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Jun 15, 2016

Houston Symposium Addresses Reconciliation

 

A social justice symposium featuring the Rt. Rev. Mary Glasspool, assistant bishop New York and civil rights attorney and Houston pastor, the Rev. Valda Jean Combs will be held Friday, July 22 and Saturday, July 23, 2016 in Houston. The symposium honors the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, the first African American female priest in the Episcopal Church, a poet, civil rights activist and educator who advocated for social justice throughout her life.

 

The Pauli Murray Symposium will begin on Friday at 7 p.m. at Midtown’s Ensemble Theatre with a readings from Murray’s writings followed by a conversation between the audience, actors and scholars on Murray's life and work. The symposium will continue on Saturday at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church with a presentation by Barbara Lau, director of the Pauli Murray Center at Duke University and a dramatization of Murray’s works by professional storyteller Kathy Culmer. Panel discussions on race and gender continue the theme of Transformation through Reconciliation with Glasspool and Combs, with the added feature of a youth poetry slam. The symposium will conclude with a festival Eucharist and the Pauli Murray exhibit will be mounted at St. Stephens during the weekend.

 

The event is free and open to the public. Donations for the restoration of Murray’s childhood home will be gratefully accepted. Continental breakfast and lunch will be served on Saturday. The symposium is co-sponsored by the Rev. John Dublin Epps Chapter of UBE, Integrity and the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. Clergy attending are invited to vest and process for the Eucharist celebration. See more information and RSVP at Pauli Murray Houston 2016 on Facebook.

 

The Ensemble Theatre is located at 3535 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77002. St. Stephen’s is located at 1805 W. Alabama Street, Houston TX 77098.