On two Mondays in October, Henry B. Thomas will present topics in the Classics in Religion series. This group is open to all and meets Mondays (11 a.m. to Noon) at the Penn Yan Public Library, 214 Main St. Penn Yan.

Upcoming: October 28, 2019
Catholics and Black Liberation Theology
This session will cover Catholic Africans in the New World before 1619, Latin American Liberation Theology, Catholics and American Slavery, and the role of Black Sisters (and Black Catholics in general) in the American Civil Rights movement. Dr Thomas will also speak briefly about his former student, Thomas Jackson, who was a leader of the community effort that created the State Park at Fort Mose.

Update: Presenter Henry Thomas has suggested some additional readings for this upcoming program.

As a historian, I am always happy when more Americans, especially Catholics, become aware of the church’s history as the first and largest corporate slaveholder in the Americas.
—Shannen Dee Williams, historian

Facilitator:
Henry B. Thomas, Doctorate in Public Administration. Before retiring, Dr. Thomas was Associate Professor at the University of Northern Florida in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration. He simultaneously served as Executive Director of the Florida Center of Public & International Policy for several years. His career has included extensive public service and grassroots activism as well as scholarly research.

Free-will donation only.

Presented October 21, 2019
African Traditional Religion: Origins of Black Liberation Theology

Black theology, or black liberation theology, refers to a theological perspective which originated among African-American seminarians and scholars, and in some black churches in the United States and later in other parts of the world. It contextualizes Christianity in an attempt to help those of African descent overcome oppression. It especially focuses on the injustices committed against African Americans and black South Africans during American segregation and apartheid, respectively. This session will include discussion of African traditional religion.