Mission Statement
Christians Understanding Race[1] and Equity[2] (CURE) is committed to helping the Mississippi College community pursue a kingdom-oriented vision where all of God’s children have equal value, dignity, and worth as made in God’s image.[3] We seek to acknowledge the past to improve our present and our future as we pursue a radical Christlike-ness in loving our neighbor as ourselves[4] in a beloved community.[5]
Vision Statement
We are Christians at Mississippi College who recognize the ways in which our brothers and sisters of color have been marginalized from Christian institutions.[6] We hope to be informed about how this happened, we want to connect the legacy of this history with modern events, and we seek to bring racial reconciliation and healing through Christ, unity, and moving forward as an enduring beloved community. We believe the Mississippi College community will be stronger because we have attempted to deal honestly with the past and will pursue real, actionable change in the present and future.
The six pillars which will help us rise (Ezekiel 10:4)[7] are the following:
- Being Rooted in Christ’s Example and Shaped by Scripture
- Being Informed by the Past to Shape How We Engage the Present
- Promoting Real Discussion, Dialogue and Lament[8]
- Seeking Repentance, Healing, Reconciliation, and Unity[9]
- Building Community Based in Love, Forgiveness and Understanding[10]
- Being Committed to Real Action
[1]While acknowledging ethnicities (Rev. 5:9-10), the Bible teaches that there is just one race (Acts 17:26). Adam and Eve are the parents of all people: Genesis 1-2; Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; SEE also genealogies (Gen. 5; 1 Chr. 1:1; Luke 3:23-38). We believe that race is a man-made social construct that is a result of sin, which was intended to create division, oppression and separation. We believe, as Christians, that Christ has destroyed these “dividing walls of hostility” and that Christians have an important role to play in issues relating to racial division, injustice and breaking down “walls of hostility” in our own society through embodying a radical and countercultural Christ-likeness.
[2] “The term “equity” refers to fairness and justice and is distinguished from equality: Whereas equality means providing the same to all, equity means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and must acknowledge and make adjustments to imbalances. The process is ongoing, requiring us to identify and overcome intentional and unintentional barriers arising from bias or systemic structures.” https://www.naceweb.org/about-us/equity-definition/ .
[3] All people have value, dignity and worth and are made in God’s image. Genesis 1:26-30; 2:7; Psalm 8:3-6; John 3:16; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:9-11. 2000 Baptist Faith and Message: III. Man “The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.” Relevant Scriptures Cited Genesis 1:26-30; 2:7, 18-22; 9:6; Psalm 8:3-6; Acts 17:26-31 https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/#iii-man .
[4] The Bible commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, one of the “Great Commandments.”
Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-37; Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14.
[5] “Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. https://www.wearethebelovedcommunity.org/bcquotes.html
[6]Southern Baptist Convention Resolution on Racial Reconciliation (June 1, 1995) https://www.sbc.net/resource-library/resolutions/resolution-on-racial-reconciliation-on-the-150th-anniversary-of-the-southern-baptist-convention/, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Report on Slavery and Racism In the History of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (December 12, 2018) https://sbts-wordpress-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/sbts/uploads/2018/12/Racism-and-the-Legacy-of-Slavery-Report-v4.pdf .
[7] “Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.”
[8] Addressing lament, the Bible encourages seasons of lament over sin and brokenness. Psalm 130, Psalm 6, Psalm 38 and Psalm 10.
[9] Addressing offenders, the Bible mandates confession and reconciliation. Matthew 5:23-24; James 5:16a.
[10] Addressing victims, the Bible mandates forgiveness and reconciliation. Matthew 6:12; 18:21-35; Luke 17:4; Ephesians 5:32.
CURE Committee
Co-Chairs
- Dr. Laurie Lawson, Associate Professor and Chair, Sociology and Social Work
- Dr. Otis Pickett, Associate Professor of History, Director of Social Studies Education Programs
Members
- Dr. Stephanie Carmicle, Assistant Provost
- Cathy Chapman, Secretary, Sociology & Social Work
- Dr. Stephanie Henderson, Assistant Professor and Chair, Teacher Education and Leadership
- Camryn Johnson, student
- Dr. Melissa Jones, Director of Paralegal Studies and Public History
- Daniel McCammon, student
- Dr. John Meadors, Professor and Chair, English and Philosophy
- Dr. Ivan Parke, Professor, Christian Studies
- Damon Wright, Class of 2021
