Ansonia pastor highlights importance of celebrating Black History Month

By Rev. Michael D. Jenkins

As we begin the month of February let us focus on God’s creation for all people. 

MLK Day was celebrated on January 16, which is now a National Day of Remembrance of the work by a civil rights leader, father, husband, son, and pastor. 

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has made it very eloquently clear that “God created the world with hope that man would live in righteousness and in accord with his will. However, he did not force righteousness on man; rather he gave him free will." 

National Black History Month was created to focus attention on the contributions of African Americans to the United States. It honors all Black people from throughout U.S. history, from enslaved people first brought over from Africa in the 17^th century to African Americans living in the U.S. today. 

What is National Black History Month and why is it important? Each February, it serves as both a celebration and a powerful reminder that Black history is American history. Black culture is American culture, and Black stories are essential to the ongoing story of America - our faults, our struggles, our progress, and our aspirations.

 

American historian, author, and journalist Carter Godwin Woodson, whose work led to the celebration of Negro History Week. 

The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926, when the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History declared the second week of February as "Negro History Week" to recognize the contributions of Black Americans to U.S. history.

Frustrated by the lack of awareness of the Black community's accomplishments, historian Carter Godwin Woodson - known as the "Father of Black History" and the son of former slaves - along with other activists and civic leaders founded the Association. 

Now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, it created research and publication outlets for Black scholars, including the Journal of Negro History and the Negro History Bulletin.

"If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated," Woodson wrote in the Journal of Negro History in 1926. 

Let us always remember that all people are important in the eyes of our creator. Selah!

Rev. Michael D. Jenkins is pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Ansonia.

Walnut Hill Community Church to host panel on human trafficking

Walnut Hill Community Church in Derby.

DERBY - Walnut Hill Community Church will host a community event at 7 p.m. March 1 to raise awareness of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children.

Pastor Walt Mayhew from Walnut Hill’s Valley Campus detailed why the church decided to get involved.

“The sexual exploitation and human trafficking of our children is rising dramatically," Mayhew said. "Yet many in our community are unaware. Our hope is to raise awareness by having experts in the field of social services and criminal justice share what is taking place.”

According to statistical information provided by the church human trafficking and sexual exploitation is a world-wide, $99 billion industry. 

In Connecticut referrals to DCF of suspected domestic minor sex trafficking has risen by 7,000 percent since 2016.

The state is broken up into six regions for statistical reporting purposes. The region in which the Valley is located is tied for the highest rate of referrals. Since 2008 (as of third quarter, HART Data 2017) more than 800 children have been referred to Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families as being suspected of being victims of human trafficking, the youngest being just two years old.

“The time is at hand to raise awareness and mobilize out communities so our children can be protected and we want to do our part,” Mayhew said. 

The event features a panel discussion/presentation by experts in the field, including:

• Annmarie Boulay: Director of Women’s Ministry, Wintonbury Church and co-founder of The Underground;
• Jillian Gilchrest: Director of Health Professional Outreach at CT Coalition Against Domestic Violence;
• Tim Palmbach: Professor and Chair of Forensic Science at the University of New Haven;
• Theresa Leonard: Co-founder of The Underground, Survivor of DMST;
• Yvette Young: Project Director, Human Anti-trafficking Response Team for DCF, Village for Families and Children.

Walnut Hill Community Church’s Valley Campus is located at the corner of Smith and Ninth Streets.
For more information visit www.walnuthillcc.org/valley-campus or  call 203-732-5220.

This is a release from the church.

'Turnback Tuesday' features Derby pastor

This week's "Turnback Tuesday" features Rev. Calvin White. He was born in Middletown in 1770. White was a pastor of the Immanuel St. James Episcopal Church in Derby when Rev. Mansfield was still alive, and the two worked closely together. White was a graduate of Yale in 1786. 
Some time about 1820, White became a Roman Catholic. This caused a division between himself and Mansfield, and White was excluded from the church. He remained in town and officiated from home until his death in March of 1853.


*Thanks to Derby Public Library for sharing this interesting local history.