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ollowing lunch and the report backs from the individual breakout groups, attendees returned to the sanctuary of the Church of the Intercession where the Episcopal Diocese of New York’s Convocation on Reparations was being held. There they viewed Reparations: the Final Passage, a film documentary by Arlene Corsano addressing some of the most often heard objections to reparations such as "Slavery is long over," "I had nothing to do with it," and "Affirmative Action is enough." Among those discussing these issues with intelligence and clarity were Reverent Herbert Daughtry, Pastor of the House of the Lord Church; Dr. Alvin Poussaint, Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Professor Manning Marable, Professor of African American Studies at Columbia University; and City Council Member Charles Barron, sponsor of the Queen Mother Moore Reparations Resolution.

Then the Bishop of New York, the Rt. Rev. Mark Sisk, delivered the Bishop’s Charge. Speaking movingly of the "dreadful legacy" of slavery, he stated, "We need to do what we can to come to grips with this wound in our nation's identity."

Bishop Sisk said that he wouldn’t suggest for a moment that there is one simple solution that will address this great national disgrace, this sin against the common good, once and for all time. For example, while both black and white Americans share this common heritage, each experiences that heritage differently. "Not all among us are either descendents from slaves or slave owners," he noted. "Many are descendents of those who have immigrated to this country within the last 140 years and therefore have no direct link to the time of slavery." And he said that while that is certainly true, this nation as a nation is descended from that slaveholding nation, and that reality will, for untold generations, mark the soul of this nation.

What we can and must do, Bishop Sisk stated, is to make every attempt to address the residual effects of the horror of slavery in our generation in the best way we can. He explained that although he believes it would have been an appropriate response immediately following slavery, he doesn’t favor any attempt to assign a monetary payout like those given to individual Japanese Americans interned during the Second World War. That’s because he is convinced that not only would it be extremely difficult to adjudicate, but it would prove to be a diversion from grappling with the reality of what this nation did during slavery.

Bishop Sisk spoke of his hopes for the Episcopal Diocese and for the convocation. His hopes included working to develop a much deeper awareness of the impact of slavery both historically and currently, and beginning to form a plan that will allow us, as a people, to systematically address the resultant horrors of this institution. He also hopes that people will not flinch from seeing the reality that raw economics played in furthering this institution – and drawing from that the obvious implications for those who are being economically exploited in our own time. Bishop Sisk also expressed the hope that out of this will emerge the grounds for a resolution to the Diocesan Convention that will, in turn, lead toward a resolution to the General Convention in 2006. Finally, he hopes for the creation of a format modeled after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that was so successful in South Africa.

Following the Bishop’s Charge, participants returned to their groups to formulate concrete proposals as to how the Diocese should proceed. They were asked to write their suggestions on index cards, which were presented along with the bread and wine as the gifts for the celebration of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Among the many excellent suggestions were:

Participants came away from the convocation with a greater knowledge about slavery and its aftermath, and a deeper understanding of the Episcopal Church’s moral and spiritual obligation to grapple with the issue of reparations.

Read Donna's Last Column

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