The Big Picture Team of the Presbytery approved the recommendation by the Racial Justice, Peace & Advocacy Working group to award funds to 10 area organizations that support racial justice work. The awards were a disbursement of the 2022 assets from the Matthew 25 Fund; a fund established in 2021 when the Presbytery became part of the PC(USA) Matthew 25 initiative that embraces three areas of focus: dismantling structural racism, eradicating systemic poverty, and building congregational vitality.
The organizations and awards are as follows:
$500 Urban League of Rochester, NY 265 North Clinton Ave., Rochester, NY 14605
$500 Ganondagan Cultural Center, P.O. Box 113, Victor, NY 14564
$200 RocACTS 121 N. Fitzhugh St., Rochester, NY 14614
$200 Showing Up for Racial Justice
$200 Black Agenda Group
$1000 Trinity Emmanuel Presbyterian (Support the free Breakfast Café project)
$225 Black Community Focus Fund/Civil Rights Heritage Site, Spiritus Christi Church Attn: Pastor Myra Brown, 121 Fitzhugh St. N., Rochester, New York 14614
$725 The Center for Teen Empowerment, Inc. 392 Genesee St Rochester, NY 14611
$225 Beyond the Sanctuary PO Box 18146 Rochester, NY 14618
$225 The Avenue Black Box Theater, 780 Joseph Avenue | Rochester NY 14621
The PC(USA) Matthew 25 Initiative describes the focus to dismantle structural racism this way:
Confronting deeply ingrained racist systems and structures in our communities in order to challenge these systems and encourage action. Racism is not primarily about individual prejudice or an individual’s beliefs and attitudes. Rather, racism in the U.S. is a socially constructed system. Some people are advantaged, and others are disadvantaged, merely because of their skin color, ethnic identity, or their ancestral background. Social power and prejudice have combined to treat people differently, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Some people are privileged while others are oppressed. Consequently, there is unequal and inequitable access to resources such as money, education, information and decision-making power.
