Justice Committee - February 2022
By. Amy Hastings
What does it take to make a better world?
Graduates of St. Augustine’s University
In a letter to Episcopal congregations around the country, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry writes: “In his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said that out of mountains of despair, we must quarry stones of hope. At Episcopal Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Saint Augustine’s University and Voorhees College, the work of quarrying stones of hope goes on every day. Founded to provide educational opportunities for formerly enslaved people after the Civil War, SAU and Voorhees have formed and nurtured countless numbers of talented young people – and changed innumerable lives.
“HBCUs are essential engines of justice, equity, and social mobility. These institutions are taking young people and molding them and forming them, not just academically, but also spiritually and morally. HBCUs provide a high-quality education to students whose backgrounds and experiences may not have prepared them well for college success. They nurture talent that may have otherwise been discouraged by obstacles. They leave no student behind.”
To provide support to both institutions, Bishop Curry urges us to support them – OUR Episcopal HBCUS – in their life-giving work through the Absalom Jones Fund for Episcopal HBCUs. This Fund honors the legacy of Absalom Jones, the first African American ordained a priest in The Episcopal Church.
Members of the St. Stephen’s Justice Committee enthusiastically embraced this request at our January meeting. Subsequently, a $750 challenge was offered to the congregation to inaugurate St. Stephen’s support for the Absalom Jones Fund. All gifts will be matched 1:1 up to $750. Please, make your gift to St. Stephen’s and designate Absalom Jones Fund. Gifts will be received until February 28.
Absalom Jones
Here are some more important things to know:
HBCUs make up 3% of all American institutions of higher education, but produce 20% of all African American college graduates, and 25% of African American graduates with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) degrees
To learn more about Saint Augustine’s University, visit Saint Augustine's University (st-aug.edu)
To learn more about Voorhees College, visit Voorhees College
The Feast of Absalom Jones (1746-1818) is celebrated each year on February 13.
How do we make a better world? By quarrying stones of hope through the lives of young people at OUR Episcopal HBCUs
To become involved locally and to find additional resources for listening and reading, check out our St. Stephen’s website: Social Justice — St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (ststephensmidd.org).
