Dismantling Racism Task Force appointed

Updated April 8, 2022

Council of General Synod (CoGS) appointed seven members to the Dismantling Racism Task Force at its November meeting.

Members of the task force include Dale Drozda from the Territory of the People, Brittany Hudson and Aleshia Johnson from the diocese of Toronto, the Rev. Vivian Lam from the diocese of New Westminster, Irene Moore-Davis from the diocese of Huron, Catherine Pate from the diocese of British Columbia and the Rev. Canon Norm Wesley from the diocese of Moosonee.

Drozda, Johnson, Pate and Wesley all subsequently withdrew from the task force, Ryan Weston, lead animator, Public Witness for Social and Ecological Justice confirmed April 5, 2022.

CoGS established the Dismantling Racism Task Force in June following a wave of protests around the world against anti-Black racism. Archbishop Linda Nicholls, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, had made anti-racism a focus for CoGS in fall 2019, noting widespread systemic racism against Black, Asian and Indigenous people in Canada.

Also at CoGS in November, the Strategic Planning Working Group announced results of its survey to council members asking them to outline the areas they saw as most important to strategic development work. CoGS members identified “Dismantling racism and colonialism” as one of their top priorities.