The following resolutions were adopted by participants at the SACC National Conference on Racial and Gender Justice held at Kempton Park Conference Centre, 25-26 October 2005

1. Policies and Procedures of Faith Communities

Recognising that faith communities do not have explicit or consistent policies and procedures to deal with race and gender justice;

In faithfulness, we as SACC commit ourselves to:

1. Asking each of our members to voluntarily comply with the Employment Equity Act by developing an employment equity plan through a participatory process, submitting it to the Department of Labour, and establishing appropriate mechanisms within the denomination to monitor implementation.
2. Challenging our members to review their respective constitutions to identify areas of inconsistency with the South African Constitution and the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act and to develop concrete proposals to address these gaps; and inviting the National Religious LeadersÕ Forum (NRLF) to set up a body to challenge non-SACC members to do the same.

Timeframes:

1. The Reconciliation and Healing Programme of the SACC is asked to communicate this decision to all SACC members within two weeks as part of its reporting on the outcomes of this conference.
2. The General Secretariat of the SACC is asked to convey the invitation to the NRLF.
3. All SACC members should be asked to report on their progress in implementing both of these initiatives at the SACC Central Committee meeting in mid-2006.
4. SACC members should be asked to submit copies of their Employment Equity plans to the SACC as soon as they are completed.

2. A Spirituality to Combat Racism and Sexism in Faith-Based Communities

Noting:

1. the divided and unjust state of society, and the factors that contributed to this deplorable situation; and
2. that faith structures have a tendency towards legalism and theorising and that any concern and action for justice has to be founded on a prophetic and compassionate spirituality,

In faithfulness, we, as faith-based communities, commit to the development and nurturing of an appropriate spirituality and the practical and everyday application of this spirituality in our struggle against race and gender discrimination, including the identification of existing resources and development of new resources from the spiritual traditions of the faith communities that serve the development and sustaining of an appropriate spirituality to assist in dealing with the past, being active in the present and facing the future with hope and determination.

As a Council of Churches, we commit to the immediate formation of a representative, interfaith task-team to plan appropriate actions Ð consulting, collecting, selecting, compiling, developing and continuously disseminating relevant resources in such a way as to ensure they are as generally acceptable and universally practical as possible.

3. Victims and Perpetrators of Internalised Racism and Sexism

Recognising that:

1. victims of internalised racism and sexism subconsciously aspire to be like the race or gender that they believe to be superior;
2. those who believe themselves to be inferior have a strong need for acceptance, and recognition which contributes to their poor self-image;
3. many aspects of our society and culture, including the media and the beliefs and practices of our faith communities, re-enforce feelings of inferiority and legitimise ideologies of male and racial superiority;
4. perpetrators of notions of racial or gender-based superiority are trying to maintain the status quo and to compel others to conform to their standards; andthere are many past
5. perpetrators who recongnise their mistakes and are trying to redress these wrongs by changing the status quo.

In faithfulness, we, as faith-based communities, commit ourselves to:

1. Engage in education and consciousness-raising about racism and sexism and its origins and effects, exposing the systemic nature of racism in order to help victims to understand the true nature of their oppression.
2. Encourage the victims of internalized racism and sexism to make a conscious effort to celebrate their own images in spite of the negative messages that they must confront regularly;
3. Inculcate a culture of identity; and
4. Facilitate the documentation of traditions and cultures; and
5. Promote the concept of Òredeeming memoriesÓ

As a Council of Churches we commit to:

1. Exposing the ideologies behind ÒtribalismÓ and ethnic superiority that have given rise to inequalities.
2. Set up programs that use the concept of Òredeeming memoriesÓ to encourage people to learn about their cultures and traditions and thereby develop a better self-image.

4. Utilizing the Services of Commissioners

Recognising the vastness of the problem of gender and racial inequality;

In faithfulness we, as faith based communities, commit ourselves:

1. To mobilize churches and other faith-based communities in our communities through the provincial Councils of Churches to collaborate in preparing Racial/Gender Justice Commissioners to do their work;
2. To ask churches to extend invitations to Commissioners to conduct workshops in faith based communities.

As a Council of Churches, we commit ourselves to enabling Commissioners in each of the three provinces that currently have trained personnel to capacitate 10 churches in that province from April 2006, with the possibility of extending the program to other provinces. The Reconciliation and Healing Programme of the SACC is requested to monitor and facilitate implementation.