Tag Archives: racial justicre

Love & Justice: Quotes for the New Year

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We write today with two inspiring texts in mind, our reverend Pam’s Christmas Eve sermon, and Coretta Scott King’s words displayed in the 1965 Freedom Plaza surrounding our city’s Embrace statue.

From The Rev. Pam Werntz’ sermon, December 24, 2025, on light and darkness, grace and love, and the hope we need in our world:

The light doesn’t eliminate the darkness; it shines in the darkness. It offers orientation, direction, hope, and the possibility of seeing differently, of finding a way forward.…And this light not abstract or distant….This light has pitched a tent among us, has taken up residence in our neighborhoods, in our world, in our lives, in our hearts. Continue reading →

“The Cost of Inheritance”

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“The Cost of Inheritance,” a documentary that explores reparations in America, was aired this week on PBS. It is now available for viewing via PBS’s YouTube channel. Part of the series, America Reframed, the film adopts “a thoughtful approach to History, historical injustices, systemic inequities, and critical dialog on racial conciliation.”

Viewers hear the thoughts and feelings of individuals and members of groups who are seeking to heal racial wounds. The dilemmas of inheritance are explored and reimagined as people develop relationships, share family stories, memories, and documentation, and make amends that are mutually agreed upon. A range of efforts are described. We meet the founders of Reparations4slavery.com and members of Coming to the Table, a network of groups of descendants of enslavers and enslaved who are seeking to repair racial disparities.

There is also coverage of more sweeping efforts including Georgetown University’s reparations work, the National Black Farmers Association/USDA settlement, and the Quarterman and Keller Social Justice Scholarships at Spelman College.

—Mary Beth Clack, Cindy Coldren, Pat Krol
–Published in This Week @Emmanuel Church Jan. 11, 2024