Journey to Date

Journey to Date

Phase 1:
First Unitarian Church Attitudes and Actions in Regard to Anti-Slavery in the Pre-Civil War Era

This phase of the project consists of two parts
(click a title below to view Monograph):

	THE UNITARIAN CLERGY AND ANTI-SLAVERY IN ANTEBELLUM CINCINNATI discusses the attitudes and actions of its ministers toward slavery and abolitionism from the Church’s founding in 1830 through 1862.
	*SUCH A GLARING INCONSISTENCY* tells the story of the laity’s attitudes and actions toward the colonization and abolition movements, as well as its participation in the Underground Railroad during the same years.

Looking West from Vine Street Along Fourth Street in the Mid-1850s. The furthest building is the Unitarian Church (Cincinnati Historical Society)

Phase 2:
Rev. William H.G. Carter and the Church of the Unitarian Brotherhood

This is the history of an African American Unitarian Minister whose church in the West End of Cincinnati from 1918-1934 was shunned by its white counterparts due to his color and that of his parishioners as well as because of its location in “a rowdy part of town.” It’s also the story of our Church’s ongoing program of recovering the memory of this dynamic community leader and his remarkable family; and of reconciliation with their descendants.

For the complete story, click here for UU World published article (0.5 MB file).

Click here for information about the Carter Fund.

Click here to see Color Brochure welcoming the Carter family (3.5 MB file)

Phase 3:
Peter H. Clark and the Struggle for African American Citizenship

Peter H. Clark (1829-1925) was the most important African American abolitionist, educator and politician in 19^th century Ohio. He was the first African American Member of our church, joining in 1868. His life and career—never before the subject of book—are a metaphor for the history of race relations in Cincinnati in the 19^th and 20^th Centuries with great relevance in the new millennium.

This phase is a book on the life and career of Peter H. Clark being written by Mary Frederickson and Walter P. Herz for 2004 publication. We are seeking letters and photos of Clark, his family, his friends and associates. If you own or know of one or more items in any of these categories, please e-mail either of the authors in care firstuu@hotmail.com

You can read more about Peter H. Clark in "A Matter of Respect: The Religious Journey of Peter H. Clark", a paper by Fredrickson and Herz published in the A.M.E Church Review in 2002 and included here by permission of the publisher (4 MB file).