At First Church: History and Racial Justice in Middletown

Listen and Learn: A Presentation on History
and Racial Justice in Middletown

Sunday, Feb. 11,
4pm, at
First Church
190 Court Street
Middletown, CT

  You are invited to attend an afternoon program that explores history and racial justice in Middletown. The event will take place on Sunday, February 11, at 4pm, at First Church, 190 Court Street, in Middletown.

   Learn of the days when Middletown was a booming port, as speakers tell two stories: One of Middletown merchants and investors who made fortunes by shipping home-grown provisions to Caribbean ports and returning with a cargo of highly profitable sugar; the other, of the lives of enslaved laborers who raised, harvested, and loaded the sugar. Guest speakers include Debbie Shapiro, president of the Middlesex County Historical Society, and Precious Price, director of the Middletown Racial Justice Coalition.

  This gathering is the first in a series of public events hosted by First Church, in our 350th year, to celebrate our history and to open up honest conversations about episodes in our history, some of which do not make us proud.

  The program is based in part on Middlesex County Historical Society's ongoing exhibit, A Vanished Port, and represents a collaboration of Middletown artists and historians, and members of community organizations working for social justice and racial equity.  

  First Church is an open and affirming congregation and is located at 190 Court Street, in Middletown.
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