An open letter from New Orleans clergy to the community of New Orleans
We’re standing together for a united city …
To the blessed citizens of New Orleans,
As clergy leaders in the city of New Orleans, we have watched and listened intently to the ongoing conversations about the monuments to the Confederate States of America that dot our City’s landscape. We also carry some of the weight of responsibility for the presence of these monuments, for we know that pastors, Bishops and Archbishops before us were key figures in seeking funding in the efforts to erect these very monuments.
For some, the confederate monuments are symbols of our history that ought to be preserved. For many others, these symbols are living reminders of slavery, our segregationist past and the still bleeding wound that is systemic racism.
As the spiritual leaders of New Orleans, we know the power of symbols, which is why we stand in support of their removal. In their current state, lacking any proper context, these monuments do not teach us about the past. They reflect a deafening silence about Jim Crow culture.
Statues such as the Statue of Jefferson Davis located at the corner of Canal Street and Jefferson Davis Parkway, Robert E. Lee in Lee Circle formerly known as Tivoli Circle, the memorial inscription at the Monument of The Battle of Liberty Place and the statue of General P.G.T Beauregard at the entrance to City Park are living links to past crimes against our common humanity. As symbols in our growing international city, these monuments belong not in our public line of sight, but in museums where context and education may be given and learned from.
At the base of our nation’s greatest symbol, the Statue of Liberty, there is an inscription. It reads:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
These words and this symbol have given hope to millions across all generations, across all nationalities, races and cultures. It is this type of monument under which we, the people of New Orleans, should gather to celebrate our life together in our sacred city.
New Orleans is a great city. Its people have done great things in the arts, music and industry. This is the culture and history we should celebrate in our monuments, for they point to who we are as a common people and who we want to be.
Faithfully,
Dr. C. S. Gordon, Jr., President, Louisiana Missionary Baptist State Convention (LMBSC); Pastor, New Zion Baptist Church; President-Elect, Interchurch Conference; President, Together Louisiana
Dr. David Crosby, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, New Orleans
The Very Reverend David DuPlantier, Dean, Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal)
Rev. Shawn Anglim, Pastor, First Grace United Methodist Church
Dr. Ansel Augustine, Office of Black Catholic Ministries, Archdiocese of New Orleans
Rev. Antoine Barriere, Senior Pastor, Household of Faith Family Worship Church
Pastor Fred Luter, Past President, Southern Baptist Convention; Pastor, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church
Dr. Darryl S. Brister, Pastor, Beacon Light International Baptist Cathedral
Dr. Debra Morton, Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship
Sr. Alison McCrary, CSJ, St. Augustine Catholic Church of New Orleans
Dr. Torin Sanders, Pastor, The Sixth Baptist Church
Bishop Tommie Triplett, Jr., Pastor, United Fellowship Full Gospel Baptist Church
Rev. Johnnie Arvie, Law Street Baptist Church
Rev. Jimmy Autry, Pastor, Cornerstone Christian Center
Fr. Walter Baer, Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana
Apostle Gary Bailey, Sr., Chief Cornerstone Full Gospel Ministries
Fr. Richard Banks, Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana
Rev. Elvin J. Bazile, Jr., Pastor, Christian Congregational Baptist Church
Rev. Paul Beedle, First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans
Rev. Irvin Bell, Elder, Castle Rock Community Church
Rev. Jeffery Benn, Jr., Pastor, Full Harvest Ministries
Rabbi Alexis Berk, Touro Synagogue
Rev. Donald R. Berryhill, Pastor, First Zion Baptist Church
Rev. Philip Brockett, Central St. Matthew United Church of Christ
Rev. Claire Brooks, Berean Presbyterian Church
Rev. Joseph Brooks, Pastor, Greater Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Lance Brown, Canal Street Church
Rev. Simon Chigumira, Asbury United Methodist Church
Deacon Larry Clanton, Fellowship Baptist Church
Deacon Elaine Clements, Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana
The Very Rev. Ronald Clingenpeel, The Episcopal Church
Rabbi Edward Cohn, Congregation Temple Sinai
Deacon Kathleen Comer, Chapel of the Holy Comforter, Episcopal
Rev. Jeff Conner, United Methodist Church
Rev. John Craft, Chaplain, Episcopal Chapel of the Holy Comforter, SUNO & UNO
Rev. Anita Dinwiddie, St. Mark’s United Methodist Church
Bishop Joe Doss, Retired, Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana
Rev. Nathaniel Dowl, III, Pastor, Greater St. James Baptist Church
Rev. J. C. Dyson, Pastor, Sr., Holy Faith Temple
Rev. Lisa Fitzpatrick, Pastor, Hartzell United Methodist Church
Rev. Norman Francis, St. Stephen Baptist Church
Rabbi Allen I. Freehling, Retired
Rev. Willie Gable, Pastor, Progressive Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. JoAnn Garma, Director of Pastoral, Supervisor, Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (Retired)
Pastor John Gerhardt, Castle Rock Community Church
Dr. Moses S. Gordon II, Pastor, Fellowship Baptist Church
Rev. Moses S. Gordon III, Pastor, First African Baptist Church 6th District; Pastor-Elect Greater Pleasant Green Baptist Church
Rev. Roger Graham, Pastor, Greater St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Orin D. Grant, Sr., Pastor, St. Paul Baptist Church
Rev. Willie Green, Pastor, First Mission Baptist Church; Rising Sun Missionary Baptist Association
Rabbi Gabriel Greenberg, Congregation Beth Israel
Rev Andrew Greenhaw, St. Paul’s UCC
Rev. Bertrand Griffin II, Gretna United Methodist Church
Rev. Morgan Guyton, NOLA Wesley United Methodist campus ministry, Tulane and Loyola Universities
Rev. Lonzo L. Hamilton, Sr., Pastor, St. Matthew Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. J. L. Hampton, Sr., Pastor, St. Mark and Eastern Star Baptist Churches
The Very Rev. A. J. Heine, Rector, St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Metairie
Pastor Frederick Henderson, Pastor, The Rock Full Gospel Baptist Church
Bishop Jerry Henry, Sr., Pastor, Dominion and Power Ministries
Rev. Percy Howard, Pastor, Restoration Baptist Church
Rev. Daniel Hudson, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kenner
Rev. Creal James, Sr., Pastor, Mount Triumph Baptist Church
Rev. Chris Janeau, Pastor, Victory Church
Rev. Donald C. Jeanjacques, Pastor, True Vine Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Anthony Jeanmarie III, Pastor, New Philippians Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Ernest Johnson, Pastor, Greater Mt. Carmel Baptist Church
Rev. Ricky Johnson, Pastor, Mt. Olive Baptist Church
Rev. Louis Jones, Pastor, St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Dan Krutz, Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana
Rev. Reginald Landry, Pastor, First Evangelist Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Henry Lawrence III, Willing Workers Missionary Baptist Church
Rabbi Ethan Linden, Shir Chadash Conservative Congregation
Rabbi Robert Loewy, Congregation Gates of Prayer
Rev. Lester Love, Pastor, The City of Love Church
Deacon Ernest Maloid, Our Covenant Church
Rev. Melanie Morel-Ensminger, Greater New Orleans Unitarian Universalists
Rev. James Morrison, Rector, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
Rev. Bernard Murray, Greater Mt. Rose Missionary Baptist Church
Pastor Robert Myers, Pastor, Greater Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church, 2nd Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Duane Nettles, Rector, Church of the Annunciation (Episcopal)
Rev. Reginald Nicholas, Sr., Pastor, Olive Branch Baptist Church, Moderator, Cornerstone Missionary Baptist General Association
Rev. Hill Riddle, Retired, Trinity Episcopal Church
Rev. Darcy Roake, Community Church Unitarian Universalist (Affiliated)
Rev. Charles Southall III, First Emmanuel Baptist Church
Rev. Cory Sparks, Parker United Methodist Church
Rev. Albert Stewart, Jr., Pastor, Spirit of Liberty Baptist Church
Rev. Christopher Sylvain, Faith Full Gospel Baptist Church
The Rev. William Terry, Rector, St. Anna’s Episcopal Church
Rev. Kenneth G. Thibodeaux, Asia Baptist Church
Rev. William Thiele, Pastor, Parker Memorial United Methodist Church
Rev. Edward H. Thompson, Rector, All Souls Episcopal Church
The Rev. Bridget Tierney, Advent House / Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral
Rev. Robert Turner, St. Mark’s Fourth Baptist Church
Rev. Ronald Unger, Christ the King Lutheran Church
Rev. Jim VanderWeele, Pastor, Community Church Unitarian Universalists
Rev. Deanna Vandiver, Greater New Orleans Unitarian Universalists
Rev. C. E. Washington, Pastor, Fairview Baptist Church
Rev. Tom Watson, Pastor, Watson Memorial Church
Rev. Dwight Webster, Christian Unity Baptist Church
Rev. William Wilson, Israelite Divine S.C.
Rev. Callie Winn Crawford, United Methodist Pastor
Rev. Calvin Woods, Greater Liberty Baptist Church
Rev. Melvin Zeno, Pastor, St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church
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