September 2023 Newsletter

Johnstown Banishment Vigil

Vigils commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Johnstown Banishment were held in Pittsburgh and Johnstown at the beginning of September. Members of the ADJ working group traveled to Johnstown for the vigil, which featured remarks from UMC Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi and local leaders, a lament written by Heather Escontrias, special music, and a closing litany.

The closing litany, written by Jeff Miller, began with these words: "Racism hurts communities of color, fractures human relationships, and denies God's good creation. Today we have called to mind an act of racism and have acknowledged the harm that was done to the people of the Rosedale Community of Johnstown."

ADJ members at the Johnstown Vigil
From left: Pastor Kerri Clark, Pastor Jocelyn Johnston, Pastor Ryan Pusch, seminarian Amy Kelly, Pastor Brenda Henry

A few of our reflections:

From Amy Kelly: One of things that always strikes me when reading the gospels is how Jesus creates and calls us to be in community. So during the vigil, one of things that stood out to me was the latter part of the edict - that established black and brown people could stay, but could not assemble outside of church. The first thing I pondered was what does it mean when we limit opportunities for people to be in community with one another? I thought of the lost moments in homes, schools, and parks where a birthday celebration, a family reunion, or Sunday dinner could suddenly be viewed as an assembly and dangerous. We all have experienced a moment of this with the pandemic, but the reasons and regulations for that were about care, where in Johnstown it was about hate and fear of the other. I see efforts around me to heal and rebuild community from the pandemic, but it leaves me wondering when the cause is hate and discrimination, how do we reconcile with the more subtle harm caused by past laws and policies that caused disconnect and brokenness in families and neighbors, and how do we acknowledge the harm that carries through to now?

From Kerri Clark: “Why didn't we learn about this?!" It was a sentiment repeated by a number of the speakers, from high school students to those who have resided in Johnstown for decades. Why did it take the publishing of Cody McDevitt's book, "Banished from Johnstown" for this story of the events of 1923 to reach them? Why is Johnstown known for its historic floods, but not this banishment, where families were swept from their neighborhood and church and community by a racist edict?

While the banishment did not go unchallenged in 1923 - reporting by black newspapers made sure the story was not buried, and a message from NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson to the Governor of Pennsylvania resulted in an investigation of the mayor - plenty of people remained silent, eager for the attention to die down as the blame for the edict was laid solely on the mayor who issued it, and not on the racist attitudes that simmered even here in the north.

In a time when many politicians and school boards across the country are pushing for a heavily edited version of our national history, I think about how many more stories like this one there must be; how many more people surprised by the untold histories of the places their families have called home for generations. Bishop Moore-Koikoi voiced a wondering - where will we be in another hundred years? Will we learn from these events - in 1923 and in our own time - or will we still be tempted to bury them, convinced that ignorance, rather than truth, will set us free?

COTRAIC Pow Wow

The Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center Pow Wow will be held on September 23 from noon to 9am and September 24 from noon to 5pm (120 Charles St, Pittsburgh). The Pow Wow features Native American singing, drumming, dancing, arts, crafts, and Native foods. More information is available here.

Underground Railroad Walking Tour

The Third Biennial Underground Railroad Walking Tour in New Brighton will take place on Saturday, September 30, with tours available every 15 minutes from 9am to 2pm. The 2.5 mile guided walking tour will allow participants to see eight buildings/homes that were either part of the Underground Railroad or linked to famed abolitionists.

This year, attendees will also have the opportunity enjoy a live reenactment of Frederick Douglass presented by historical actor Steven A. Cole of Freeport, Michigan.

Few know that tiny New Brighton played a major role in helping guide enslaved people to freedom, but history lovers Odette Lambert and the late Ken Locke, helped unearth New Brighton’s Underground Railroad legacy, the historical figures involved, and the remaining rare locations still in existence.

Historical information and displays will be available for viewing, as well as food, beverages, and merchandise for sale onsite. More information is available here.

MLK 2023 - Update on Local Housing Issues

The theme at our 2023 MLK event was "A Home for ALL in the Beloved Community", and the focus of our education time was on advocacy around housing in the Pittsburgh region. Pastor Martin Rafanan shared the following resources for an update on continued needs and advocacy opportunities around housing.

Housing: A Practical Guide for Learning, Advocating, and Building: Excellent resource from the ELCA, which includes information and activities for congregational groups around the issues of homelessness and affordable housing.

We learned more about the increase in homelessness in the region by accompanying volunteers at the Hot Metal Bridge Faith community on the southside. With shelter space at a minimum, there is likely to be an increased need this winter. This article looks at recommendations for what is most needed by the unhoused community in Pittsburgh.

The MLK program included information on improving the ability of the region to take advantage of Land Banks. Significant progress has been made on this front at the state and local political expressions in the last several months.

Reparations for Bethel AME: Our synod and bishop have been partners to Bethel AME in this process and the results have been salutary. The Penguins have granted development rights to an acre of land in the northeast corner of the Lower Hill Development Area. The congregation is now working on a $170M development plan that includes over 100 affordable housing units. Financial support is now being organized. Read more here and watch a news report here.

Affordable Housing: The region is still at least 3,000 units short of the need with ongoing challenges presenting barriers to building new affordable housing projects. On a positive note, the City of Pittsburgh received a $50M federal grant to rebuild the Bedford Housing Development in the Hill District. The first phase of this project will be 170 new units at Roberts and Reed. When these units are done, 20% of the Bedford Housing Development will be moved to these units, beginning the process of rebuilding the entire development one section at a time and minimizing the challenges of moving the housing residents.

Additional transitional housing is being built at the Allegheny Valley Association of Churches with the support of local ELCA congregations and the ELCA Hunger Fund.

SWPA Synod ELCASeptember 19, 2023