Salvation Army defends guide some believed asked white donors to apologize for racism

UPDATE: The Salvation Army has withdrawn the guide.

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GREEN BAY, Wis. (WLUK) — The Salvation Army is facing scrutiny.

A resource guide, designed by the organization’s International Social Justice Commission, is reportedly said to be asking white donors to offer a “sincere apology” for their racism.

The Salvation Army recently released a statement, defending its internal racism guide, “Let’s Talk About Racism,” put out in April.

In the guide, the organization discourages “colorblindness” and encourages staff members to “apologize for being white.”

“When I read the story, at first, I was like, ‘This isn’t true! It’s not possible, because it doesn’t fit the mission of the Salvation Army,’” said Maj. David Minks, commanding officer at the Fox Cities Salvation Army.

A section of the resource guide says,

The desire is that Salvationists achieve the following: Lament, repent and apologize for biases or racist ideologies held and actions committed.

“It’s supposed to be to help us understand some perspectives in the world today,” Minks said. “It’s not endorsed or followed by the Salvation Army here in Wisconsin, and it’s not endorsed and used in this particular unit – it’s not something we use or follow.”

The guide has since been removed from the Salvation Army’s website. But in its statement, the organization says some individuals and groups have attempted to mislabel the organization, saying:

They have claimed that we believe our donors should apologize for their skin color, that The Salvation Army believes America is an inherently racist society, and that we have abandoned our Christian faith for one ideology or another. Those claims are simply false, and they distort the very goal of our work.

“We have a very diverse group of people who serve, and love, and care for folks,” said Minks. “Some people have different political affiliations but, again, the Salvation Army is not a political movement.”

News of this guide has spread on social media, with many commenting things like, “Go Woke, Go Broke,” and threatening to no longer support the Salvation Army.

This backlash could mean seeing fewer donations this holiday season.

“This is really gonna hurt,” Minks said. “It breaks my heart when I hear from a donor that says, ‘I don’t support Critical Race Theory,’ and I, myself, don’t support it, but I think recognize that, when they withhold their donation and give somewhere else that who it hurts is the people that we serve.”