Church Swap, Waco, Texas

What might happen if a congregant of an all-black church switches places with a congregant of an all-white one?

Ramona Curtis, director of Baylor University’s Academy and Leadership Development, will find out through a project called "Grassroots Approach to Dismantling the Most Segregated Hour in America."

Curtis hopes to help dismantle what Martin Luther King, Jr. called “America’s most segregated hour” -- the 11 a.m. hour on Sunday morning when people go to church.

“Our world is growing more and more diverse,” Curtis said, “I’ve never understood why we are so segregated during that 11:00 hour on Sunday morning.”

Participants will document their journeys via video interviews, a personal blog and Facebook posts. They will also read Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America and United by Faith: The Multiracial Congregation As an Answer to the Problem of Race.

After two months, they will return to their home church where they will spend another two months writing about what they have learned. Using this information, project managers will produce a research paper, a Web site, a video documentary and a research paper detailing their experiences.

Curtis who grew up in a predominantly black church made the switch several years ago, and she is glad she did.

“I have grown tremendously as person because of my open-mindedness,” she said, “I am challenged to be able to be comfortable and see people as people and not the color of their skin.”

A $10,000 grant from the Kellogg Foundation’s Racial Healing Initiative allowed Curtis and the Community Race Relations Coalition to challenge the segregation stronghold.  Jo Welter, owner of the community Race Coalition, helped secure funding for the project.

Welter said the ultimate goal of the initiative is to encourage people to think more critically about racial divisions, and to look for ways to create partnerships and open a dialogue. If participating churches become multiracial as a result, that will be “icing on the cake,” she said.

Curtis hopes the project will yield a tool kit for other organizations.  For example, historically black universities may exchange students with predominantly white ones.

“This will definitely provide an interesting, educational exchange,” she said. “We will document our experiences and provide guidelines for other organizations.”

The results should be very interesting. Stay tuned. I will blog about our journey!