‘The centering of whiteness remains instantiated in our language, our art and our culture’
By Joe Kovacs
(Image by Pexels from Pixabay)
A diverse 2024 desk calendar published by a woke Christian church is apparently not woke enough, since the image of a white, blonde-haired girl is displayed at the top of the cover.
Now, the president of the United Church of Christ is issuing a formal apology for featuring the blonde child at the top of a circle of children of various races holding hands, with a Bible quote stating: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
“I write to apologize for the ways in which the most recent edition of the UCC desk calendar failed to live up to our commitments to be an antiracist body,” wrote Rev. John C. Dorhauer, the general minister and president of the church.
“It has been brought to my attention that a slight rotation of the cover image in either direction would more accurately reflect the racial equity we seek. I am grateful for such attention to the subtleties of racism and agree.
The cover of the 2024 desk calendar from the United Church of Christ
“I want to thank those of you who took the time to write to me and share your disappointment, your outrage and your commitment to hold us accountable to our promises.
“The cover does not reflect our strong commitment to antiracism. I apologize for that. Seeing how the image on the cover is plainly focused on the blonde-haired person makes it clear to me that there are still ways in which the centering of whiteness remains instantiated in our language, our art and our culture.