This session is designed to explore what we mean by ‘white privilege’ and address the injustice that this causes. This session will challenge each of us to face up to the advantages we may receive, purely as a result of the colour of our skin and will cause us to consider how we rectify this.
As you begin this fourth session, briefly recap some of the ground rules you agreed to create a safe space for discussion. You may find it helpful to revisit some of the things you explored in the previous sessions and invite members of the group to share how these things are impacting them and their parenting.
Explain that during this session, we are thinking about what we mean by white privilege, how our life experiences have been affected by the colour of our skin and what we may need to do to rectify this. Invite each member of the group to take a few minutes to reflect for themselves, privately about their own life experiences and how they may have been advantaged or disadvantaged by the colour of their skin. Remind the group that we have all had different life experiences and should bare this in mind as we continue our discussions.
2 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
James 2: 1-4
Encourage the members of the group to have access to their own Bibles and read together James 2:1-4. Explain to the group that Jesus, and those who came after him, teaching about him, taught a lot about equality in the kingdom and about how God raises up the oppressed. When we talk about white privilege, we need to remember that God’s kingdom has different rules to those we humans have created which prefer our own needs to those of others.
Briefly summarise the issues raised in the chapter and read page 77 to halfway down page 78.
Invite the members of the group to take a few moments to silently share with God how they are feeling in response to this session. They may feel that they need to confess or acknowledge something, or perhaps this has stirred up hurt that they want to bring to God. Take some time to pray for each other, perhaps in pairs, as you pray through some of the issues raised in this session.
Copy the four bullet points from page 82-83 and invite members of the group to take these away with them. Encourage them to put these up on display as a reminder of the things you have explored during this session and as a call to act differently.
If you have a Whatsapp group, you could send out a reminder during the week, before you meet again.
