RCCA celebrated 1957 Ministers’ Manifesto on race relations

Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta
November 7, 2007

On October 25, the Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta celebrated the 50th anniversary of the historic 1957 Ministers’ Manifesto on Racial Beliefs, a then-highly controversial call for justice and decency during the moral and political chaos that followed court-ordered desegregation of public schools. The Manifesto was initiated by the RCCA, known then as the Christian Council of Atlanta.

RCCA’s monthly Pastors Breakfast at All Saints’ Episcopal Church afforded an appropriate venue for celebrating the Manifesto signers as Christian leaders who acted as their consciences dictated in the face of threats to themselves and their families. The celebration also served as a reminder that Christians are called by their faith to speak in the face of oppression and hatred.

RCCA thanks All Saints’ Episcopal Church for hosting the event, the guests who “filled the house,” the eight signers and their family members who were able to participate, and Rev. Bill Bryant for sharing the historical documents that his grandfather Dr. Herman Turner had preserved. RCCA extends its appreciation also to those who spoke to the assembly: Dr. Harvey Newman of Georgia State University; Methodist Bishop Bevel Jones (ret.), an orginal Manifesto signer; and Bob Shands, son of signer Rev. Norman Shands.

Theatrical Outfit Director Tom Key’s reading from Beloved Southland by Lauren Gunderson moved and inspired the audience as it captured the tenor of those challenging times. The RCCA website will include photos soon. Copies of Bob Shand’s book In My Father’s House are available. To purchase one, contact RCCA at 404-523-5554, ext 231.

To read the 1957 Pastors’ Manifesto, click here.

To read the 1957 Time magazine article on the Manifesto, click here.

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