About FVRJ

Our nation has much work to do in understanding and dismantling racism, the role that religion played historically and today, and the continued privilege from which white people benefit through systemic racism. Faithful Voices for Racial Justice, a project of Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, was created to start conversations, promote learning, work together, and take action.

With the urgency and energy in this moment, faith and ethnic communities across Iowa are committed to engaging in addressing racism and engaging in antiracism and racial justice work.

• In this moment in time, it is important to intentionally focus on the racism that has uniquely impacted the Black community in our country for centuries. The work must be respectful of and in consultation with leaders and members of the Black community ensuring their voices are centered whenever possible.
• Intentional, antiracism work focused on historical and current racism against the Black community does not diminish nor ignore the fact that other communities are impacted by racism. Faith and ethnic communities must also work to understand and address all racism, including racism perpetrated against people and communities of color, Latinx, Hispanic, Indigenous, Asian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and other ethnic communities.
• The white community, in general, has much work to do in understanding and addressing racism, including the continued privilege it benefits from through systemic racism. The white Christian community, in particular, has specific work to do, including understanding its historical responsibility with racism.
• Collaborative work across racial and religious divides is critical to building relationships and to garner the full power of faith and ethnic communities across Iowa.