believed that it was important to incorporate work with children into EEAC activities. Debra Stevens, a long-time member of St. Clare’s, taught for decades at Perry. She pointed out ways in which additional help would make a big difference to both the students and the teachers. Perry is in the Ypsilanti School District and has over 300 students in Pre-K through 1st grade. The school ranks in the top 20% of elementary schools in Michigan for both diversity of the student population and percentage of students who qualify for free lunches. Volunteers from St. Clare’s might work with Title I teachers to help 1st graders with reading, or they might help out in individual classrooms. It is a way of showing teachers that we value and support the work they do. For the students, there is an extra hand to hold and an extra voice to tell them “You are loved.” Volunteers’ reflections on their experience at Perry can be found here.
The EEAC has also organized film screenings, discussions with authors and experts, volunteer days, attendance at demonstrations, and various other activities related to racial reconciliation. (A more complete list of past EEAC activities can be found here.)
