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A progressive Christian church apologized for offending churchgoers with a calendar that displayed ‘the subtleties of racism’ by featuring a blonde child on its cover.
United Church of Christ President Rev. John C. Dorhauer apologized profusely in a letter to members posted on the UCC website on May 23. Addressing complaints, he said the new desk calendar "failed to live up to our commitments to be an antiracist body."
The 2024 desk calendar is currently being sold on the UCC website. The cover features a drawing of children and at least one adult with gray hair holding hands in a circle. Children of various skin colors are displayed in the graphic, but it appears some UCC members were upset that a White child with blonde hair was towards the top of the image.
Rev. Dorhauer suggested they should have rotated the image slightly so a more racially diverse person was at the top instead.
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A progressive church apologized for offending members with a drawing of a white child on a calendar cover. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
"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," he wrote.
The UCC president thanked members who let him know about their "disappointment and outrage" over the calendar. He lamented the pervasiveness of "white privilege."
"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," he wrote. "This is a reminder of the kind of diligence required to fully overcome the ravages of white privilege still embedded in our system, our psyche and our culture."
The church leader vowed to make sure graphics were aligned with the church's commitment to antiracism in the future.
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A progressive church said a calendar did not display its commitment to antiracism. (Stanton Sharpe/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
"We will again remind ourselves and challenge ourselves to apply a level of diligence that will reduce the likelihood that this happens again. We will also review the processes we use to approve graphic designs before being published, building a network of accountability that will enable us to align more fully with our vision for and commitment to antiracism," Rev. Dorhauer wrote.
After apologizing again for his "short-sightedness," the UCC president said he hoped one day the church and culture would be free from White privilege and racism.
The United Church of Christ is a progressive denomination which boasts inclusivity and a commitment to racial justice on its website.
Some UCC churches have hosted drag shows to show support for LGBTQ youth.
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The United Church of Christ confirmed to Fox News Digital that the calendar sold on the website was the one that Rev. Dorhauer was apologizing for but declined to comment further on the matter.
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