Earlier today I spoke on the floor of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference calling for us to have our leadership reflect

the diversity of our conference. The SEJ is the most diverse conference in the US, and yet we have traditionally, and continue to lag behind the other Jurisdictions in terms of representation not only at the episcopal level but at all levels of the conference and in our nominees to general and jurisdictional boards and agencies. While I was overwhelmed at the outpouring of support I received from fellow delegates, I am also dismayed at the response of many of my fellow young United Methodists. This has prompted me to put pen to paper so to speak, so that I might offer some clarity. It is evident in some of the responses I have received that my intended message was not the one that was heard. Let me say first and foremost, I cannot abide by the T word. To hear my demographic reduced to being called tokens by other young people is painful. I mentioned in my speech that I was ready for the baton, and had my hand out, and yet the one passing the baton runs past me. I believe that it was this part of my speech that was interpreted as an entitlement wish. That was not my intention. What I was trying to express is that there are qualified, capable young leaders who are not being given an opportunity to grow into their potential. If that is an entitlement wish, then yes, I wish that fervently, but I do not believe that a young person should be given a position due only to the fact that they are young, I was merely trying to express my frustration that young people with impressive qualifications are being passed over because they are young. The fact of the matter is that our Jurisdiction has a long way to go. We are stuck in a time-warp where our churches do not necessarily reflect their neighborhoods anymore, and likewise, our leaders do not reflect the people they are representing. There is no denying the fact that a good majority of our leaders, especially our active and retired episcopal leaders are white men. This does not mean, nor am I trying to imply, that white men are not capable, qualified, effective leaders. What it does mean is that our leadership is not an accurate portrayal of who we are. What I intended to highlight in my speech was that there are people of color, women, and young people who are equally good candidates as the aforementioned white men, and yet these people of color, women and young people are not achieving positions equitably. I was trying to show the disconnect between who we are and who we elect. I am more than happy to continue this conversation with anyone who would like to, because I believe dialogue and relationship with others is how we can solve the issues facing our church.