Adult Education September 19 - November 7 - 9:30am

Perspectives on Richmond’s Emerging Story 

As a congregation this past year, we at Second Presbyterian in Richmond have been asking what it means to be a predominantly white congregation in a society being torn apart by the sin of systemic racism. We are coming to see that moving toward racial healing and wholeness for our city, state, and nation is dependent upon weaving together an equitable emerging story. Such a story emerges as we honor the voices of those whose stories, contributions, and aspirations have been hidden, thwarted, or devalued through systemic racism. Therefore, our Mission and Advocacy Council of Second Presbyterian Church has planned a speaker series for our Sunday morning adult forum class titled “Perspectives on Richmond's Emerging Story”.  We will hear from this diverse set of leaders: 

Sept 19           Faithe Norrell, Office Manager and History Services Associate, Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.  

Faithe Norrell will discuss Reconstruction, The Lost Cause False Narrative, and the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution of the United States.

Class Facilitator: Lucretia McCulley  Introduction: Marvin Daniel

Sept 26           Chief Stephen Adkins, Chief of the Chickahominy Tribe since 2001, has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Virginia Indian Tribes to gain federal recognition and to assure that America’s leadership includes a Native American voice.
Class Facilitator: Sally Johnston  Introduction: Ben Dendy

Oct 3               Reverend Ralph Hodge, Faith Outreach Manager of Virginia Interfaith Power & Light and senior pastor of Second Baptist Church of South Richmond, a church addressing environmental justice in RVA.
Class Facilitator and Introduction: Sally Johnston 

Oct 10             Dr. Kenneth Alexander, Mayor of Norfolk and author of Persistence: Evelyn Butts and the African American Quest for Full Citizenship and Self-Determination, advocates the importance of teaching the “whole story.”
Class Facilitator: Lucretia McCulley Introduction: Ben Dendy

Oct 17             Dr, Lauranett Lee, Public Historian and Visiting Lecturer at the University of Richmond.
Class Facilitator and Introduction: Lucretia McCulley

Oct 24             Michael Paul Williams - Pulitzer prize columnist, Richmond Times Dispatch
Class Facilitator and Introduction: Cathy Howard

Oct 31             Hamilton Glass - painter, muralist, and founder of Mending Walls project
Class Facilitator and Introduction: Cathy Howard

Nov 7              Dr, Ed Ayers, Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities at the University of Richmond, where he is President Emeritus.
Ed Ayers will lead us in a conversation about the origins, nature, and consequences of struggles 
over history and race that have emerged in the last decade.  Some of these conflicts have been in the streets, some in books and op-eds, and some at school boards and classrooms.  Virginia has been on the front lines of the conflicts from the Unite the Right in Charlottesville to the Virginia Supreme Court decision on the Lee Monument, from Black Lives Matter to the revision of the standards of learning.

Class Facilitator:                   Introduction:  Steve Allred

Nov. 14          Series wrap up 

What are we learning about how we at Second Presbyterian Church can contribute to a hopeful future and a different narrative in Richmond?  What next steps have our speakers helped us imagine? Come share your thoughts!