Washington College’s Institute for Religion, Politics and Culture is launching a new program on “The African American Church and American Ideals.” The inaugural event will be a two-part series titled “The African American Church: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.”   

The series will feature three local church leaders: the Rev. Charles Pinkett of Cambridge, the Hon. Corey Pack of Easton, and the Rev. Dr. William T. Wallace, Sr. of St. Michaels 

On Monday, Oct. 16 in Hyson Lounge, the conversation will center on the strength of the African American church today and how it remains vital and vibrant, despite claims to the contrary. The Rev. Pinkett, recipient of the 2016 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Image Award, and the Hon. Pack, member of the Talbot County Council, Sunday School teacher, and lay leader at Union Baptist Church in Easton, will lead the lecture.

In the second installment of the series, scheduled for Nov. 6 in Litrenta Hall, Dr. Wallace, pastor of Union United Methodist Church in St. Michaels, will discuss the institution of the church and its history.

“The church is an important part of the American tapestry,” says Joseph Prud’homme, associate professor of political science and director of the Institute for Religion, Politics, and Culture. “It’s important to showcase it and for the community to have a deeper appreciation of its history and vitality.”

Future installments of the new program on the African American Church and American Ideals will include tours to historic sites across the Eastern Shore and performances by various church groups.

For more information about the program, contact Institute for Religion, Politics, and Culture Director Joseph Prud’homme at jprudhomme2@washcoll.edu.