Bishop Gene Robinson to speak in Greensboro

As many of you already know, the Right Reverend Gene Robinson, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, will speak at New Garden Friends Meeting in Greensboro tomorrow, Thursday January 28, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. His visit is part of Guilford College's Religious Emphasis Week, as was the visit of Vanessa Julye a few days ago.

The visit was initiated and organized by Guilford students. Bishop Robinson will speak on "Is tolerance possible? Is tolerance enough?", responding to the hate incident that occurred at the college earlier this academic year.

Bishop Robinson was elected and consecrated as the first openly gay and partnered Episcopal and Anglican bishop in 2003. He had been a priest in the Diocese of New Hampshire for many years. Much of his ministry has focused on helping congregations and clergy, especially in times of conflict, utilizing his skills in congregational dynamics, conflict resolution, and mediation.

Quakers and Race: Speaker Monday, January 25, Greensboro

Guilford College, where your friendly blog-keeper teaches, has a glorious history of being a stop on the Underground Railroad, but did you know that it did not integrate until well into the 1960s? Quakers (who founded Guilford and are numerous and varied in this part of North Carolina) have a mixed history regarding race and racism.

This evening, Monday, January 25, at 7:30 p.m., a distinguished and dynamic speaker will address the racial history and present racial practices of Quakers. Vanessa Julye is co-author with Donna McDaniel of the book Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship: Quakers, African-Americans and the Myth of Racial Justice.

The lecture is at New Garden Friends Meeting, New Garden Road at Friendly Avenue, Greensboro. Conversation will follow.

Vanessa Julye is Coordinator for the Ministry on Racism for the Friends General Conference. A member of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting and a graduate of Westtown School and Temple University, she travels in the ministry with a special concern for helping the Religious Society of Friends become a whole blessed community.

Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship reveals that racial segregation has been as pervasive among Friends as among others of European descent.

For more information about Vanessa Julye’s lecture and other Religious Emphasis Week activities, contact Guilford College's Friends Center at 336-316-2445.