Movement Towards Diversity at LTSG

In honor of Black History Month, the A.R. Wentz Library and Seminary Archives would like to highlight African American history here at the Seminary. This post features African American students who fought to create a place of diversity, equality, and inclusion at LTSG, paving the way for future students of color. The research for this post was compiled from Seminary Archives records that are on display on the first floor of the A.R. Wentz Library. The exhibit will be up through March.

The Seminary was founded in 1826 and after only nine years of operation, Daniel Alexander Payne became the first African American student to attend Gettysburg Seminary, graduating in 1835. Payne went on to become a pastor, educator, and bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He was also elected as president of Wilberforce University in Ohio in 1863, becoming the first African American to lead an institution of higher education in the United States.

Daniel Alexander Payne

Although the seminary had its first African American student in 1835, they didn’t have their second until the 1960s. America was undergoing a turbulent time engulfed with protests, riots, and assassinations, all in the name of civil rights. Times were changing and many Americans began fighting for equality in all areas of life, especially the school system.

Rudolph Featherstone graduated in 1960 and was hired by the Seminary in 1977 to head a new initiative called the Black/White Studies Program. This program was funded through a grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. for the 1976-77 school year.
Read the grant application and objectives by clicking the link below.
A Program For Black Theological Education in the Lutheran Church of America

Rudolph Featherstone

This program, split between the Philadelphia and Gettysburg campuses, was created to equip both black and white seminarians for leadership roles in the church as well as to teach inclusion for all races in their congregations.
Read more information about the Black/White Studies Program and Rev. Featherstone by clicking the link below.
"Black White Studies Begins"

The Black/White Studies program was funded by the Council for Lutheran Theological Education in the Northeast and the Lilly Endowment for three years. After the program was complete, the mission was transferred to the Black Concerns Program and was funded by each of the seminaries separately. Read more about the Black Concerns Program by clicking the link below.
Black Concerns Program Proposal

Many students and faculty voiced their concerns for civil rights in Table Talk, a student-run publication.
"White Perspectives on a Black Conference" by Rogger Digges
"Black Concerns Proposal Accepted" by Ken Regan

In one 1970 Table Talk article, a white student wrote about their experience attending a class at Morgan State College, where the professor and most of the students in the class were black. The student recognized the different perspectives in the classroom and the importance of embracing diversity as future church leaders.
This article can be read by clicking the link below.
"Studying in a Black Class" by Myron Schevy

Also featured in Table Talk is an article highlighting LTSG student participation in the 1980s Anti-Apartheid protests and staged arrests, involving fourteen students. Student Debbie Conrad shares her story, which can be read by clicking the link below.
"Protesting Apartheid" by Debbie Conrad

1985 issue of Table Talk with the headline "Protesting Apartheid."

Lastly,  “An Urgent Message from LHS” asks students to call or write to their representatives regarding bills that concerned the affairs of South Africa and Apartheid. Their plea can be read by clicking the link below.
"Urgent Message from LHS" by Roy J. Enquist

To see these documents in person please stop by the first floor of the A.R. Wentz library to view the exhibit.

Sources Cited

Strobert, Nelson T. Daniel Alexander Payne: The Venerable Preceptor of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Lanham: University Press of American, 2012.

Written by intern Meriah Swope, graduate student at Shippensburg University.

Looking for another read? Check out the On the Glorious Hill Blog.

To learn more about Black History at LTSG, please contact Assistant Archivist Sheila Joy by email at sjoy@ltsg.edu or by phone at 717-339-1317.