2023 Accomplishments
Announced name change to Ending Racism USA, received seed funding, welcomed a founding executive director
In February 2023, the board of directors of Ending-Racism.org voted to change the name of the non-profit to Ending Racism USA. “The new name continues the organization’s mission to end racism,” said Ken Bedell, Ph.D., founder and president, “and reflects our expanding programs and network as we work with others across the United States.”
The board celebrated a $100,000 gift from Suzanne Morgan, an architect and founder of Sharing Sacred Spaces, Inc. 9/11 was the catalyst for starting Sharing Sacred Spaces for the purpose of educating people about the world’s religions through architecture.
This gift made it possible for Ending Racism USA to increase programming and move from being all volunteer-based to hiring staff.
Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell became the Founding Executive Director. She organized the staff with three paid staff members, including herself, and three volunteer staff members. In June another paid staff member was added.
Workshop: Realizing the Civil Rights Dream: Diagnosing, Treating, and Ending Racism
In cooperation with the Alliance of Baptists, Polarity Partnerships, and Grace and Race Ministries, LLC, we presented a workshop on April 22, 2023, in person in Atlanta, Georgia, and livestreamed. “Realizing the Civil Rights Dream: Diagnosing, Treating, and Ending Racism” reported on current threats to the Constitution from those who, ostensibly in the name of freedom, would solidify racism in America. We proposed ways that people who hope for a nation without racism can realistically work with the Constitution to bring non-violent changes that advance the goal of America becoming a Beloved Community.
The follow-up article, “The 1 Percent Are Planning to Re-Write the Constitution,” includes information about right-wing efforts to change the Constitution along with presentations from the workshop:
- 15-minute video of Ken Bedell’s presentation
- 11-minute video of Barry Johnson’s presentation
Twitter Town Hall: Yes to social media, no to Twitter
On August 28, 2023, the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech, Ending Racism USA hosted an online Town Hall to discuss the role of Twitter in promoting hate and racism.
Brenda Girton-Mitchell, Ken Bedell, John Girton Jr., Cam Howard, and Lynn Schofield Clark made presentations that are available as brief videos. This discussion followed Ending Racism USA’s decision to leave Twitter.
Resources related to the online Town Hall include:
- List of resources on the impact of Twitter (now X) on promoting hate and racism
- Five videos of up to 13 minutes each capture the presentations
Livestreaming from the ASALH Conference
In the fall, we worked with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) to provide options for colleges and universities to enable students to attend the ASALH Conference virtually via livestreaming.
Four colleges participated in the program and became Patrons of the conference which provided access to livestreaming. Ending Racism USA provided funds for two institutions to participate.
The conference was held September 20-24, 2023, in Jacksonville, Florida. Participating institutions have access to view any of the sessions that were recorded for 12 months.
ASALH’s mission “is to promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global community.”
“Movies That Matter” discussions
Ed McNulty led five movie discussions about movies related to racism in January, February, October, November, and December including:
Participation in national events
Brenda Girton-Mitchell attended the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry, July 17-20, 2023, at the Children’s Defense Fund’s Haley Farm in Clinton, Tennessee, and reflected on the experience in “What About the Children?”
Ken Bedell attended the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, Illinois, August 14-18, 2023, and reflected on the experience in “Diversity, Harmony, and Individual Conscience Featured at the Parliament of the World's Religions.”
Movie recommendations and reviews
Every monthly newsletter contains a recommendation and review of a movie that deals with racism. The movie reviews are written by Ed McNulty, the editor and film reviewer at Visual Parables.
Articles about racism and the Constitution
We published seven articles on the website that relate to racism and the Constitution. They included original essays, book reviews, and information about resources.
Articles about racism
We published 13 articles about racism on the website. They include descriptions of anti-racism work in local communities, essays about historical figures, national holidays, social media, and more.
Upcoming events and project
We are producing a 2024 calendar with suggestions about ways U.S. federal holidays can be celebrated with sensitivity to issues of racism.