Rev. Dr. Joy McDonald Coltvet Shares 'Why' Racial Justice, Board

I am an ELCA pastor currently serving at Incarnation Lutheran Church in Shoreview, Minnesota as Pastor of Faith Formation. I am also a mother of three children — first, an adoptive mom of two Ethiopian-born siblings and later, the birth mom of a white child. Our family of five has first-hand experiences of systemic racism because we love, support and advocate for Black people in a culture constructed to serve white people. Even when we think we have made significant strides for equity and empathy (and in so many ways, we have...), we only have to look around in these times to see powerful people and institutions pushing in the opposite direction.

My first real experience of this association — White Lutherans for Racial Justice — was the Triennial Assembly last year. I was among the 57 participants who gathered from throughout the U.S. to imagine together ways for more white Lutherans to invest time and money to show our support for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (or the Global Majority) within our denomination and communities. I left the Triennial Assembly with renewed energy to inspire in particular the more than 90 percent white Lutherans to invest time and money to show a witness that white Lutherans stand together with the less than 10 percent BIPOC membership of our church in love and justice. Can we imagine together a dynamic of loving and just relationships that changes the culture of our church body for the better?

Beginning in childhood through today, I have a strong desire to connect across differences and help create the kind of beloved community imagined by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and not yet fully realized. As a teenager and young adult, my communities deepened my commitments to inclusivity, both from the ways they welcomed and the ways they did not. As a student, I worked as a farm worker, health care assistant, writing tutor and international student assistant. As a pastor, I continue to learn together with BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and global leaders and dive deeply into questions of belonging and solidarity within diverse communities. I’m committed to ongoing development. I’m so grateful for partnerships with global leaders and interfaith teachers in so many contexts. The congregation where I was pastor for 10 years has a story of creating belonging with new immigrants and refugees for nearly 50 years. This is just a taste of the life experiences that have cultivated a spirit of listening deeply, humility, truth-telling, and open-heartedness in me.

Still, I struggle. I struggle to know how to best use my energy and voice. I especially struggle with what I’ll call “nice racism.” You’ve probably experienced it too … where very kind-hearted white people say or act in ways that clearly communicate that BIPOC people are “less than” in some way, and you don’t say anything because it will be uncomfortable. Or, you say something and it is uncomfortable between you after that, and you’re not sure what the next step should/could be. So, whether you keep silent or try speaking, it just doesn’t seem to be working. If you struggle with this like I do, yet you have a desire to be more effective in making change, please consider joining in the work of this association. This is a community where we are committed to helping one another change for the better, so that we are more effective, authentic allies to BIPOC leaders and members of our congregations, communities and families. Maybe you’ve had the experience of being “called out” for a mistake you’ve made along the way? This is an association where we are trying to learn to call one another in — to call one another to deeper engagement, relationship, love and justice. Join us!

- The Rev. Dr. Joy McDonald Coltvet