wfn.org | Racism in church communication? Two Mennonites will address

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Racism in church communication? Two Mennonites will address
Thursday, October 08, 2009

ELKHART, Ind. (Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary/Mennonite Mission Network) ? Two Mennonite presenters will offer insights into their journeys with anti-racist communication during a once-in-a-decade event for faith-based communicators.

Religion Communication Congress 2010, which has met every 10 years since 1970, will take place in Chicago, Ill., from April 7-10, 2010.

Nekeisha Alexis-Baker, graphic designer for Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, and Ryan Miller, editorial director for Mennonite Mission Network, will offer a workshop on ?Shared Voices: Communicating in Anti-Racist Ways.? Alexis-Baker led the development of anti-racism communication guidelines for Mennonite Mission Network during her three years with the organization.

Both presenters will share how those guidelines, and the process of creating and implementing them, have changed their work and their perspectives.

?As a person of color,? Alexis-Baker said, ?I know how it feels to be misrepresented, underrepresented or simply ignored in the media and it?s particularly disappointing when that media is being created in the church. So it has been a blessing and a privilege to help create a process that takes racial justice and anti-racist practices seriously. My role as a communicator would definitely suffer otherwise.?

Anti-racist communication is, at its heart, an ongoing process of open, honest conversation about power dynamics expressed in words and images, the presenters said.

"Our guidelines are important," Miller said, "but equally important is how our commitment to analyzing and discussing our work has led to more and more conversations about how racism injures all of us and how we can act to combat it."

Copies of Shared Voices, Anti-racism communication guidelines for Mennonite Mission Network, are available through Third Way Media?s online store (store.thirdwaymedia.org). Limited copies are available; a second edition revision is underway.

Religion Communication Congress gathers around 1,000 communication professionals from around the world and all media disciplines. It is planned as an interfaith event including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Baha?i and Hindu faiths, among others. The April 2010 event will include 14 global partners, including Cameroon, China, Cuba, Egypt, Kenya, Peru and Togo.

Keynote speakers or entertainers include Martin Marty, longtime Christian Century columnist; Stewart Hoover, Church of the Brethren professor of communications at University of Colorado, Boulder; Jeffrey Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future, University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication; Diana Eck, professor of comparative religion and Indian studies at Harvard University; and Ken Medema, musician/songwriter.

Past headline speakers have included Bill Moyers, Al Gore and Jesse Jackson. This year?s headliners have not yet been  announced.

Mennonite Church USA is one of the cooperating organizations for this event. Melodie Davis, staff writer for Third Way Media, and Ron Byler, associate executive director of Mennonite Church USA have represented Mennonites on the planning committee. Both attended the congresses in 1980, 1990 and 2000.

Anabaptist Communicators also plan a caucus during the Congress.

More information can be found at www.rccongress2010.org.

> Melodie Davis