Pacific Union Conference Westlake Village CA

The Pacific Union Conference celebrates Black History Month!

Here you will find various articles and resources to celebrate and educate all month long.

Articles

Slavery and Prophecy

(También español) Many prominent Adventist leaders held views on slavery similar to those of Mrs. White. Through the Civil War years, such revered names as James White, Uriah Smith, and J.N. Andrews used the pages of the "Review and Herald" to attack laggards who did not endorse the emancipation position. An example is Uriah Smith's explicit criticism of President Lincoln.

Family History

(También español) My paternal grandmother was partially responsible for my love of history. Carrie Isabel Woodson was a woman of dignity who took pride in her family and her heritage. She was the granddaughter of an enslaved man from Virginia, Henry Raddick, who changed the name of his family after being set free by Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

Ellen G. White: Racist or Champion of Equality?

(También español) “Christ came to this earth with a message of mercy and forgiveness. He laid the foundation for a religion by which Jew and Gentile, black and white, free and bond, are linked together in one common brotherhood, recognized as equal in the sight of God.”

All God's People

My favorite February episodes of All God’s People have focused on Black History Month. In the past six years, we have had thoughtful, inspiring interviews...

Northern Lights - February, 2023

“History gives us the tools to analyze and explain problems in the past; it positions us to see patterns that might otherwise be invisible in the present—thus providing a crucial perspective for understanding (and solving!) current and future problems.”

SECC Veterans Lead Out in NAACP Luncheon

(También español) This past Veteran’s Day, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) honored veterans throughout the Inland Empire. The committee that organized this event was headed by retired Marine Chief Warrant Officer Franklin Benjamin, an elder at Imani Praise Fellowship.

Black Adventist Women Clergy Advancing the Gospel, Part 3

Part 3 - In 1943, a turning point came in the intersection between race, gender, and the Adventist Church. Lucille Byard (1877-1943), a Black Adventist laywoman, went to a prominent Adventist hospital in Maryland in hopes of lifesaving treatment but was denied care because of her race and the unjust Jim Crow laws then in effect.

Black Adventist Women Clergy Advancing the Gospel, Part 1

Part 1 Republished - Women have worked to advance the gospel from our earliest days as an organized church, yet when discussing their role, an important sub-group is often excluded from the story. White women are often overrepresented, while the accomplishments of Black women and other trailblazing women of color are less recognized.

Connie Hall Named Nevada Teacher of the Year

When Connie Hall was named 2023 Nevada Teacher of the Year, it came as no surprise to those that know her. She has been an exceptional example of true education throughout her teaching career. The Nevada Teacher of the Year celebrates excellence and encourages the workforce by recognizing exceptional teachers.

Black Adventist Women Clergy Advancing the Gospel, Part 2

Part 2 - We have to be bold and defiant in our process, in our protest. As women in ministry, we reject the negative press and we choose to love in spite of all that’s said and in spite of all the discrimination,” said Dr. Brenda Billingy, who served as the senior pastor of several local churches in the early 2000s before supporting the recruitment and retention of Adventist women clergy in her capacity as Associate Director of the North American Division (NAD) Ministerial Department from 2015-2020.i

Biographical Sketches of Adventist Women Civil Rights Pioneers

Black Adventist women are as integral to the early history of Adventism as to the histories of the civil rights movement, the women’s rights movement, and...

Arizona Conference Black Ministries Convocation Renews and Inspires Attendees

After a two-year hiatus from regular in-person convocations, the 42nd annual Arizona Conference Black Ministries Convocation was a smashing success,”...