We, the parishioners of St. Mark’s Church, are committed to racial justice here in our community and around the world.
During the 20th century St. Mark’s engaged in social justice activism, including civil rights demonstrations in Selma and on the Lower East Side of New York (LES). It demonstrated against the Viet Nam War and was deeply engaged in the anti-apartheid struggle in the 1980s, becoming a welcoming place for South African expatriates, a respite for Black South African clergy on sabbatical, and host to Black South African lay persons brought to New York for training in community organizing.
In spite of its social justice activism, in 1969, St. Mark’s was challenged by people of color within its own congregation. That fall members of the Black and Brown Caucus of the church presented a list of demands. These demands included the seating of more Black and Brown people on the church vestry (governing board), the establishment of a Black Arts program to stand beside the existing White arts programs, a demand that the church listen and respond to the needs of Black and Brown people on the Lower East Side, and that St. Mark’s turn over $30,000 to the Caucus to spend as it saw fit. Most of the demands were met including the turning over of $30,000. From the funds it received, the Caucus worked with members of the Black Panther Party to start a breakfast program and a Black liberation school for children on the LES. The Caucus also opened the first prison law library in New York State. Later, in the 1980’s, St. Mark’s trained and hired teens from the LES to work with an architect and professional artisans as they restored the church after the fire of 1978.
Today the church is a vibrant multi-cultural faith community and serves as a host to a number of neighborhood arts partners. We continue to be deeply committed to racial justice and the process of Becoming Beloved Community. Members of our church have been involved at the diocesan, national, and international levels to move the Episcopal church to acknowledge its role in the slave trade and work to repair the resulting breach.
During the past two years, the Episcopal Diocese of New York called all parishes to observe a Year of Lamentation followed by a Year of Apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade. Together and individually at St. Mark’s, we have lamented. We have repented. (See our prayer to that effect, said in unison at each service.) We are committed to actively owning our history, which is simultaneously beautiful and messy, and reveals a church seeking justice that is also indelibly marked by the sins of slavery and racism. Members of the parish of St. Mark’s participated in chattel slavery. As a parish, we recognize that this is a part of our history. With the help of local historians, we have identified and memorialized (see at right) by name whenever possible, individuals who were enslaved by past members of St. Mark’s.
We are now being called to repair the breach which the events of 2020 have once again made stark. At the 244th Diocesan Convention in November 2020, our delegates passed a resolution to Remedy the Inequities and Injustices of Racism. We look forward to continuing to uphold this resolution as a community of faith.