The moral challenge of reparations for slavery can be viewed through an ancient lens: What would you do if you discovered that your house was built upon a stolen beam? What would you do to make that right?

This question posed for rabbinical debate, as recorded in the Talmud, serves for as a framework today for conversation and reflection: What will we do with the knowledge that the prosperity of our nation – and hence our church – was built upon the stolen labor of enslaved people? How do we make this right – as a nation and as a church?

This seven-session course of educational engagement and personal reflection, originating from the Jewish Community of Amherst, focuses on the legacy of African enslavement and 400 years of anti-Black racism to what was stolen and what may be owed. It examines the historical case for reparations; global and national precedents for reparations; practical proposals for national and local reparations; and theological reflections on reparations from Jewish and Christian sources.

The Stolen Beam course has been offered in communities throughout the U.S. ECM’s offering will incorporate contemplative practices in the Christian wisdom tradition as well as opportunities to discern in community how we may be called to respond in action.

We are committed to cultivating a diverse cohort group to provide a variety of perspectives throughout this series.

Seven sessions on Zoom, weekly on Tuesdays, April 22- June 3, 7-8:30 PM. There is no fee for the course; voluntary contributions to ECM will be gladly accepted.

Facilitated by Dr. Constance Holmes and the Rev. Steven Bonsey