A pastor in northeast Wichita is offering a Black History Video Series and community discussion every 3rd Sunday in Wichita.
The idea to show videos and discuss African-American leaders stemmed from an incident at a public school on the East Coast. Godfrey Patterson, pastor of Wichita’s St. Paul AME Church, says a student there could not tell the teacher the name of the late civil rights leader Malcolm X.
“They asked [the teacher], 'Who was Malcolm 10?'" Patterson says. "Well, that let me know that there was something wrong with the fact that we didn’t know, even our young people didn’t know, even a figure like Malcolm X."
Patterson then began to show at his church videos that highlighted Black trailblazers: "Leaders like Martin Luther King, Adam Clayton, Malcolm X, Ella Baker, Mrs. Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and the people who have worked alongside them as they have struggled to bring us to where we are today."
Patterson aims for each session to be both educational and empowering for participants. A community discussion follows each video.
The event takes place monthly at St. Paul AME Church, including this Sunday, Sept. 18, at 4 p.m.
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Carla Eckels is assistant news director and the host of Soulsations. Follow her on Twitter @Eckels.
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