The Salvation Army Chicago is led by Lonneal and Patty Richardson. | The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army Chicago is led by Lonneal and Patty Richardson. | The Salvation Army
Officials of the Chicago Metropolitan branch of the Salvation Army remain quiet on the organization's demand that white donors to "apologize" for racism, and on calls by critics to repudiate the statement.
The Chicago Salvation Army hasn't issued a public statement, or addressed the matter on its Facebook page or Twitter account.
The demands were made earlier this year by the Salvation Army's Alexandria, Va.-based leadership, which released training materials to educate its white donors, volunteers and employees.
The materials call on white donors to the Salvation Army "to stop denying the existence of individual and systemic/institutional racism,”
“They exist, and are still at work to keep White Americans in power," they said.
"Many have come to believe that we live in a post-racial society, but racism is very real for our brothers and sisters who are refused jobs and housing, denied basic rights and brutalized and oppressed simply because of the color of their skin," one lesson explains. "There is an urgent need for Christians to evaluate racist attitudes and practices in light of our faith, and to live faithfully in today’s world."
Color Us United, a group "created to speak out against those who want to divide America," has demanded the Salvation Army "release a statement making clear that America isn’t a racist country."
The Salvation Army removed the training materials on Nov. 25, announcing it wasn't its "intention" to ask whites to apologize for being racist.
The Salvation Army Chicago, located at 5040 N. Pulaski in Chicago's North Mayfair neighborhood, is led by Lonneal and Patty Richardson. It has 22 advisory board members.
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Salvation Army Chicago Advisory Board
| Denise Brown | Toyota North America |
| Michelle Flowers Welch | Flowers Communications Group |
| Brian Bernardoni | Strategia Communications |
| Emma Asante | NBC Universal |
| Gary Ballenger | CB Richard Ellis |
| Tim Golomb | Bank of America |
| Susan Koranda | Omega Consulting |
| Philip Maziarz | Protiviti Consulting |
| Stephen Pugh | Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella |
| Sabrina Bailey | London Stock Exchange Group |
| Emerson Bouchard | Emerson Bouchard Consulting |
| Ernest Sawyer | Ernest R. Sawyer Consulting |
| Mike Hales | Kearney |
| Tiffany Hightower | Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation |
| Michael Karpeles | Greenberg Traurig LLP |
| Eric Keilman | KPMG US |
| Aubrie Kobernus | Realtors Land Institute |
| Jeanne Malnati | Lou Malnati's Pizzeria |
| John Petrovski | Retired (Prev. BMO Harris Bank) |
| Scott Sindelar | Rothschild Investment Group |
| Steven Shebik | Allstate |
| Bruce Williamson | Luse Holdings |
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