[Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs press release] Now available for group watching and personal viewing is the on-demand video of the groundbreaking public forum sponsored by The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Mississippi: Fifty Years Later: The State of Racism in America. The on-demand is available here.

Thousands of viewers watched as a distinguished panel of national experts including Myrlie Evers-Williams, widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, and former Mississippi Governor William Winter, with a keynote address by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, explored issues of race and discrimination.

“Let us dream of a world where every family, language, people, and nation is gathered in the commonwealth of God,” the Presiding Bishop said in her address. “Learn vigilance, teach and work for justice, that we might become the beloved community of God’s rainbow people – every family, language, people, and nation gathered before the Lamb, himself one of the lowly and rejected.  Dream that world into being here on earth, and drive out hell to bring it to birth!”

Among the many watching as a group were: the convention of the Diocese of Long Island; Washington National Cathedral; Trinity Church in Boston; Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Bexley Seabury and the Columbus Deanery of the Diocese of Southern Ohio; Church Divinity School of the Pacific; Seminary of the Southwest; the Missionary Society staff at the Episcopal Church Center; St. John’s, Ocean Springs, MS; the Diocesan Council and Standing Committee of the Diocese of Eastern Oregon; the Diocese of Eastern Michigan three regional viewings at All Saints, Marysville, St. Francis, Grayling, and St. John’s, Midland; the Anti-Racism Commission of the Diocese of Chicago; the Diocese of Northern Michigan; St. Paul’s and St. Philip’s in Richmond, VA; Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Sacramento CA; Saint Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle (Diocese of Olympia); and the Diocese of Western New York.  The Diocese of Ohio has scheduled viewing/discussion sessions on two consecutive Saturdays.

Mike Collins, Episcopal Church Manager of Multimedia Services, commented, “Far and away this was the most watched live event we’ve ever produced.”

Poll findings
Last week, a national poll released by The Episcopal Church reported that nearly all Americans (98%) feel that there is some discrimination in the U.S.  Harris Interactive conducted the online poll on behalf of The Epsicopal Church among more than 2,000 U.S. adults.

The poll also found that 69% of Americans feel African Americans are discriminated against, the most of any group.  In addition:

• 63% feel Hispanics are discriminated against
• 51% feel that Native Americans are discriminated against
• 40% feel Asian Americans are discriminated against
• 39% feel Whites are discriminated against

The poll found that minorities in general feel that white Americans, over the past decade, have garnered more economically than they deserve.  On this topic, the poll revealed that overall:

• 34% of Americans agree White Americans had gotten more economically than they deserve.
• 31% of Americans agree African Americans had gotten more economically than they deserve
• 31% of Americans agree Hispanics had gotten more economically than they deserve
• 27% of Americans agree Asian Americans had gotten more economically than they deserve
• 21% of Americans agree Native Americans had gotten more economically then they deserve

Hope for the future
On the other hand, the poll found more than 8 in 10 (82%) Americans agree that despite what may have happened in the past, they believe in the future Americans will be more accepting of all races.

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of The Episcopal Church from October 23-25, 2013 among 2,016 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Neva Rae Fox.

Saturday workshops
The Saturday workshops and plenary sessions from Fifty Years Later: The State of Racism In America will be available online shortly.