A northern Virginia congressman is pursuing legislation to remove Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s name from the official designation at the historic mansion where he lived before the Civil War. The home, overlooks the nation’s capital and is surrounded by Arlington National Cemetery.
Davidson College issued a public apology Wednesday for its support of slavery during the school’s first 30 years and unveiled plans to address a variety of problems ranging from building names to relations with Black people in the local community.
Beth Allison Barr, associate dean in the Baylor Graduate School, writes about a cemetery in Waco, Texas, and the (mis)treatment of Black burials spots compared to White ones like Confederate soldiers. Read full piece
University of Virginia unveiled a Memorial to Enslaved Laborers this month. The memorial acknowledges the estimated 4,000 enslaved people who lived and worked at the university from 1817 to 1865. Read full piece
It is long past time for religious congregations to begin again — to dredge up their history in order to confront it and begin anew. Congregations cannot begin to move forward with the work of racial justice until they face their past complicity in white
John Finley, executive director of the Baptist History and Heritage Society, talks about the importance of churches keeping records during the coronavirus pandemic. Read full piece
Robert P. Jones reflects on the slavery history of White Baptists and how to address that truth today as part of repairing the damage. Read full piece
As the country is once again facing a reckoning on racial justice, perhaps the biggest obstacle to White Christians’ full participation in the movement for racial equality is an unshakable commitment to our own innocence.
We are living in a historic moment. But will we record our memories for future generations to understand life and faith during coronavirus? Ken Satterfield offers suggestions on journaling during this pandemic.
Bryan Stevenson talks about truth and reconciliation in America — and about whether truth would actually lead to reconciliation in America. And he discusses what the process of reckoning with our past sins and present wounds would look and feel and sound like. Read full piece