A somber Sunday afternoon

Before I retired from the parish ministry, Sunday afternoons were a valued time for rest. After a busy day of preaching, attending to people’s concerns, interacting with everyone at the social hour and trying to keep track of whatever would need my attention the next day, I would go home to unwind by reading the Sunday paper and dozing off. Sunday night was pizza night, because I was not going to cook. My husband watched sports on television. And I didn’t even talk, which is unusual for me.

Even though I have been retired from those busy Sundays for quite a while, my Sundays still favor a similar rhythm. I attend worship and sing in the choir. I sometimes attend a potluck luncheon. I know the thick Sunday New York Times is waiting on my front porch. It calls to me.

I still get a “real” newspaper on Sunday. This is a habit first begun in seminary. The president of the seminary at that time, The Rev. Dr. James I. McCord, insisted that students learn to prepare for ministry with the Bible in one hand and the New York Times in the other. As one can tell from his photo, he was a formidable man. It was common to run into him on campus exiting the administration building. After a greeting, he would ask, “Young lady, what are you reading?”  He did not mean coursework. That was assumed. He wanted to know how I was informing myself about the issues of the day.

The Rev. Dr. James I. McCord

This Sunday afternoon will be different. Today, I am breaking my pattern to attend a special event with a friend. We are going to Northwest Jacksonville to witness the dedication of a historical marker. This is not just any marker. Its purpose is to bear witness to the history of lynchings in America in general and specifically in Duval County. The marker is in honor of Benjamin Hart, a Black man who was shot and killed in 1923 near this site. He was unjustly accused of a crime against a white woman, even though it was documented that he was miles away at the time.

Mr. Hart’s death was one of over 4,000 that occurred across the country after Reconstruction until as late as 1950.

The non-profit 904ward partnered with the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama to get the marker. They work together as the Jacksonville Community Remembrance Project.

The overall aim of this project as stated on its webpage, is “… with a stronger understanding of the legacy of racial terror lynchings on our community, we believe Jacksonville will be better equipped to understand and reduce barriers to opportunity for all citizens.” There were seven documented lynchings in Duval County.

The director of the Equal Justice Initiative, Bryan Stevenson, says that historical markers show what a nation honors and remembers and tell a story not told in other ways. You may have heard of Mr. Stevenson, who is a public interest attorney, or you may have read his popular book, "Just Mercy."

I don’t know what to expect at the ceremony. I imagine there will be a few speeches and a retelling of history that brought us to this point. I imagine I will think about other killings in more recent days that tragically echo this history. I doubt I will know anyone else there. The point is to bear witness to the importance of this history and to honor the volunteers who did all the work involved in making it happen.

I grew up in a family that stopped to read historical markers. Oddly enough, I married someone who did the same thing. I even gave him a bumper sticker that said, “This car stops for historical markers.” And believe me, we did. And I learned a lot.

I don’t know who will stop to read this one over the coming years. I hope many do. It does not laud discovery or bravery or accomplishment. But it tells a story, a story we need to know and remember and teach so we have a full understanding of who we are as a nation.

The Sunday paper will wait until I return home.