Produced by the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Edited and directed by Lee Emmons https://emmonsmarketing.com/
originally published July 6, 2022 here: https://youtu.be/R_rTzsuB0jo
On September 12, 2020, the 236th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland passed Resolution 2020-06, creating a $1,000,000 seed fund for reparations. On May 26, 2022, the diocese began returning those funds to the Black community in the form of grants to organizations who are working to repair the breach that is systemic racism in Maryland while building up Black communities around the diocese.
For decades, the people of the Diocese of Maryland have been working toward racial justice, reconciliation, and reparations. Many congregations committed themselves to a journey deep into their history, illuminating their present and leading them into a future with a renewed commitment to racial reconciliation.
The result is a project called the Trail of Souls, a pilgrimage into the past and a transformative journey toward truth and reconciliation. November 1, 2014 was the 150th anniversary of the repeal of chattel slavery in the state of Maryland. On that anniversary date, the diocese held a Day of Repentance and Reconciliation, kicking off the pilgrimage portion of the Trail of Souls.
Three years later, there was a second pilgrimage to churches in Baltimore City. The journey continues virtually at trailofsouls.org with research, truth telling and dialogue. This is our own three legged stool of transformation.
The people of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland continue to explore ways to honor the past and restore the dignity of nameless souls who toiled as persons perceived as less than human. Their uncompensated labor instituted a way of life that still haunts us in the 21st century.
On May 26, 2022, the Reparations Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland announced six organizations to receive funds through the diocese’s inaugural reparations grant process for a total $175,000. The applicant pool was large and filled with worthy organizations doing the work of restoring Black communities in the geographical area of the Diocese of Maryland.
For more information about our reparations grants process and for updates and notice of the next granting cycle, please visit our reparations grants page. https://episcopalmaryland.org/reparations-grants/
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The Trail of Souls: A Journey Toward Truth and Transformation
July 19, 2022 10:04 am