Disciple: A Space for Truth
By Traci Picard
The Center for Reconciliation (CFR) is a small, grassroots nonprofit based in the Cathedral of St. John in Providence, Rhode Island. The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island founded the CFR in 2013 as a response to many factors, including local and national Episcopal resolutions acknowledging the role of the slave trade in founding and funding the early Church. The colony of Rhode Island was a major player in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and the majority of participants were Episcopalian. This legacy is evident in the Cathedral of St. John itself, built on the site of 1722 King’s Church and with multiple specific links to the slave trade. Both enslavers and enslaved were baptized at St. John and buried in the adjacent grounds, while many early donors, members and leaders participated directly in the trade. In light of this, the Diocese decided to create a space for dialogue and truth-telling around this history and how we grapple with this difficult story today.
Funded by grants and donations and staffed largely by volunteers, the CFR focuses our programs around three guiding actions: educating people about the history of the slave trade, racism, systemic injustice and their current implications; working to equip the public with the tools to process and constructively discuss race and racial history; and engaging in the practice of racial reconciliation toward building a more just society. We make the naming and memory amplification of enslaved people often left out of history a priority. These goals are not achieved by employees or board members working alone to define or enact an opaque process of reconciliation. Rather, we invite our many local communities to participate in, co-define and co-create remembrance and reconciliation, letting it unfold as we go through the process together. We respond to each other and to the moment as it happens.
The CFR offers public programs and exhibitions about the history and legacy of slavery, the slave trade, and the construction of race and racial identities in America so together we can build a more just and equitable future. Programs include themed, guided walking tours through historic neighborhoods that cover both the individual stories of enslaved people in and around Providence and the systemic factors that created and upheld slavery; a monthly program called The Art of Race that tackles thorny conversations about racially charged objects in the RISD Museum’s collection; and regular book clubs that engage with texts on slavery and its aftermath. In an exhibit space inside the cathedral, artworks and exhibits created by the CFR or partner organizations are displayed. This space is also used for performance, films, trainings, contemplation and more. Future plans include more themed tours, work with local youth and a museum space.
In undertaking the work of racial justice and reconciliation, the CFR seeks to be a catalyst, collaborator and convener of churches, schools, nonprofits and other partner organizations within our community and beyond. We aim to tell the truth about the past to practice reconciliation actively, helping to move toward transformative justice to repair and restore the bonds of humanity damaged through participation in slavery. The work is a great challenge and may never be completed. We invite you to join us on the path toward justice for everyone.
LEARN MORE
- Resolution A123: Slavery and Racial Reconciliation
- Resolution A127: Restorative Justice
- Resolution CO11: Church Responsibility in Reparations
Traci Picard is the program and research associate for the Center for Reconciliation.
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