Community Project Returns for a Second Year to Educate Evanston Community on Black History
January 17, 2019
At the request of several members of the Evanston community, the Center for the Church and the Black Experience at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, The Herskovits Library of African Studies at Northwestern University, and numerous African American churches and organizations have once again worked collaboratively to produce a community project entitled, “Out of the African Diaspora to Evanston, Illinois: A Mosaic of Human Community.” This project was created in recognition of the 2019 Black History Month and builds upon the project that was originally created in 2018. The project aims to educate and inform the Evanston community, particularly youth and young adults, on Black history.
Using the Stations of the Cross to situate the history of Black Americans, participants will experience Black history from precolonial Africa to the present day. Through various productions and representations—historical texts, art, photographs, artifacts, teaching, preaching, Bible study, and Scriptures—participants will explore and discuss key historical moments and movements in Black history.
“The interest and excitement in this Evanston-based community project in 2018 was truly remarkable and we are eager for the community to participate in the Ten Stations that have been designed for this year,” said Taurean Webb, interim director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience. “We are also excited to welcome new community partners to the 2019 Mosaic of Human Community Project, including the Evanston/NorthShore branch of the NAACP and the Bahá’í House of Worship.”
The Design Team for this project are Evanston-based academics and scholars, pastors, professionals, community organizers, musicians, artists, and seminarians. Through this collaborative project the Design Team’s work was guided by three goals:
- Find, develop, and deepen leaders
- Educate and re-educate the Evanston community, particularly youth and young adults, on Black history
- Build productive relationships and collective power between Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Northwestern University, Evanston churches, and councils interested in the thriving of Black people
An opening plenary and worship will be held on Wednesday, February 6, 2019, at 4:00 p.m. in the Chapel of the Unnamed Faithful at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. This opening plenary and worship will help set the stage for the ten stations to follow throughout the months of February and March. The closing plenary will be held at Second Baptist Church of Evanston on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, at 6:00 p.m.
All in the Evanston community are welcome to attend any or all of these events at no cost. To learn more, please visit MosaicOfHumanCommunity.com.