At its April meeting, the Executive Committee of the LSTC Board of Directors approved a resolution to establish a Reparations Task Force that will examine and propose a reparations plan for the seminary, beginning in 2023.
The task force includes President James Nieman as support staff, and board members Morgan Gates (task force convener, Terry Goff (board chair) Greg Lewis (board vice-chair), and Kristi Ferguson (immediate past board chair).
Committed to engaging the institution’s stakeholders on this topic, the group will seek input from faculty, staff, students, the Antiracism Taskforce Team, and student organizations.
In addition to hosting listening sessions with the campus community, the team plans to consult with groups such as Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberty (SOUL), the Hyde Park Historical Society, and other experienced external organizations.
In preparation for this initiative, the seminary’s finance office will also establish a restricted account for financial funding and support dedicated toward reparations. A new website will be launched in the coming weeks to keep the campus community current on the seminary’s progress.
An update on the task force’s progress will be reported at the May meeting of the Board of Directors.