Statement of Anti-racism
Statement in Support of Anti-Racism in CGSA, the Church, and the Academy
06/29/2020
We, the leadership of the Christian Graduate Student Alliance (CGSA) at The Ohio State University, affirm that black lives matter, and affirm this 2017 statement written by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) and six other Christian campus ministries denouncing racism, anti-Semitism, and white supremacy, as well as this 2020 blog post from IVCF. To these, we add the following:
Our vision is to be an inclusive and welcoming group for all people of all cultures, languages, backgrounds, disciplines, and perspectives.
Because we see the breadth and depth of God’s goodness most fully in diversity, we commit to seeking out the unique brilliance, beauty, and worth of every person we encounter. We believe that Black lives matter to God and so they must matter to us.
As graduate students, we are researchers. We recognize that many of our disciplines and research methodologies have contributed to the dissemination, implementation, and justification of racist systems, ideologies, and practices.
Because we sin corporately and as individuals, we commit to questioning where the sin of racism—and anti-Blackness in particular—affects what/who, how, and with whom we research. We commit to at least one large group meeting a semester that specifically focuses on how our research can be an essential tool in the working out of God’s justice.
As graduate students, we are teachers and, as such, have significant power. We acknowledge the role that educators play in sustaining and contributing to white supremacy.
Because we seek to be good stewards of the power given to us, we commit to learning and sharing the truth about how race impacts our various disciplines (e.g., healthcare, economics, education, etc.). We commit to regular small and/or large group discussions about how we can use our positions to advocate for our students, particularly those who have been marginalized and disadvantaged because of their race.
As members of the academy, we recognize that because of systemic racism, Black people are underrepresented at all levels of higher education. We support efforts to recruit, sustain, and provide material and other resources for Black students, staff, and faculty.
As individuals, we commit to working toward creating a more inclusive and diverse environment in our current and future departments through administrative work, mentorship, and collaborations. As an organization, we commit to reviewing our list of invited speakers to ensure that we are including Black voices in our programming. We support the mission of the Frank W. Hale, Jr. Black Cultural Center, gratefully acknowledging the Hale community’s hospitality and their crucial role in making our meetings possible.
As members of the OSU and Columbus communities, we support local efforts to address racism and we recognize the necessity of coalitions in this work. Specifically, we support:
Any calls for land-grant universities to play a unique role in combating racism, particularly in light of their historical foundations in colonialism and systemic injustice.
As members of many additional communities and networks, including our families, friend circles, and churches, we recognize that we have an obligation to welcome people of all backgrounds and to speak out against all forms of racism.
As an organization, we do not pretend to be immune to the influences of white supremacy. We commit to reviewing our own assumptions, practices, and priorities in light of racial justice regularly, including at our yearly leadership retreat.
As Christians, we are people of belief, people of prayer, and people of action. Our beliefs in the innate value of all people and the infinite goodness of God lead us to listen humbly to our neighbors and pray boldly and with great hope for the swift and definitive end of racism.
Our beliefs, our listening, and our prayers spur us to sustained, daily action, both now, and as long as it takes to reach this goal.