The Lost stories of American History
MY CHURCH: Richard C. Dickinson's Quest to Belong
"To say that my church is imperfect would be the understatement of all time."
Rev. Dr. Nunes reads the words of Rev. Dr. Richard C. Dickinson, who reflected on his experience as a Black pastor in the LCMS. These words are an excerpt from the book Roses and Thorns: The Centennial Edition of Black Lutheran Mission and Ministry, published by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod in 1977.
MY CHURCH: Richard C. Dickinson's Quest to Belong
An LCMS minister shares what it's like to be a Black pastor in a predominantly white church body.
OSCAR MICHEAUX
Today's lost story in Black American history turns to Oscar Micheaux, a pioneer of filmmaking. Micheaux's groundbreaking silent film THE SYMBOL OF THE UNCONQUERED (1920) was one of the first films by a Black filmmaker to speak out against racial inequality.
SHIRLEY CHISOLM
Today's lost story in Black American history belongs to Shirley Chisolm, the first Black woman in Congress and the first woman to run for president. During her time in Congress, "Fighting Shirley" introduced more than 50 pieces of legislation aimed at championing racial and gender equality and advocating for the nation's most impoverished citizens.
MARCH by John Lewis
March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.
BEATRICE LEHMAN GREEN
Beatrice Lehman Green was a civil rights activist and founder of Houston's first African American Lutheran church. After moving to Houston in 1939, Green—a lifelong Lutheran— worked to create a welcoming church home for the Black community in the Third Ward and fought tirelessly for the right to vote in Texas.
NANNIE HELEN BOROUGHS
Today's lost story in Black American History belongs to Nannie Helen Boroughs, who founded a school for working Black women and advocated for their rights. Boroughs was motivated by the controversial view that women deserved training and education outside of domestic work, and her work stood in defiance of the social limits placed on her gender and race.
ANTIOCH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
This past summer, we tagged along with the Redeemer Redwood City (LCMS) as they visited the historic Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, the first structure in Houston, TX built by people who were formerly enslaved.
Pastor Lou McElroy shared the church’s 156 year history, including the story of Antioch’s first minister, Rev. Jack Yates. Yates was freed by the emancipation proclamation, but his wife and children were moved by their slave owner from Virginia to Texas as a way to avoid President Lincoln’s mandate. Yates surrendered himself to slavery to be with his family, following what he believed to be the call for Christ. The family was freed on June 19, 1865, when the U.S. military enforced the abolition of slavery in Galveston, TX.
Thanks to Youth Minister Corey Garrity and Rev. Paul Schult for organizing and Pastor Lou McElroy, who was incredibly generous with his time.
ALICE COACHMAN: The First to be First
Growing up in the segregated south, Alice Coachman went on to become the first Black woman from any country to win an Olympic gold medal.
Read her story in the children's book, TOUCH THE SKY.
FRANK "SUGAR CHILE" ROBINSON: Child Prodigy
In 1945, at age seven, Sugar Chile performed for President Harry S. Truman at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. He was the first African American artist to ever be invited.
CLAUDETTE COLVIN: The Original Rosa Parks
Learn about the less-famous civil rights pioneer who helped end bus segregation...at age 15.
The 1619 Project on Hulu
A challenging series about the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans -- stories that have been forgotten in our national narrative.
Black History Blogs from the Texas District of the LCMS
Lutheran leaders reflect on race and the church.
EMPTY POCKETS Full of Memories
Reflecting on his own Black history, A.J. Vega writes a poetic work about the generational impacts of racism.
LIFT EVERY VOICE
Kobi Nichols sings LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING (LSB 964), lyrics by James Weldon Johnson and music by J. Rosamond Johnson. Learn how this poem turned into a hymn, which is often referred to as the Black national anthem.
NEW CURRICULUM FROM LRJ
Every February, we are reminded that Black History is not separate from American History. In this new, year-long American Literature curriculum, high school students are encouraged to study ALL of the voices that speak to the American experience in a way that instills empathy, joy, and an eagerness to better understand what it means to be an American.
FROM MARTIN LUTHER TO MLK
Rev. Howard Lee Thomas III recounts the connection between Martin Luther and Martin Luther King, Jr. -- and how it all inspired him to become a pastor in a city he was unfamiliar with: Houston's Third Ward.
A FAMILIAR STORY: LUTHERANS AND THE BIRMINGHAM CHURCH BOMBING
Rev. Matthew E. Borrasso shares a little-known story about the impact of the Birmingham church bombing on The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
LRJ + BLACK HISTORY MONTH
We're kicking off Black History Month with a special announcement from siblings Dcs. Janine Bolling & Rev. Dr. Gerard Bolling.
CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN A CHRISTIAN CLASSROOM
As Sunday School teachers, classroom teachers, youth leaders, and children’s ministry champions, we have the chance to engage cross-culturally with our students and young people, while adding richly to our own cultures, in response to the gift of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
LEADERS OF FAITH
Rev. Christopher Bodley of Bethany Lutheran-Detroit
shares about Black Christians whose faith encouraged them to serve others in monumental ways.
WHAT IS A DEACONESS?
Janine & Gerard explain as they introduce us to LCMS Deaconess Dorcel Dowdell, who discusses the challenges that have been facing her community in Toledo, Ohio, and how she'd like to see Christians respond.
A HISTORY OF PRAYER
From the underground meetings of the Antebellum era to the public mass gatherings of the Civil Rights era, Rev. Chris Paavola (LCMS) tracks the role that prayer has played in Black American history.
FOR ALL THE SAINTS
LCMS Pastor Johnathan Lewis reminds us of the generations that came before us as we raise up the future leaders of our church and world.
LRJ READS: SING A SONG
Take a music-filled tour through American history with the book, SING A SONG: HOW "LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING" INSPIRED GENERATIONS.
REPENTANCE AND HOPE: LCMS Educational Institutions for Training Black Church Workers
From the years that followed slavery through the Civil Rights era, Rev. Matthew E. Borrasso helps us understand our contemporary racial divides through the lens of history.