A group of North Carolinian's are coming together to tackle racism from the inside out. Concord's Trinity United Church of Christ hosts weekly "Racists Anonymous" meetings to provide a space where congregants and members of the greater community can support one another in confronting and overcoming their racism.
The project was founded by Rev. Nathan King and modeled after the substance abuse and sex addiction programs that operate under similar names. The meetings were sprung in response to the police-involved violence that has sparked racial tensions and a national discourse on social justice over the course of the summer. "It seemed like every week we were coming into worship, and we were doing another prayer because someone had been killed in the street. ... It's to deal with the racism within ourselves and to eliminate the racism within ourselves," says King, who claims to benefit from attending as well, stating, "From day to day, I find myself in that place of racism."
Each meeting, the discussion begins with attendees sitting in a circle and introducing themselves before admitting "I'm a racist." They then begin tending to the group's mission, which is accomplished through the navigation of 12 steps, which are written in the form of mantras, the first of which is recited: "I have come to admit that I am powerless over my addiction to racism in ways I am unable to recognize fully, let alone manage."
Source: complex.com
