We Did It!
This past Sunday we took five huge steps forward to act on Memorial’s commitment to Justice through reparations!
We announced the Guy Hollyday Memorial Justice and Reparations Fund - a five year commitment to a minimum $100,000 a year in outward facing justice programs focused on housing inequality, education reform, climate justice and civic engagement.
We authorized a $50,000 (10%) withdrawal from the Parish's endowed funds to jumpstart the Hollyday Justice and Reparations Fund immediately.
We adopted our 2021 budget that includes an additional $50,000 which, together with the endowment funds, will ensure that we meet our new $100,000 annual commitment to Justice and Reparations ministry this year.
We launched the "Memorial Makes Room" campaign to prepare our sanctuary for a post COVID reality where we are making room in our sanctuary for Faith, Justice and Community by repairing and replacing the floors, adding lights and installing a modern HVAC system.
Finally, we commemorated the removal, deconsecration and re-installation of the Memorial Plaques in the Rectory Garden; acknowledging that the presence of the plaques memorializing slave owners does continued harm to our African-American members and all who enter our sanctuary.
I am proud to stand with all of you on such a momentous occasion and it would not have happened without all of your prayers, intentions, and actions over the last few years.
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So you are probably wondering.... What's Next?
We are in the process of identifying an advisory committee to help direct our attention and efforts - made up of both Memorial and Community Members. The committee will include representatives from BOND(Building our Nation's Daughters), The No Boundaries Coalition, The Madison Park Improvement Association and St. Katherine's. Their first task will be to help us identify a justice organizer to help guide our efforts and to build a detailed Justice and Reparations Action Plan.
The organizer will be crucial in providing full-time support for the Justice and Reparations Ministry in several ways:
Raise significant grant funds for the Ministry each year for projects identified in our Action Plan that will focus on black led organizations in West Baltimore in general and our zip code in particular
Staff, organize and mobilize around concrete justice initiatives in the 21217 zip code
Facilitate connections between our organization partners and support from a broader base of local and state organizations directed to Hollyday Fund priorities
Next, We will reform Memorial's justice committee with a focused study on Justice and Reparations from January-May. We will publish a reading list for the rest of the congregation to participate in. Informed also by the Hollyday Advisory Committee, we should conclude in June with a summary of findings for the parish about where we believe God is calling us as a body to engage in justice work.
The work of the Advisory Committee and the focused study referenced above will provide the foundation for the vestry to meet this spring and make decisions to allocate the first funds from the Hollyday Fund. Some of this will go to the Diocesan Reparations Fund, but most of it will go directly to support the work outlined in the Action Plan in our communities right now.
A generous donor from the congregation has come forward with a gift of $10,000 annually for the next five years to the Guy Hollyday Justice and Reparations Fund. While the endowment contribution will help us meet our 2021 $100,000 commitment and grant funds will further ensure meeting that commitment each year, we think it very important that the congregation itself meet at least half of the $100,000. If you would like to help us match it, you can donate here.