Monthly Archives: September 2026

Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery: An Online Talk with Sarah Augustine

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Part of our group’s experience with the Sacred Reckonings program was learning about the Doctrine of Discovery and its enduring effects on our world. An exploration of these papal bulls and decrees, and their implications is being offered in an online program hosted by the St. Paul Center this week. Sarah Augustine, a Pueblo (Tewa) descendant and founder/Executive director of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, will speak. Augustine has worked in relationship with indigenous peoples for over 20 years and has represented their interests in a variety of global forums.

The Coalition “calls on the Christian Church to address the extinction, enslavement, and extraction done in the name of Christ on indigenous lands.” (website) The papal bulls or decrees that gave Christian explorers the theological and legal right to lay claim to any land not inhabited by Christians and available to be “discovered.” For more about the Doctrine, see this transcript and background information on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History site.

We look forward to hearing Sarah Augustine’s thoughts on the role of faith organizations in supporting indigenous rights and will report back in this space soon. To register for the September 10th DioMass online program, see this link.

–Mary Beth Clack, Convener, for the Racial Justice Working Group: Joel Anderle, Mary Blocher, Cindy Coldren, Ben Ericson, Pat Krol, Liz Levin, Pam Werntz (ex officio)

Revolutionary Lives: The Hidden History You Didn’t Know

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Revolutionary Lives: The Hidden History You Didn’t Know

The Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry of Roxbury recently hosted the first in a series of talks about the history and tradition of revolutionary action in Boston. The evening program drew an audience of over 60 people and was devoted to panel presentations which included:

  • Historian Thomas Plant on “Colonel George Middleton and The Bucks of America,” a little-known story about African American contributions to the Revolutionary War.
  • Dr. Alexandria Russell on “Finding Phillis: Phillis Wheatley’s Memorials in Boston  & Beyond.”
  • Dr. Aabid Allibhai reprising his timely and significant commissioned report on “Race & Slavery at the First Church in Roxbury.”

Dr. Russell’s remarks on the broader topic of naming legacies were of particular interest as we at Emmanuel continue our pulpit statue dedications. Russell’s book, “Black Women Legacies: Public History Sites Seen and Unseen” (University of Illinois Press, 2024), treats the culture of recognition of women that has developed in public memory, of both acclaimed and unheralded women.

In the summer of 2021, Emmanuelites visited the UU Urban Ministry during the two tours of the South End with Byron Rushing. We were welcomed at the historic meeting house by Executive Director Reverend Mary Margaret Earl. The tours were a wonderful part of our ongoing exploration of racial justice in Boston. We recall the Urban Ministry’s welcoming spirit and warm engagement with us at that time and look forward to the remaining talks in the series.

–Mary Beth Clack, Convener, for the Racial Justice Working Group: Joel Anderle, Mary Blocher, Cindy Coldren, Ben Ericson, Pat Krol, Liz Levin, Pam Werntz