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Book of the Month
Inheriting the Trade is a text that follows the DeWolf family as they realize the depth of their family’s slave-trading history. The blog of the month by author Tom DeWolf explains his inspiration for the book.
Blog of the Month
by Tom Dewolf
When I joined nine distant cousins to retrace the steps of our ancestors through the notorious triangle slave trade route from New England to Ghana then Cuba and back I was unprepared for the profound impact our journey would have on my life. I wrote Inheriting the Trade (Beacon Press) in part to try to make sense of my experiences.
In the News
New York Times photographer Patrick Witty has made a unique observation about our nation’s 16th president.
Eunice Johnson, the force behind Fashion Fair cosmetics and the naming of Ebony Magazine, has died.
Philadelphia swears in Pennsylvania’s first African American District Attorney, R.Seth Williams.
Coming to the Table is a program that is addressing the legacies of slavery in the United States. On our site you will find stories related to slavery’s legacies—under the topics history, healing, connecting and action. You will also find resources, events, news and a community to join for connecting and sharing.
Coming to the Table is a program of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University.
History
The window of opportunity has been often looked through, in this country, by those with pale skin and European heritage. David Pettee tells of his experiences finding African Americans with a shared family history, whose ancestors were on the other side of the window looking in.
Connecting
Healing the legacy of slavery between Betty Kilby Baldwin and Phoebe Kilby has been an event that has hinged on the promise of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His dream and their lives have coincided in a remarkable way and when told, in their own words, their story holds a large degree of power.
Action
Sitting under the porch while my parents attended an annual meeting of the
Monticello Association (MA),in the late fifties, it occurred to me that my
Monticello Randolph relatives must include many, many African Americans.
Healing
Betty Kilby Baldwin, an infant plaintiff in the Betty Kilby vs. Warren County board of education case, knows firsthand the need for personal healing as her family was traumatized by an incident that stemmed from the aftermath of slavery.
What We Are Learning
Our Approach
By Amy Potter Czajkowski
photo credit: Bill Goldberg
This blog will be dedicated to what we’ve learned from individuals, families and through researching healing processes for historical trauma. Here we will introduce what we call the stages,which are helpful in addressing the legacies of slavery in the U.S.
Remnants: how events of the past are still affecting us
How vs Why
By Sha Jackson
photo credit: Sha Jackson
I am a firm believer that the answers to systemic problems in America exist far beyond the whys. Asking why generally pacifies the questions we find too difficult to honestly answer. I have come up with a simple yet viable solution to move us past the whys.
