February 8th 2024.
In Lansing, Michigan, there is a church that is dedicated to helping the Black community by raising funds for reparations. The First Presbyterian Church has received generous donations from its white members to support efforts towards racial justice.
This year, the church presented a check of $40,000 to the Justice League of Greater Lansing, a social justice organization that was founded in 2021. This is in addition to the $18,000 that the church had already donated to the organization in 2023. According to the Lansing Street Journal, the Justice League is focused on providing reparations to members of the Black community. They plan to use funds from other white churches in the area to distribute to Black individuals.
Although the First Presbyterian Church has pledged a total of $100,000 towards the cause, this promise has not yet been fully fulfilled. This commitment was made after a vote by white congregations in 2022 to start fundraising for reparations for Black people. The church believes that it is their responsibility to help repair the damage caused by centuries of slavery, inequality, and the failure to uphold God's plan of equality for all.
Prince Solace, the president of the Justice League and director of community outreach for the church, shared the vision of the organization in 2022. He stated that their goal is to secure reparations for the 270,000 African Americans living in the capital area region. While Solace hopes to directly benefit the 100,000 Black individuals in Greater Lansing, he acknowledges that this will not happen overnight.
The First Presbyterian Church plans to distribute the remaining pledged funds from their endowment over the next decade. These funds will be used to support the ambitions of Black people in the Michigan area, including entrepreneurship, education, and homeownership. Willye Bryan, the founder of the Justice League and a member of the First Presbyterian Church, believes that the church's involvement is crucial. As a historically complicit entity in slavery, the church has a responsibility to take part in making amends.
Pastor Stanley Jenkins acknowledges that the task of rectifying past wrongs is a daunting one. However, he hopes that this initiative will inspire other communities to join in and support Black individuals. Despite being an ordinary church with ordinary people, the First Presbyterian Church has been able to make a significant contribution towards reparations. They want everyone to know that this act of giving back is possible and hopes that it will encourage others to do the same. This is the kind of positive change that the Black community needs, and the First Presbyterian Church is proud to be a part of it.
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