Editor’s note: This article was originally posted in February 2024. This display is a work in progress, and since this was posted five new leaders were included, bringing the total to 24. The new leaders are Richard Stewart, James Gunther, James Capers, Dorothy Ricks and Maria-Alma Rainey Copeland.
Sparked by the tragic death of George Floyd in May 2020, members of Trinity Lutheran, Lansdale, Pa., approached Karen Matthias-Long, an ELCA deacon who was then serving as the congregation’s director of faith formation, for support in researching resources to educate their children at home about racial justice.
From that request, Trinity’s Racial Justice Ministry was formed. Its mission is to educate the congregation about the causes and effects of racism and to find ways to respond and address the issue.
The team offers book groups, meet-ups and workshops; provides resources; collaborates with other local racial justice groups; and organizes visits to exhibitions and important sites in Black history. This year the group created a Black History Month exhibition. The window display features 19 notable Black Lutherans who shaped the church’s history, some of whom are shown in this photo gallery.
You can download the pdf of the entire display here.
