Ethnic Diversity

 

 

 Open Heart:

Kansans used all of the 68 racial and ethnic options listed on the 2000 census form.  Over 154,000 Kansans identified themselves as Black or African-American, and over 188,000 as Hispanic or Latino.  Nearly 57,000 Kansans said they belonged to two or more races.  Every ethnic heritage in our nation is represented in Kansas.  Yet some Kansas businesses continue to deny employment opportunities to persons of color, and many Kansas communities have trouble recruiting persons of color because they can’t buy the hair-care products and cosmetics they need, entertainment opportunities don’t include offerings from their traditions, they feel alienated in many Kansas schools, and days important to their cultures often are not commemorated in our towns.

Open Mind:

·           Leviticus 19:33-34

·           Ephesians 2:13-1

·           Colossians 3:11

·           The Good Samaritan: Luke 10:29-37

·           Social Principles Para. 162 A.

·           United Methodists of Color Website: www.UMOC.org

Open Doors:

·           Develop a covenant relationship with a faith community different in ethnicity from your own church family.  Visit one another’s worship services, youth programs, and educational and recreational opportunities.  Play on their sports teams, sing with their choirs, celebrate holidays together, support each other in prayer.

·           Include worship elements like songs and prayers from other cultures in your own worship services.

·           Be especially careful to avoid stories, examples, or language that might offend someone of a different ethnicity.

·           Learn about controversial ethnic issues in your community, such as the use of Native American peoples as mascots for sports teams.  Hold a forum about such issues, then take a public stand as a community of faith.

·           Participate as a church family in multi-cultural events like Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Juneteenth commemorations, Hispanic Awareness Week, Chinese New Year’s celebrations, and Native American powwows.  If such events are not organized in your community, take the lead in starting celebrations.

·           Encourage local businesses to carry ethnic products, hire minority workers, and schedule entertainment with ethnic roots different from the majority of your community’s residents.