The Saint Luke’s Parish TOUR Task Force
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27
We are excited to share updates on the growth of our parish group Transforming Our Understanding of Race Task Force, or TOUR. This initiative demonstrates our commitment as a parish to live into our Baptismal promise to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”
This is not new work for us at Saint Luke’s. Ever since the creation of Person-to-Person in 1968 as a response to Dr. King’s assassination, Saint Luke’s has been engaged in taking an active stand against racism in our society. It is essential for us to deepen awareness of our country’s history and to ask what we, as a church and as individuals, can do to facilitate needed change. TOUR is committed to helping us all do just that.
Below are some of the many ways to get involved with this group, whose mission is to ‘nurture a community of people whose hearts and minds are open to know and love our neighbors.’ We hope you are inspired to join us on this journey! Email [email protected] to learn more!
Upcoming Events
Spring Book Club with Dawn Stegelmann
Fridays, May 17, 24, 31 & June 7 | 12-1:30 PM | Taylor Room
Join us for a four-week series about the mothers who raised and shaped three of the most well-known leaders of the Civil Rights Movement amid Jim Crow laws and the struggle for racial justice. They taught resistance and a fundamental belief in the worth, dignity and respect of Black people in the face of prejudices and discrimination toward their loved ones and communities. Our book is: “The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation” by Anna Malaika Tubbs. Offered by Saint Luke’s TOUR (Transforming Our Understanding of Race) Task Force. Please call the Parish Office at 203-655-1456 to join this Book Club.
TOUR Film Series – “Luce”
Sunday, May 5 at 3 PM in the Parish Hall
This 2019 film tells the story of a couple forced to reconsider their marriage and their family after an extremely disturbing essay written by their adopted son from Eritrea is brought to their attention.
Saint Luke’s TOUR Lending Library opening soon!
To be located in Tink Neubert reading room (office building). Contact [email protected] for information.
Sacred Ground
Sacred Ground is a small group course addressing America’s history of race and racism through videos, essays, book chapters and stories. This ten-session course looks at the origins of discrimination, economic class, regional identity, and more to educate and encourage thoughtful consideration. Join us on this journey of discovery. Our Spring Session began April 4. To join the Fall Session Waitlist, email annelynn1121@gmail.
Freedom Trail Slavery Sites Walking Tour in NYC
Our April 27 tour is SOLD OUT. Please email [email protected] to register interest in a future tour.
Other Resources
Presentation by Debbie Irving, Author of Waking Up White
Saturday, April 20 from 9AM to 1PM at AME Zion Church, Middletown CT
Debbie Irving is a widely recognized racial justice educator known for sharing her journey of discovery about the reality of systemic racism in America. (Event posted by the Episcopal Church of Connecticut’s Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation Ministry Network.)
Yale and Slavery Research Project
Yale has a complex past that includes direct and indirect ties to slavery. That history cannot be remade. What can be done is to reveal, share, and learn from that history, so we can strengthen our community and advance Yale’s mission of education and research to create a better future. To that end, Yale in 2020 launched the Yale and Slavery Research Project to study the institution’s historical involvement with slavery. The discoveries made by the project’s historians and scholars have been made public and are published on this website: https://yaleandslavery.yale.edu
Connecticut Public Radio / NPR
Unforgotten: Connecticut’s Hidden History of Slavery — a special series from Connecticut Public Radio/WNPR featuring radio storytelling, in-depth videos, digital stories, pictures, a podcast and a television special. Series premieres on March 18, 2024. Learn about our state’s deep and troubling dependence on slave labor. https://www.ctpublic.org/connecticuts-hidden-history-of-slavery
