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History Committee
A COMMITMENT TO FULLY EXAMINING OUR HISTORY
The UU Urban Ministry, working in partnership with the Roxbury Historical Society, has convened a History Committee to continue this interrogation into the history of First Church. Led by historian Byron Rushing, and joined by community leaders such as the Honorable Leslie Harris and historian
and UUUM board member Thomas Plant, the committee is charting our course forward.
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The work of this committee is building upon, "Race & Slavery at the First Church in Roxbury (The Colonial Period 1631-1775)", the report written by Aabid Allibhai (that can be found on the History of First Church in Roxbury page). A priority is doing genealogical research into the descendants of enslaved people named in the report, and finding ways to honor those who were enslaved.
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The continuation of this honest historical examination is a commitment of the UU Urban Ministry.
“I for one believe that if you give people a thorough understanding of what confronts them and the basic causes that produce it, they’ll create their own program, and when the people create a program, you get action.”
— Malcolm X
“You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.”
- Frederick Douglas
MEMBERS OF THE HISTORY COMMITTEE
We are grateful to the following people who have offered their time, wisdom, and skills to serving on our History Committee. This committee is charged with determining the next steps of examining our past.
Suzy Buchanan
Marcia Butman
Rev. Mary Margaret Earl
Jon Ellertson
Hon. Leslie Harris
Hon. Geraldine Hines
Sumaya Mohamed Ibrahim
Collin Knight
Marisa Luse
Sen. Liz Miranda
Byron Rushing
Thomas Plant
Christle Rawlins-Jackson
Joyce Stanley
“Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves”
- Abraham Lincoln
WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING WITH THE HISTORY COMMITTEE
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The History Committee recently went on a tour of the Meetinghouse with Mary Syder to discuss how the history of enslavement showed be represented.
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There will be a database that will depict that will help families trace their lineage back to the first church.
JOIN US IN THIS WORK
We invite all members of the community to join us in the work of examining our history. Additionally, we will continue to publish the findings of this work so that it is available to all.
Questions?
For more information about the work of our History Committee, or to discuss involvement opportunities, email: Vinnie Myles, Director of Development and Communications at vmyles@uuum.org.
