The Episcopal Church has made a commitment of dismantling racism and building up the Beloved Community since the 1990s. In the early 2000s, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church mandated anti-racism training for all church leaders.
Rooted in faith, the Diocese of Atlanta developed a Christian formation program specifically for youth (grades 6-12). Dismantling Racism: A Youth Curriculum is a 6-session curriculum will help Middle School and High School youth have conversations about race, become allies, and build relationships to address systemic racism in their context. The goal is to help youth connect their faith with racial healing in our communities.
The Leader Guide includes full lesson plans with rich content, experiential learning, and reproducible handouts; access to downloadable videos created by the Diocese of Atlanta; liturgies and prayers; and parent/guardian letters to send out after each of the six sessions, plus content for a parent meeting.
Lesson 1: Introduction and Covenant
Lesson 2: God, the Artist
Lesson 3: The History of Racism in America: How We Got Here
Lesson 4: White Privilege
Lesson 5: Internalized Oppression
Lesson 6: Repentance, Healing, and Reconciliation
Each session is approximately 90 minutes long; the program can be offered as a six-week study, three-day weekend retreat, or in covenant groups over the course of two or three weekends.
Please note: You MUST be trained to purchase this curriculum. Request a training here
Katie McRee served as Youth Minister at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Roswell, Georgia for over a decade, and has been a consultant for Ministry Architects. She has also written curricular material for the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. Katie was first inspired by youth ministry through her own youth minister in Central Florida, who mentored and encouraged her to seek out ministry as a career. She attended the University of Florida where she earned a degree in family, youth, and community sciences. She lives in Woodstock, Georgia.
Sally Ulrey serves as Canon for Congregational Vitality and Ministry Development on the Bishop’s Staff in the Diocese of Atlanta, where she’s served in the Office of Congregational Vitality since 2018. Prior to joining the Bishop’s staff, Sally spent almost 20 years working in parishes in the Diocese of Atlanta in Christian formation, including youth and children's ministry, using her formal education in Bible, Theology, and Christian Education in those roles. She has served as a consultant and trainer throughout the Episcopal Church in both formation ministries and in congregational development. Sally coauthored the Dismantling Racism Youth Curriculum with Katie McRee, in collaboration with the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing. She lives in Oxford, Georgia.
Catherine Meeks, PhD, is the former Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing, the retired Clara Carter Acree Distinguished Professor of Socio-Cultural Studies from Wesleyan College, and the former Founding Executive Director of the Lane Center for Community Engagement and Service. Dr. Meeks is the author of six books, including The Night is Long but Light Comes in the Morning, the editor of Living Into God’s Dream: Dismantling Racism in America, and the co-author of Passionate for Justice: Ida B Wells as Prophet for Our Times. She is the winner of The President Joseph R. Biden Lifetime Achievement Award, and was one of Georgia Trend Magazine’s notable women in 2022. She holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Clark Atlanta University, and a PhD from Emory University. She is the founder of Turquoise and Lavender, an institute for transformation and healing. Dr. Meeks lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
