In February 2023, a group of several Central New York Episcopalians travelled to Alabama for a Civil Rights Pilgrimage. Over just a few days, the group learned and grew together through on-site experiences in Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma, visiting sacred historical landmarks like the Edmund Pettus Bridge and the Montgomery Greyhound Bus station as well as several museums, including The Legacy Museum and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Our group returned changed, but our work to be part of God’s work of racial healing is not done.
Our next major endeavor is to lead a local civil rights and racial healing pilgrimage, connecting ourselves experientially and relationally with the realities of racial discrimination, oppression, and violence that continues to shape our lives and communities here in Central New York.
To make this pilgrimage meaningful and impactful, we need your help.
Work has begun to collect local histories connected to the realities of race in our area, but we need your contributions to help us bring shape to our understanding and our plans for pilgrimage. Everyone is invited to share information – stories, timelines, etc. – about their own community’s and parish’s role in the history of our area, including accounts of people and organizations who enacted and sustained racial oppression and discrimination and accounts of people and organizations who fought for freedom, justice, and equity. No story is too small or insignificant. If you’re unsure about how to share what you know or if you have any questions, please reach out to Karen Anderson.
Your stories, artifacts, and experiences will play a crucial role in shaping our ongoing work to become Beloved Community as we continue to learn to love God, each other, and all God’s creation as we strive to realize a world healed by love.
