Racial Justice
Govans Hosts BUILD Listening Session to Guide Action Plan
Fifteen congregants and community members met the afternoon of November 2, 2025 for a BUILD (Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development) listening session. After joining BUILD this year, Govans pledged to host a listening session before the end of the year to help identify the important community issues we collectively face in North Baltimore. We addressed two questions during the listening session. The first asked for names of successful initiatives that were only possible through working with others. Some examples were…
Joining BUILD to Make a Difference
After many months of discussion, the Racial Justice Ministry Committee (RJMC) recommended to the Session last month to join Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD) and the Session approved it. According to their website, BUILD is a “broad-based, non-partisan, interfaith, multiracial community power organization rooted in Baltimore’s neighborhoods and congregations.” The largest and oldest organization of its kind in Baltimore, BUILD has worked to improve housing, increase job opportunities, and rebuild schools and neighborhoods, among other issues. Becoming a member…
Govans Dedicates Sanctuary Art and Embraces Diverse Congregation
Govans Presbyterian Church dedicated a work commissioned from a local Black artist Sunday, Feb. 9, during a 10:30 a.m. service at the church. The work celebrates diversity and is part of a years-long effort by the church to recognize the role of racism in its founding on a former plantation. It also helps create a welcoming space for all parishioners. The work represents a milestone in the work of the church’s Racial Justice Committee. Formed in 2021 by the mostly…
Juneteenth Jubilee concert to highlight Black American musical heritage
Govan’s role as an important regional hub of racial justice and the arts is reflected in an all-star lineup being assembled for the second annual Juneteenth concert. The show is again being assembled by our own Minister for Racial Justice, Lea Gilmore, herself an acclaimed vocalist and human rights advocate. She says it will include blues, jazz and folk selections. “We want to show the multifaceted roots of African American music,” says Lean. “It’s so significant that Juneteenth has become…
Black Baltimore artists sought to design new art for Sanctuary
The Racial Justice Committee has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for art work to supplement the window at the front of our sanctuary. Artwork will be hung on both sides of the window. Our desire is to portray a welcoming and inclusive community in our worship space. Please distribute the attached RFP to any interested Black artists who reside in Baltimore. Deadline for submission is March 11, 2024. Submissions and questions can be directed to Patreena Parsons, govansart@gmail.com.
Rev. Robert C. Galbraith: A Case Study of the Ministry – Antebellum Through the Civil War (Part 1)
by Myra Brosius Among our many ministers, Robert C. Galbraith holds a distinctive place. Beginning in 1853, he served Govans for twelve years leading up to and through the Civil War. By many accounts, he was a bright, industrious, and dedicated minister. One of Rev. Galbraith’s most compelling qualities was his call to minister to “negroes” during our country’s tragic era of slavery. Equally intriguing is a personal scandal involving race that arguably, may have contributed to his leaving Baltimore…
Pastor Tom’s Statement on BLM Sign Vandalism
On Sunday afternoon, August 27th the Black Lives Matter sign displayed by our church, Govans Presbyterian, was vandalized. The banner had been vandalized once before and lovingly repaired by a church member. We recently had our Pride Flag stolen as well. Other churches in the area displaying similar messages of love and diversity affirming symbols have had similar acts of vandalism. We live in a society in which values are communicated in images, symbols, and sound bytes. As a church…
Govans to visit Harriet Tubman’s Birthplace and Museum on June 17
The Racial Justice Ministry has planned a visit to Harriet Tubman’s birthplace on the Eastern Shore Saturday, June 17, (rain date, June 24). We will leave in carpools at 9:30 a.m. from the Govans parking lot and travel to Church Creek, MD. and begin at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park. We will enjoy our lunches (brought from home) in a park pavilion and tour the museum. From there wewill visit Brodess Farm where Harriet was born into slavery…