Intentional Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Justice

Within the context of our mission to create a renewed priestly ministry, Women’s Ordination Conference has not been unaware of the issue of racism, and WOC leadership has initiated different forms of work in racial and ethnic diversity throughout its 32-year herstory. However, before 2006, WOC had not addressed racism in a sustained, systematic, and intentional way.

In 2001, the interest in doing anti-oppression work was piqued after the Young Feminist Network (YFN) Mexico Retreat held in Cuernavaca. Carmen Lane, Principal of The Lane Leota Group and a self-described black Catholic lesbian feminist, brought up the dynamics of race, sexuality and privilege that played out during the event, which initiated a discussion among the retreat participants. Lane’s comments inspired then-program director, Joy Barnes, and then-Board member, Theresa Trujillo, to call for a commitment to anti-oppression work during a presentation at the fall 2001 Board of Directors meeting. As a result of this meeting, Barnes participated in a three weekend anti-racism training facilitated by the Leaven Center in the fall of 2001.

In 2003, Barnes became executive director following Genevieve Chavez, and she secured a two-year grant for $5,000 to support addressing race, poverty, and gender from the Sisters of Charity Ministry Foundation. The grant paid for the development of a presentation about the how a renewed priestly ministry included addressing the issues of racial justice, which Barnes presented at the CTA Conference in 2004.

In May 2004, the Board decided to set aside specific blocks of time at every Board meeting to discuss strategies to make WOC anti-racist, diverse and inclusive. In September 2004, WOC hired Aisha Taylor as program director, who had experience in diversity training and institutional change, to develop WOC's diversity and inclusion initiative. 

During a discussion facilitated by Barnes and Taylor at the November 2004 Board meeting, the Board decided to use the term “anti-oppression” and acknowledged that our society is a “kyriarchy,” a term Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza coined to describe the complex interweaving of oppressions. However, the Board decided to begin the anti-oppression work with a focus on dismantling racism within WOC’s structure due to the recent resignations of two women of color from the Board, Lane and Trujillo, and the fact that WOC’s membership and leadership has been predominantly and disproportionately European-American for its entire history.

In 2005, Taylor participated in ten full days of anti-racism training through Call to Action’s Anti-Racism Team (CTA ART) as a WOC representative, which aided her in creating a proposal for WOC’s plan of action to address racism in a sustained, systematic, and intentional way.

In February 2006, the WOC Board approved the plan of action to incorporate anti-racism, diversity and inclusion in WOC. The plan laid out a vision and strategy for the initiative, mandated two full-day trainings for the Board and Staff, and approved the formation of an anti-racism team.

In May 2006, the Board participated in the first day of anti-racism training, and Taylor, as executive director, planned and facilitated the training. In May 2007, the Board and Staff participated in a full-day anti-racism training with Cynthia Burton, a consultant from Jones and Associates, Inc, a diversity and organizational change consulting firm. With the two full days of anti-racism training for the Board and Staff complete, the design of the team is currently being developed.