Women’s History Month

While Women’s History Month has been recognized and celebrated since March 1987, it has not always been equitable in that recognition and celebration. For women of color, systemic racism in the United States—and around the world—has restricted the full participation of women of color in political, social, and even church life.

Yet, these sisters of color, particularly those in the Methodist Christian diaspora, continue to break racial, cultural, and gender barriers and champion a more open table to work with and serve God through church and society.

During this month, the General Commission on Religion and Race invites you to honor faithful women of color worldwide who have stared down racism and sexism to model Christian love, justice-making, and service to transform the world.

Some ideas for this month include:

Worship and church school

• Invite a clergywoman of color as a guest preacher, or invite a laywoman of color to make a presentation in worship about work in communities of color that your church does or will support (i.e., children’s literacy, domestic violence, racial justice, healthcare, or immigration). And collect an offering to give to the cause.

• Invite your local or district president of United Methodist Women to offer a “teaching moment” on one project serving women of color in your community or around the world.

• Utilize bulletins (or slides for online worship) that include the picture and a paragraph about a well-known United Methodist woman of color from your church, community, or annual conference. Check with your conference’s Commission on Archives and History, United Methodist Women, or the Commission on the Status and Role of Women. Or select from the women listed below. Also, lead worshipers in a responsive reading or litany celebrating faithful women.

• Invite an adult, child, or youth to research one or more United Methodist women of color, write two paragraphs about her, and share during worship or church school.

• Honor women of color from your annual conference on your congregation’s website, in your newsletters, and on bulletin boards.

Mission, outreach, and advocacy

• Start a conversation with a congregation of another racial/ethnic makeup about ways to work together to address a need among women from under-served communities of color.

• Partner with another congregation to develop ways to work to end violence against women in your community, especially violence against women of color. If your congregation is mostly White, partner with a Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, or Native American church or ministry.

• Tithe each year to a project/ministry working toward racial justice, gender equity, healthcare, etc., which is led by a woman of color.

*Timeline information gathered from UM Women, UMNews, and GCSRW

 A Litany of Thanks for Women of Color Leaders

ONE:              Loving Creator of the World, we your church have often failed

                        to recognize and celebrate the gifts, talents, leadership, strength,

                        and holiness of women of color.

MANY:           Forgive us, dear God, and free us to commemorate and thank them.

ONE:              Earth-walking Jesus, you listened to pushed-aside women, worked

                        miracles with and through ignored women, and called into your ministry

                        those anointed, precious women whom the world cast aside.

                        Even in this moment, you’re teaching us and calling us higher, through

and with Black, Brown, Red, and Golden women.

MANY:           Your grace is great, and your expectations of us are clear. Forgive us,

                        dear God. Free us to learn from our sisters and follow their example.

ONE:               Holy Spirit who forever abides, you have given all of your children

                        the power, courage, and wisdom to build a church and society free

                        from racism, sexism, and injustice of any kind.

                        And you walk with people of all races, creeds, and circumstances,

                        showing us the way.

MANY:           Will we accept your invitation to walk into a new life of justice

                        and equity, and a new life of Spirit and Truth?

ONE:              Our sisters of color in this community and across the world show us

                        that a better world is possible if we can learn to do justice, love kindness,

                        and walk humbly with you, dear God.

MANY:           Bless their lives, dear God. Forgive us for failing to know and love and

                        listen to them. We are ready to repent, heal, and repair. AMEN