Students to Form Congress on Racial Reconciliation

By Romare Ashford

In mid-February, selected students from George Fox University (GFU) will attend the 2020 Student Congress on Racial Reconciliation (SCORR) at Biola University in La Mirada, Cal. 

The Intercultural Resource Center (IRC) seeks to select students to engage in conversations about diversity in a biblical and academic setting. The SCORR team trains together before and after the conference to learn why racial reconciliation is important and how to start similar conversations on campus. The conference takes place Feb. 22 and 23.

 “John M. Perkins’ lecture gives the experience of feeling reconciliation. His story showed me I can forgive, and I feel I have changed a lot since that lecture. I saw how Christ-like with the speaker’s story of forgiveness,” said Lovellen Brar, former SCORR student.

The theme this year is based on 1 John 4:18. “No fear, know love.” The idea to “know love,” is to think about the diversity of God’s Kingdom. The SCORR conference challenges attendants to lean into others’ lives to learn about their culture as a way to love through racial reconciliation. 

The mission of SCORR is to give students an opportunity to learn and grow to engage in diversity in the Kingdom of God. The conference provides the space for students to broaden their perspective, express themselves artistically, and critically think. SCORR engages students in these topics through spoken word events, worship, and educational workshops that discuss race relations, identity, higher education, church involvement.

“My favorite part of SCORR was the lecture about biracial identity. It was helpful for me to feel really connected to other people who share similar thoughts, who are trying to reach a conclusion like I am,” said Jared Mar, former SCORR student.