Happy Juneteenth!

Juneteenth, once celebrated only in Texas, has spread all around the country. 31 states currently recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday. It is the oldest known commemoration celebrating the end of slavery in the United States. For more on the history and celebration of Juneteenth, see here. For a historian's perspective that nuances and comments on the way the story of Juneteenth is usually told, see this short essay by Professor Thavolia Glymph of Duke University.

What are your memories and experiences, if any, of Juneteenth celebrations? What is your reaction to Professor Glymph's essay? Feel free to share them in the comments below. Blogs are meant for conversation, not just for one-way reading.

Elizabeth Catlett, "Sharecropper"

"Journey of Reconciliation" - the First "Freedom Ride," in 1947! Upcoming commemorations in Chapel Hill

I received this letter a few days ago from the Fellowship of Reconciliation:

Did you know that the first civil rights "freedom ride" took place in 1947, fourteen years before the 1961 riders captured the nation's attention by exposing the brutality of Jim Crow in the South? The Journey of Reconciliation was organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), which was born at FOR, and was led by FOR staff members Bayard Rustin and George Houser.

The interracial group of nine men on the Journey of Reconciliation set out from Washington, D.C. on April 9th, 1947. They met some resistance from passengers and drivers on buses in Virginia and North Carolina. But when they attempted to sit at the front of a bus in Chapel Hill on April 12th, the driver refused, and removed some of the riders by force. They were then attacked by angry cab drivers at the Chapel Hill bus station, and arrested by local police. Their subsequent time serving on a chain gang led Rustin to write about the experience. His serialized journal led to major reforms in the North Carolina prison system.

[Note from Jane R: For a much earlier post on Bayard Rustin, see here on my personal blog, Acts of Hope.]

There are so many fascinating parts of this story. Please read this narrative by a local historian to learn more about the context and outcome of this journey.

Next week, a state historic marker will be installed in Chapel Hill to commemorate the Journey of Reconciliation. The event will be an opportunity to remember the horrors of Jim Crow past, and to look forward at the racial justice challenges of our future. I hope you can join me at one or more of these events in Chapel Hill. If not, perhaps you can show your support by making a donation to FOR in honor of the first freedom ride . Click the titles below to learn more and RSVP for these events.

Thursday 2/26, 7 pm: Screening & discussion: "You Don't have to Ride Jim Crow." Watch the documentary and discuss Chapel Hill's civil rights history with filmmaker Robin Washington. Sponsored by FOR and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP.

Friday 2/27, time TBA: Nonviolent direct action organizing, then and now . A discussion of old tactics and new frontiers with Robin Washington. Sponsored by FOR.

Saturday 2/28, noon: Day of Commemoration and Re-dedication . Freedom Riders in Chapel Hill 1947-2009: The Struggle for Racial Justice Continues. Sponsored by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP and the Community Church, with support from the Town of Chapel Hill.

I am helping to organize these events because I believe in the power of nonviolent direct action to bring about justice. I want others to remember this powerful legacy and to be inspired about the change we can continue to make happen today. I hope you will join me in Chapel Hill.

Peace,

Ruby Sinreich

Communications Co-Director

Fellowship of Reconciliation

Chapel Hill, N.C.

Fellowship of Reconciliation • 521 N. Broadway • Nyack, New York 10960 • 845-358-4601 • http://forusa.org/

Cross-posted at Acts of Hope.

September 6: a day on the racial history of our diocese

Please save the date for a day of listening, learning, and conversation on the racial history of our diocese.

Details and updates both in this space and in future posts!

Traces of Our Trade
Saturday, September 6, 2008

9-4 p.m.

St. Matthew's, Hillsborough

Co-sponsored by the School of Ministry, the Anti-Racism Committee, and the Diocesan Historiographer

A mid-July update - quick summary of conference contents:

* Film “Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North”

* Discussion with Constance and Dain Perry, an interracial couple who are members of the DeWolf family featured in the film, experienced facilitators, and members of Trinity Church, Boston

* Panel on the racial history of the Diocese of North Carolina with both an overview and local stories from historic congregations

* “How-to” workshops on doing oral history, finding hidden historical treasure in parish records, restoring slave cemeteries, ideas for reading and study, and other resources

* Address by Bishop Curry and Prayer

Registration: Contact Shelley Kappauf, School of Ministry, 336-273-5770 shelley.kappauf@episdionc.org

Full details with names of panelists coming in the second half of July in a space above...

Louisiana's African American Heritage Trail

In this weekend's New York Times travel section.

Read it here.

There is also a slide show.


Photo: Chris Ramirez for The New York Times.

Panel on Rev. Wright/Senator Obama at Guilford College on Tuesday, April 1, 4:00 p.m.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 1
4:00 p.m. (will last till 5:30 p.m.)
Bryan Jr. Auditorium
(in the Frank Family Science Center)
Guilford College
Greensboro, North Carolina

"The Wright Stuff:

Obama, the Black Church, Prophetic Preaching, and Politics"

*******************

Moderator:

Rev. Sekinah Hamlin, Director of Multicultural Education

Panelists:

*****Local ministers and activists:

Rev. Cardes Brown, New Light Baptist Church

Rev. Carlton Eversley, Dellabrook Presbyterian Church

Rev. Nelson Johnson, Faith Community Church

*****Guilford College professors:

Kyle Dell, Political Science

Jane Redmont, Religious Studies