The Race & Culture Committee (RCC) was begun in 2017, after several staff members and the priest felt it was time for STA to begin addressing current racial issues in the community. STA had previously been a leader in this area during the 60’s , 70’s and 80’s. Diversity Dinners were thought to be a good way to bring the community together, using a meal to bring about fellowship, as topics concerning the African American community were discussed. Next, several TED Talk viewings were held, followed by discussions. Outreach to School #43, Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood Association (BTNA), and MLK Center were also set as goals.
Through the years, the Race & Culture Committee has strived to educate the parish and school on racial equity through prayer, dinners, books, podcasts, speakers, discussions, stories and more. A recent project has been to educate everyone on the Six African Americans on the Path to Sainthood, in hopes of groundswell support for their canonization.
Some of the activities in the past couple of years has been:
- Letter Writing Campaign to Vatican to Fast track the Sacred 6 to Sainthood
- Juneteenth speaker
- “through2eyes” Walking Tour – history of Indiana Avenue
- Diversity Dinner – Fr. Dan Horan Video “A Catholic Response To Racism”
- Lenten Racial Equity Calendar provided to the Parish & School
- Diversity Luncheon & Video “Exploring White Nationalism” with Reverend Joseph A. Brown, SJ, Ph.D.
- Narthex Monitor Summary of the Sacred 6; Portraits displayed in hallway in honor of Black History Month
- Racial Equity Stations of the Cross – Followed by Lenten Supper & Discussion
We encourage all at STA to become involved with our programs. If you wish to learn more, please contact Patrice Payne (patricejpayne@gmail.com) or Karla Hudecek (khudecek@staindy.org). Additional racial equity resources can be viewed at this site:
