Ignorance is not Bliss: The power of Memory in the era of Trump

On October 2, Angela Sims spoke at the Foley Institute to discuss the history of violence against African Americans, particularly lynching, in the United States. Despite popular consensus that the country has now rejected such violence, Sims argues that black Americans today have to deal with the shadows of this history. She further explained that oral histories of violence and prejudice represent are critical resources, without which historical records are incomplete. She particularly emphasized the role that churches should have to preserve and protect these oral histories and allow them to continue to function as a means to share past experiences otherwise they are forgotten.

 

Angela Sims is a professor of ethics and church studies at the Saint Paul School of Theology.