Black History Month: Honoring Dr. Francis James Grimke
Today we want to honor Dr. Francis James Grimke. Dr. Grimke was born on October 10, 1850 to a slave mother, Nancy Weston, and her owner, Henry Grimke in Charleston, SC. On December 19, 1878 Francis married Charlotte Forten. The couple had one daughter in June 1880, Theodora Cornelia, but died in infancy.
Francis joined the Confederate Army to avoid being re-enslaved; he served as an officer's valet for two years. Dr. Grimke pursued education after the Emancipation: he was the valedictorian in the class of 1870 at Lincoln University, in 1872 moved to Washington, DC to study Law at Howard University, and left Howard in 1874 to pursue a theological education at Princeton Theological Seminary.
Dr. Grimke served as pastor of 15th Street Presbyterian Church for his entire six decades of Christian ministry; declining offers to teach at Biddle University and the presidency of Howard University, choosing instead a life of shepherding God's people.
A journal entry from Dr. Grimke in 1936: Without the Holy Scriptures and what they reveal, there is no hope for humanity. To build on anything else is to build on the sand.
Excerpts from "The Faithful Preacher" by Thabiti Anyabwile
Resources for you to take the next step
Books
Right Color, Wrong Culture by Bryan Loritts
The Elusive Dream by Korie Edwards
Sermons/Talks
I Can’t Breathe by Charlie Dates
Podcasts
How Racial Trauma Works
