UniteBoston

Bridging Divides Across Christians for the Flourishing of the City

No Unity Without Justice: Boston-Area Christians Responding to the Call for Reparations

By Revs. Devlin Scott and Kelly Fassett

Over UniteBoston’s 15 years, we have realized that Christian unity goes far deeper than a surface-level togetherness or a celebration of “unity in diversity.” The way to our unity is through our divisions, and scripture is clear that unity cannot take place alongside unaddressed injustice (Mic. 6:8, 1 Cor 11:17-26).

Through learning about the history of our city and centering the narratives  of friends of color, we have come to the conviction that the sin of racism—and the history of chattel slavery, land theft, and systemic disenfranchisement—is not merely a political or social issue. It is a profound spiritual crisis that has fractured our world and wounded the witness of the Church. We lament how for centuries, the name of Christ has been used to justify actions and postures of human bondage, segregation, and economic exclusion. 

Jesus came to redeem every form of brokenness and restore wholeness from all individuals and systems damaged by sin (Col. 1:19-20). As followers of Jesus, we are called to carry forward Christ’s redemptive mission as ambassadors of reconciliation through tangible restitution and active repair to foster shalom (2 Cor. 5:18-19). As civil rights leader and theologian Dr. John Perkins famously stated: “There is no reconciliation without justice. And there is no justice without restitution.”

Read more to discover the theological roots of reparations, how two distinct local Christian groups are actively answering this call for repair, and practical ways you can get involved!

*JUST RELEASED: Episcopal City Mission’s story was also just published in the Bay State Banner.*

The Biblical Foundation: Why Reparations Matter

For many Christians, the word reparations can feel politically charged. Yet, the heart of reparations is deeply rooted in historic Christian theology and scripture.

In the Old Testament, the word for righteousness (tzadeqah) is linked to mishpat (justice). Scripture consistently presents true repentance not merely as a private, individual act, but as a communal responsibility (See a great Bible Project video about this here!) Because racism exists internally, interpersonally, and systemically, repair must be collective as well. Reparations transform abstract confession into concrete, tangible restitution for those who have been harmed by these practices and their reverberating effects.

  • Restitution in the Law: In Exodus 22 and Leviticus 6, God’s covenantal law required that whenever someone stole, cheated, or took advantage of someone else, repentance demanded returning what was taken, along with additional compensation to restore what was lost.
  • The Example of Zacchaeus: In Luke 19, the tax collector Zacchaeus experienced the transformative grace of Jesus, and his immediate response was financial repair: “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus responded to this by declaring, “Today, salvation has come to this house.”
  • Restoring Right Relationship: The word atonement can be understood as “at-one-ment”—the active work of restoring right-relationship. Christ restored our spiritual debt on the cross, and we are called to follow God’s call to restore material debts incurred by corporate sin and institutional harm (Lev 6: 4-5).  

Exploring Our Shared History: The Boston Sankofa Journey

Participants in the Boston Sankofa Showcase, April 2026

To understand why repair is necessary in Boston today, we must be willing to look back honestly. Through UniteBoston’s Sankofa Journey, we invite local Christians to participate in the concept of Sankofa—looking back to reckon with the past in order to understand our present and build a faithful future together.

Boston’s history is intertwined with both deep faith and deep complicity. The wealth, endowments, and infrastructure of many historic Boston institutions and churches were built on the backs of Black and Brown individuals. For centuries, Black Americans were enslaved, denied citizenship, excluded from homeownership, and segregated from opportunities to build capital. Similarly, indigenous peoples faced forced removal from ancestral lands, the theft of sovereign territories, suppression of their cultural and spiritual practices, and systemic disenfranchisement that stripped them of generational wealth and self-determination.

These historical injustices compound across generations, resulting in clear disparities in education, health, criminal justice, and economic stability. In fact, research shows that the median net worth for White households in Greater Boston is ~$247,500, while for Black households it is just $8. Such stark inequity exposes a profound wound in our city, a wound that left unaddressed will continue to fester, as we know that every person in our city deserves an equal opportunity to thrive and flourish.

Witnessing Repair in Action Across Greater Boston

As shown above, Scripture clearly calls Christians to participate in God’s healing, reconciling, and repairing work. This week, we celebrate two examples of how local Christian leaders and institutions are putting that call into practice. 

1. Episcopal City Mission Distributes $2.75 Million

Founded in 1844, Episcopal City Mission (ECM) recently issued a formal Statement of Atonement, acknowledging its history of benefiting from wealth linked to the transatlantic slave trade, exploitative industries, and Indigenous displacement. This action was inspired by a historical audit that ECM completed the last few years, where they discovered that a foundational grant was funded by William Appleton. Appleton was a notable 19th-century white Episcopalian leader in the textile sector whose financial success relied on connections to slave labor, from maritime insurance to cotton and sugar trades in New Orleans and Cuba.

Cynthia Perry, cofounder of The Black Sports Ministry Network and lead consultant to this process, shares, “We know these insurance companies insured cargo, which were often enslaved Africans. Thus, if money given to start ECM was connected to the exploitation of Black labor it is only right to give reparations as unrestricted funds as a form of atonement, apology and attempt of repair.”

Recognizing that “acknowledgment is not enough,” this week ECM awarded $2.75 million in reparations funding to 25 Black- and Indigenous-led organizations across Massachusetts. This effort was featured in the Bay State Banner.

Guided by Lead Consultant Cynthia Perry and the Reparations Advisory Committee & Stewards (RACS), ECM intentionally ceded decision-making authority to grassroots BIPOC leaders so that the process would center relational trust rather than paternalistic charity. Read about their holistic reparations process here.

In a Reparations Celebration that took place mid-September, Episcopal City Mission’s Executive Director Rev. Arrington Chambliss said “As a Christian, we are called to confess, but confession without action is empty. It calls us to change our practices, relinquish what needs to be relinquished, and participate in repair. We have to examine patterns of power and wealth to build towards a future where all people will be free.” We commend Episcopal City Mission for demonstrating its commitment to racial reparations and justice with a transparent process and also allocating substantial financial resources—a meaningful step that can be particularly challenging for a large institution.

Recipient Organizations Include:

  • Bikes Not Bombs: Advancing mobility justice and youth empowerment.
  • Castle of Our Skins: Funding Black artistry and cultural preservation at Harriet Tubman House.
  • Resilient Roses Respite: Strengthening infrastructure for youth and young adults with disabilities.
  • Native Land Conservancy & Chappaquiddick Tribe of the Wampanoag Indian Nation: Supporting Indigenous land stewardship and sovereignty.
Rev. Kelly with UB Sankofa Cohort Alum Rev. Edwin Johnson
Rev. Kelly with ECM Director Rev. Arrington Chamblis and other community members
Reparations Advisory Committee and Stewards members with co-director of Episcopal City Mission Neha Rayamajhi at St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church on Sept. 15. (Photo Credit: Gabriela Cartegena)

Dr. Ciyadh Wells, Executive Director, Castle of our Skins said: “We are overwhelmed, grateful, and honestly still taking in the reality of receiving reparations. We never thought we would see the day when an institution would look honestly at the harm embedded in its history and make a meaningful commitment to repair. This investment will allow us to continue creating opportunities for cultural curiosity, bringing Black artistry and edu-tainment into classrooms, concert halls, and community spaces, and reaching even more people with stories, music, and experiences that celebrate Black life and creativity.” 

Additionally, Deborah Collins, president and CEO of Brookview describes, “Through our work at Brookview House, we’ve seen that many families are carrying challenges that didn’t start with them. The hurdles they face today are often shaped by generations of unequal access to opportunities, resources and support. This reparations payment is an acknowledgment that the disparities we see today did not happen by accident, and that addressing them requires intentional action.”

We celebrate other local congregations that are taking practical steps toward economic repair. The vestry of Emmanuel Church where Rev. Pam Werntz is the rector, has committed 1% of their parish’s budget to help pay down the mortgage of Jubilee House. Co-owned by New Roots AME Church and CRECHE (the Charles River Episcopal Co-Housing Endeavor), Jubilee House is an intentional, eight-bedroom community house in Dorchester, featuring a community garden and food forest. This payment will help to build long-term financial equity for Black-led ministries.

2. Boston Clergy Release Open Letter to White Churches

Also this week, Rev. Dr. Kevin C. Peterson (Boston People’s Reparations Commission / The New Democracy Coalition) and Rev. John E. Gibbons released an Open Letter to Boston’s White Churches. This builds on the The 10 Demandments to Boston’s White Churches that they authored from January 2025.

Addressing systemic economic abandonments across Boston neighborhoods, the leaders emphasized that acknowledgment without restitution is not repair. They called on white churches and faith institutions to:

  • Audit Historical Ties: Uncover endowments and properties connected to the slave trade.
  • Cede Decision-Making Power: Move away from top-down charity by placing decision-making authority in the hands of documented descendants of enslaved Africans and local Black reparationists.
  • Commit Real Resources: Allocate meaningful wealth directly into Black-led institutions driving homeownership, healthcare, and economic development.

At a community “Reparations Reset” meeting this week, members highlighted grassroots efforts alongside ongoing public policy work. The meeting included community-led brainstorming on the necessary actions to define the levels of harm that have taken place and “reset” the local reparations movement. This community gathering was featured on the Boston Neighborhood Network News (4:30 to 9:35).

Reckoning with the past and defining repair cannot be a top-down endeavor; it must be driven by those most impacted. In an article he published on Medium.com, Rev. Kevin describes: “Reparations cannot be developed primarily through consultants, closed meetings, academic research, or conversations among government-appointed representatives. Research is essential, but it must be joined with sustained public participation. The lived experiences of Black Bostonians are not supplementary materials. They are central evidence.”

This call for grassroots action comes at a pivotal moment as municipal efforts face complex challenges. Established in 2022 to research Boston’s historical ties to slavery and recommend policy-level atonement, the official City of Boston Reparations Task Force recently hit a major administrative setback. The city was forced to cancel its $335,000 contract with Tufts University for the first volume of its historical study (covering 1620 to 1940) after lead researcher Kerri Greenidge left the university amid controversies over her academic citations, leaving Tufts unable to find a replacement. While the returned funds will be reallocated and a secondary report by Northeastern University (covering 1940 to 2020) remains under task force review, community advocates emphasize that municipal bureaucracy cannot be a substitute for direct action. 

Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, UB Cohort alum and pastor of New Roots AME Church, leads the research subcommittee for the task force. In a report by WGBH this week, she shares frustration over the delays, yet the need to press forward. “We can actually be a city on a hill, a shining example, which we’ve been saying for hundreds of years. I think this a real opportunity still for Boston to do that, and I hope we will move forward with that as the focus.”

Cynthia Perry adds, “White business practices are often associated with perfectionism, and in trying to find a perfect model, repair and justice are delayed. It is hypocritical to say you are an example of God’s love, teach about God’s love on Sunday and then sit on resources that can have transformative systemic and institutional change. Larger faith institutions that know their wealth was built on the exploitation of Black labor and Indigenous land need to do the right thing and do it now.”

At UniteBoston, we celebrate these courageous local efforts and the vital steps being taken toward real racial repair across Greater Boston. In our Missional Letter, we share our conviction that true Christian unity requires courageously reckoning with the deeper causes of division and actively repairing what has been broken. Tending to these historical wounds is not a distraction from our unity, but the very path toward it. As we engage in active restitution and seek justice together, we offer a living public witness to Christ’s reconciling power (John 17:23). May God use our collective efforts to heal deep fractures, bridge long-standing divides, and draw us into the deep, holistic unity to which we are called.

Taking the Next Step: How You and Your Church Can Respond

Christians in Greater Boston are invited to actively step up to take part in community-led racial healing and repair. Here are some steps that you and your community can take:

Join Our Team at Emmanuel Gospel Center!

Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC) empowers the Church to seek shalom, the holistic well-being of the communities it serves. We’re hiring for two roles:

  • Administrative Manager: Bring order, follow-through, and reliable systems to the work that keeps EGC moving.
  • HR & Operations Manager: Build the people and workplace systems that help EGC staff thrive and the organization run well.

Visit egc.org/now-hiring to learn more and apply.

Know someone who might be a great fit? Please help us spread the word.

RCCI’s Community Gathering & Fundraiser

In the midst of the racism and polarization in our word, the Church must rise up and be a faithful witness. We must choose to model the way of Jesus – who speaks truth, embodies love, and affirms the dignity of every image bearer.

But how are we to do this? And how are we to sustain this work in these challenging times?

You are invited to connect in community, be encouraged, and get equipped to be a faithful witness to Jesus. Come to RCCI’s Community Gathering & Fundraiser at 5pm on June 6th.

Learn how others are resisting racism and sustaining their shalom-building work. You are not alone. Together we can grow in our faith, expand our imaginations, and find creative ways to continue Christ’s redemptive work across racial lines.

Please RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/376355mp.

Hope to see you there!

Megan & the RCCI team

TESTIFY!: EGC’s Ministry Celebration & Annual Fundraiser

Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC) invites you to an evening of community connection, storytelling, and celebration! EGC’s Ministry Celebration and Annual Fundraiser is Saturday, May 2, at 5:30 pm at The Tirrell Room in Quincy, MA (254 Quarry St. Quincy, MA 02169). Join us to connect with friends old and new, see premieres of original content from some of Boston’s most talented creatives, enjoy delicious food, and be encouraged by powerful stories of kingdom impact! 

Our theme is TESTIFY! based on Psalm 66:16: “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.” This is a free event, and there will be an opportunity to support the work of EGC. Learn more and RSVP at egc.org/fundraiser! 

p.s. Interested in serving as a Sponsor? Check out the Sponsor Information Packet and complete the Sponsor Commitment Form here. 

Six Ways to Celebrate Boston’s Black History

This is the 100th anniversary of celebrating Black History Month, and UniteBoston celebrates Black History Month by honoring the rich legacy of Black leaders, churches, and communities who have shaped Boston. We recognize the pivotal role of the Black Church in the Civil Rights Movement, whose faith and resilience followed in the footsteps of Jesus Christ to champion racial justice, equality, and shalom.

This month, we invite you to join us to celebrate Boston’s Black History with the opportunities below:

1. Glean From the Stories and Perspectives of Black Pastors

In his powerful sermon on Psalm 78, entitled “What Will We Tell the Next Generation?”, Pastor Willie Bodrick II of Twelfth Baptist Church reminds us that remembering our history is a spiritual responsibility: “Black history isn’t just something we celebrate – it’s something we need to survive our present. The moment we are living in is trying to make us forget who we are. Remembering is our spiritual responsibility and we tell our history so people can put their hope and trust in God.”

Click above to watch Rev. Bodrick’s sermon preached on February 1, 2026 beginning at 1:30

We also commend a message by Rev. Sabrina Gray from Bethel AME Church on how Black history isn’t only what we remember. It’s what we live, what we carry, and what we continue.

2. Dive into EGC’s Fact Friday series

Jaronzie Harris explores the church’s history and legacy in Boston, one short video at a time. Click below to watch their Instagram videos!

  • Did you know that the African Meeting House on Beacon Hill was co-founded by Cato Gardner, a formerly enslaved man born in Africa? 
  • Or that Twelfth Baptist Church was the spiritual home of Wilhelmina Crosson, a pioneering Black school teacher in Boston, who also was instrumental in launching the precursor to Black History Month? 
  • Why is a church on Warren Street in Roxbury called “The Historic Charles Street AME Church?”
  • How about this gem? The founding pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Rev. Peter Randolph, led a group of 66 freed slaves from Virginia to Boston before the Civil War and also obtained a lawyer to win their rightful freedom! His autobiography is available online!
  • And Union Methodist Church was a stop on the Underground Railroad as well as the home church of David Walker, author of one of the most important early attacks on slavery, Walker’s Appeal. 

3. Take a Black Theology course

This course is part of the Theology Lab at Highrock Church and features scholars, musicians, and church leaders, including Prof. Tom Baskett (Highrock; Berklee College of Music), explores how the faith experiences of Black Americans open up distinct ways of reading Scripture, shed light on the gospel’s liberating power, and model the importance of social engagement for all Christians. Central to this class is the theological claim that the faith of Black Americans is a gift to the whole church. There are six videos and a discussion guide is available here.

4. Learn about Boston’s Black History

Experience Boston’s Black History Firsthand:

  • Use this guide from WBUR to experience the history firsthand in downtown Boston, Cambridge, or Roxbury
  • Use this Map to go on a Boston Greenbook Tour, compiled by Rev. June Cooper, Sankofa cohort member and Theologian in the City at Old South Church. The Boston Green Book was part of The Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide published from 1936 to 1967 that listed safe businesses for Black travelers during segregation. Featuring hotels, restaurants, and social hubs along Columbus Avenue and Tremont Street, it highlighted key establishments like Slade’s Bar and Grill and Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe, which remain cultural landmarks today.
  • Use this guide to discover places associated with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King in Boston.

Other resources on Boston’s Black History:

Hidden in Plain Sight is a new documentary that tells the history of the Black Catholic community within the Archdiocese of Boston through interviews and archival footage of people and meaningful places within the community. This 30-minute documentary explores the contributions, experiences, and enduring faith of Black Catholics. Watch Video Trailers Here: Trailer #1 Trailer #2

They are hosting screenings in Boston on February 10, February 22, and March 21! More info here

5. Incorporate Black History into your daily devotional time

The Evangelical Covenant Church has just published a Love Your Neighbor: A Black History Month Devotional Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. This seven-day devotional explores biblical texts on sacrificial love, justice, and Christian neighboring through the life and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Beginning with young Martin’s painful encounter with racism and his parents’ affirming response, it moves through the Parable of the Good Samaritan, examining what it means to truly love our neighbors—including our enemies. Drawing on Dr. King’s sermons and Scripture, this plan invites readers to address both immediate needs and systemic injustice, ultimately calling Christians to embody Christ’s countercultural love in a divided world.

6. Join us for the upcoming Gospel Experience Tour & the “Boston Sankofa Showcase“event!

 The United Gospel Experience Tour concert on February 21 will be from 3:00 to 5:00pm at UMass Lowell, 220 Pawtucket Street, Lowell, MA 01854, hosted by New Purpose Gospel Choir.

Centered on the theme “Come together, stay together, worship together” (Mt. 18:20), the tour centers on Jesus’ promise that “where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” In these challenging times, our prayer is that, through this united worship, God’s Spirit will move mightily to bring healing, reconciliation, and new life. We’ve discovered that when students from across New England join their voices in one choir, gospel music rises as a powerful proclamation of hope and freedom.

Click here to read the story behind this year’s tour and how you can be part of it. And don’t miss this documentary of highlights and testimonies from last year’s gospel experience tour!

Also, please plan to join us for a Moth-style storytelling night on Thursday, March 26 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM at Twelfth Baptist Church. As part of the Boston Sankofa Journey, our team has been working to record the stories of twelve Black Christian leaders whose faith in Jesus has fueled the work of racial justice and reconciliation in our beloved city. This gathering will bring these testimonies to life through a powerful evening of spoken word, art, and communal reflection. The showcase is designed to bridge the gap between history and the present, inviting the broader community to sit at the feet of these elders and discern how to carry the work of truth and repair forward.

Boston Sankofa Journey Luncheon we hosted in January 2026 with many of the leaders who are being featured in our story archive

It also serves as a launchpad for a city-wide season of story-collecting, encouraging others to record the living histories in their own neighborhoods to ensure that the leadership and spiritual vitality of the Black freedom movement continue to illuminate our path towards racial healing and shalom.

Sankofa teaches us that we cannot move forward unless we look back. By honoring those who paved the way, we carry their courage, conviction, and faith into what’s next. We’re grateful for every story shared and excited to preserve this living legacy for generations to come. 

Black history IS Boston’s history! There are so many onroads here… we encourage you to choose one or two of these this month!

As each of us take steps to learn and experience Boston’s Black history, we discover how remembering the past can help us pursue racial justice, reconciliation, and shalom in our city today.



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