Blog

Introduction

“We begin with ourselves. Each of us must answer the question: What will we do with the fullness and incompleteness of who we are as we stare down the interior material life of the cultural production of evil?”

Emilie M. Townes

Beloved,

I am pleased to share this educational resource which supports the sacred memory agenda of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference (SDPC). Our sacred memory agenda is an acknowledgement that we live in a world in which narratives and stories, images and social media are all a part of the cultural production of evil; they can likewise be part of the cultural production of good. Our sacred memory agenda is an affirmation that the responsibility and charge to keep our true narrative alive is ultimately ours. Our sacred memory agenda can serve to be a force for global good. Th e United Nations (UN) declared 2015 – 2024, the International Decade of People of African Descent and the Permanent Memorial to Honor the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade at the United Nations, entitled ‘Th e Ark of Return,’ has been established at its New York headquarters. As a UN, non-governmental organization (NGO), SDPC’s sacred memory agenda will contribute to the international collective impact of documentation, remembrance and celebration initiatives being undertaken by people of African descent throughout the world, under the rubric of the UN’s declaration.

Most of all, however, our sacred memory agenda is an expression of our faith by deed. Th e Word declares:

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Deuteronomy 4:9 (NIV)

For centuries, we, people of African descent, in the Diaspora (and on the continent), have been living in a crucible of transgenerational enslavement and trauma borne out of the cultural production of evil. We have resisted, navigated, died and survived debilitating and destructive legacies in its many forms of systemic racism, sexual abuse and economic exploitation. We, all the people of the United States of America, have been living in a crucible of transgenerational myth-making and reinvention of narratives that support what Townes refers to as the “cultural production of evil.” Most especially these myths and their legacies, psychosocial and structural, are rooted in a refusal to admit or address the consequences of a proclaimed democracy that was in fact founded upon native genocide and African enslavement. With each generation, the unhealed wounds and chasms of material disparities present in this crucible undermine the possibilities for living in the fullness of one’s humanity.

Borne in the suffering of enslaved persons in the midst of a declared democracy, the prophetic tradition of the African American church and SDPC has been unwavering in its role and efforts to be a healing balm of hope and help while speaking truth to power about injustices. It is abundantly clear, that for such a time as this, Black church leadership must carry the mantle of “Servants as Wounded Healers and Warrior Healers.” And, as Healers, we must lead the people in acts of remembrance, lamentation and celebration of our journey.

SDPC’s sacred memory agenda is an extension of our past truth-telling educational, advocacy and activism initiatives. These initiatives include our “bearing witness” methodologies related to Katrina and mass incarceration and resulting in a documentary, commissions and hearings processes. By extension, this work has led to current projects that elevate truth telling, justice, racial healing and transformation ministry; thus, a sacred memory agenda. For us to be our best selves as “Wounded Healers” and “Warrior Healers,” more attention must be given to what Howard Thurman calls the “Inward Journey.”

We beseech and need you to continue the journey. We pray this guide will help us collectively to achieve that goal. May this guide prick your soul, your theological imagination and ministry gifts to unleash a bountiful blessing of healing and health, compassion and love, strength and creativity to the people you serve.

Dr. Iva E. Carruthers

General Secretary