The View from Robert Street

Last weekend the 2021 Memorial Vestry met for an all day retreat. On ZOOM things were certainly different - but it was a fruitful and prayerful time.  With the help of Listening Hearts we reflected on where God is calling us as a community in 2021, following the announcement of our justice and reparations initiative and beginning to move out of the COVID-19 pandemic. After much prayerful discernment we formulated the following: 

“God is calling us as a vestry to build relationships inside and outside our community in order to move our actions toward justice and reparative ministries”

A priority of the vestry was ensuring that everyone who wants to is able to take part in this work in one way or another.  They unanimously desire to involve all of you in this work and invite others outside Memorial and outside Bolton Hill to be involved as well.  

Another priority was our relationship with Saint Katherine’s. Continuing to worship, fellowship and share life together is a model for how we can repair and restore relationships in all aspects of our life and ministry. 

We approved three grants (see below for the full resolution):

$10,000 to the Diocesan Reparations Fund

$15,000 to BLACK WOMEN BUILD – BALTIMORE

$5,000 to BUILDING OUR NATION'S DAUGHTERS 

And developed a process for further gift making and programming relying on the advisory committee’s guidance with final vestry approval. 

We began to map out a few next steps over the next few months. 


Next Steps

February-March

Form an Advisory Committee

Vestry to reach out and engage the Congregation

Deepen Relationship with Saint Katherine’s

Develop A Memorial and Saint Katherine’s Talent Bank

Mapping Justice Led Organizations in Our Zip Code


March-April

Organize a Justice and Reparations Workgroup

Listen and partner with local justice led organizations with their ongoing work

Hire a Justice Organizer to lead the workgroup

Work with Saint Katherine’s on their Urban Oasis project

This week we also brought together our Advisory Committee for the first time.  I am grateful to the members for their time and attention to ensuring that this program continues to move in the right direction.  Special thanks to: 

David Hornbeck, Strong Schools Maryland Memorial Member

Bonnie Legro, Formerly of the Abell Foundation, Memorial Member

Eric Sommerville, Central Y of Maryland

Nabeehah Aziz, The No Boundaries Coalition

Donna Brown, Citizens Policing Project


If you are inspired to become more involved in our justice and reparations initiative contact myself or any member of the vestry.  We are looking forward to working with you.

~~~

Preamble: Following the action of the Memorial Episcopal Church vestry in

November 2020, and by the congregation at the Annual Meeting in January, 2021,

Memorial has withdrawn $50,000 from its endowment as an act of reparations.

This comes in response to Memorial’s long-standing history of support for the

institution of slavery and the legacy of slavery, the funds being designated to

support Black-lead justice organizations working in four key areas: housing,

education, voting rights, and environment.

Resolution 1: Memorial Episcopal Church vestry approves a $10,000 contribution to

the Diocese of Maryland Reparations Fund, in acknowledgement of the practice of

enslavement by Memorial’s founding rectors.

Resolution 2: Memorial Episcopal Church vestry approves a $15,000 contribution to

Black Women Build, in response to Memorial’s history of support for segregation in

housing in Baltimore.

Resolution 3: Memorial Episcopal Church vestry approves a $5,000 contribution to

Building our Nation’s Daughters, in response to Memorial’s history of efforts to keep

education and youth programs segregated in Baltimore.