Historians protest advertisement by Sewanee museum celebrating life of slave-holding bishop
A number of people attending the 2006 General Convention brought to the attention of the Board of Directors of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church a full-page advertisement for “The Leonidas Polk Bi-Centennial Memorial Series” placed by the Sewanee On-Line History Museum in Episcopal Life’s General Convention Guide.
We find the advertisement’s celebration of Leonidas Polk – a slaveholding bishop who died in battle fighting to preserve a racist social order – and its proud association of Polk with the University of the South at Sewanee, an Episcopal institution of higher education, to be offensive and a cause for grave concern.
At a moment in time when the Episcopal Church, with every other province of the global Anglican Communion, is committed in principle and practice to the eradication of racism and the full inclusion and equality of all Christians, there is no place for such an advertisement. Its appearance at a General Convention when the church was trying to come to terms with its historic entanglements with slavery was particularly embarrassing.
Diverse in age, gender and race, we as members of the Board of Directors of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church reject the assertion that Leonidas Polk is a “martyred bishop.” We reject the assertion that Leonidas Polk, through his role in founding the University of the South, was an advocate for the “religious training of the sons of the South,” knowing that he intended the school to be an institution for white males only and, indeed, only for a select portion of this group.
We reject the assertion that this advertisement redounds to the glory of the University of the South, which now encourages able students of both genders and all ethnicities and races to seek admission and, if accepted, to grow intellectually and spiritually on that campus. In fact, we think this advertisement is both deceitful and an insult to the University of the South in its present incarnation.
Although we respect the obligation of publications to be a forum for divergent voices, they have an ethical duty to ensure that material appearing in their pages meet basic standards of honesty and not be deliberately misleading. In this case, the advertisement misrepresents itself in ways that would lead readers to believe that the Episcopal Church had included Bishop Polk among those officially commemorated by the church and had endorsed the views expressed in the advertisement.
Fredrica Harris Thompsett, Ph.D.
President, The Historical Society of the Episcopal Church
Alfred Moss, Ph.D.
Chair, African American Episcopal Historical Collection Committee
RESPONSE
The staff of Episcopal Life apologizes to those who were offended by the advertisement and will bring concerns expressed in this letter to the attention of Episcopal Life’s Board of Governors.
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We find the advertisement’s celebration of Leonidas Polk – a slaveholding bishop who died in battle fighting to preserve a racist social order – and its proud association of Polk with the University of the South at Sewanee, an Episcopal institution of higher education, to be offensive and a cause for grave concern.
At a moment in time when the Episcopal Church, with every other province of the global Anglican Communion, is committed in principle and practice to the eradication of racism and the full inclusion and equality of all Christians, there is no place for such an advertisement. Its appearance at a General Convention when the church was trying to come to terms with its historic entanglements with slavery was particularly embarrassing.
Diverse in age, gender and race, we as members of the Board of Directors of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church reject the assertion that Leonidas Polk is a “martyred bishop.” We reject the assertion that Leonidas Polk, through his role in founding the University of the South, was an advocate for the “religious training of the sons of the South,” knowing that he intended the school to be an institution for white males only and, indeed, only for a select portion of this group.
We reject the assertion that this advertisement redounds to the glory of the University of the South, which now encourages able students of both genders and all ethnicities and races to seek admission and, if accepted, to grow intellectually and spiritually on that campus. In fact, we think this advertisement is both deceitful and an insult to the University of the South in its present incarnation.
Although we respect the obligation of publications to be a forum for divergent voices, they have an ethical duty to ensure that material appearing in their pages meet basic standards of honesty and not be deliberately misleading. In this case, the advertisement misrepresents itself in ways that would lead readers to believe that the Episcopal Church had included Bishop Polk among those officially commemorated by the church and had endorsed the views expressed in the advertisement.
Fredrica Harris Thompsett, Ph.D.
President, The Historical Society of the Episcopal Church
Alfred Moss, Ph.D.
Chair, African American Episcopal Historical Collection Committee
RESPONSE
The staff of Episcopal Life apologizes to those who were offended by the advertisement and will bring concerns expressed in this letter to the attention of Episcopal Life’s Board of Governors.