Reflections on Ways of Being

Episode 30: Sacred Remembrance

Sacred Remembrance: In this episode St Luke’s Executive Director John Ericson interviews Chadra Pitman about her work in remembering the victims of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. The discussion covers the many slave codes of the 17th century Virginia Colony and how they divided the labor class according to skin color thus creating the social construct of race.  Chadra Pitman is an Anthropologist, Human Rights Advocate, Remembrance Celebration Coordinator, Public HIstorian and the Executive Director of the Sankofa Project. Chadra holds a B.A. in Anthropology from George Mason University and a Masters of Anthropology of Peace and Human Rights from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Chadra’s publications include; “Mother of the Movement: Remembering Bambara and the ‘African Bones’ in the Briny Deep,” and “If Bones Could Speak.”

The future of St Luke's

In this episode St Luke's Executive Director John Ericson discusses an exciting new tour opportunity that will allow for both onsite and offsite visitation, the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, and a conversation about sacred sites and messy history.  John Ericson is the Executive Director of St Luke's Historic Church & Museum. A graduate of Roanoke College and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. He has worked up from Docent to Executive Director over his tenure of nearly 12 years at St Luke's.

Sleeping with the Ancestors: Joseph McGill and the Slave Dwelling Project.

In this episode John Ericson, the Education Coordinator at St Luke's and Host of the Old Brick Church Podcast, interviews Joseph McGill. Joseph is the founder and Director of the Slave Dwelling Project that seeks to offer a more inclusive narrative about our Nation's founding. Joseph and other members of his team have slept at plantations and other sites to highlight the stories of the Enslaved and ensure that their memories and legacies are preserved. Joseph is the Co-Author along with Herb Frazier of "Sleeping with the Ancestors; How I Followed the Footprints of Slavery."

Reflections on Ways of Being

John Ericson discusses the recent Symposium at Jamestown Settlement entitled: Ways of Being; Evolving Religion and America with Dr. Travis Harris, Visiting Assistant Professor at Norfolk State University.

Atheism in an Age of Doubt

The Reformation raised doubts about centuries-old church doctrines. Did this contribute to the emergence of atheism in the modern world? Or was it the violence of religious wars and the oppression stemming from the marriage of religion and government? St Luke's Education Coordinator John Ericson takes a look in this episode at Atheism in the 17th century.