70 years ago — March 8, 1948
The executive committee of the Virginia Council of Churches recognizes that substantial advances have been made in recent years in the area of race relations … . It is believed that love for one’s neighbor and respect for every individual, made in the image of God, as inspired by the Christian gospel, as well as the principles of American democracy, require us to continue such efforts to eliminate discriminations and to remedy injustices that remain in various areas of human endeavor. …. As Christians, we recognize our failure to inculcate into our corporate life, as citizens and churchmen, the full implications of our Christian faith regarding brotherhood. We sincerely ask God’s forgiveness for this failure, and pledge ourselves to work always toward the fulfillment of these principles.
From “A program of interracial cooperation.” This paper, a product of interracial cooperation, was adopted by the executive committee of the Virginia Council of Churches and distributed to the churches of Virginia for discussion and implementation.
