A First Step Towards Racial Justice Is To Reconcile Our Past. We Do So By Acknowledging And Carrying Forth The Ministry of Rev. W.H.G. Carter.

Why is this Weekend Important?
Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed's landmark book about religious racism, Black Pioneers in a White Denomination, cites Rev. W.H.G. Carter, a Unitarian minister who formed The Church of the Unitarian Brotherhood in downtown Cincinnati in 1918.

The church survived for two decades with little support from Cincinnati Unitarians or the American Unitarian Association because it was "in the wrong neighborhood."

Rev. Dr. Morrison-Reed will guide First Unitarian Church and Northern Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in our pledge to Rev. Carter's heirs, joining us from across North America, to acknowledge his struggle and to continue his valuable ministry.

The History of Rev. W.H.G. Carter
The autobigraphy as written by W.H.G. Carter explains how he got his name. William Henry Gray was his mother's father's name. Born a slave, William Henry Gray became a Baptist preacher. James E. Carter was his father and a Methodist minister. The completion of his name W.H.G. Carter did not complete his search for God. His book, My Father's Business, explains how he found his faith.

Excerpt from Black Pioneers In a White Denomination
"In 1938 Felix Lion, a Unitarian minister then just out of school and working for the summer in Cincinnati, accidentally discovered a little storefront church named 'The Church of the Unitarian Brotherhood.' Its founder, William H.G. Carter, grew up on a farm in Arkansas, attended Shorter College, discovered the idea of Unitarianism through his own reading, and created the Brotherhood Church in 1918."

"Carter, when interviewed in 1936, believed that it was 'the only colored Unitarian Church in the United States.' It was not, but in predating (the) effort in Harlem by two years, it was the first. Carter was a 'prominent Negro leader,' and the Unitarian ministers in Cincinnati knew of him, but, believing the church to be in the wrong neighborhood, had never informed the AUA."

Reservations and Cost
All events are free except for the Sunday luncheon at First Church which costs $8 per person. Donations will be accepted in order to help defray expenses. In order to plan for the weekend, we need you to make reservations for each event. Please feel free to use our convenient online Registration Form to send in your reservation to the appropriate contacts. All registrations must be received by January 7th, 2001.

Driving Directions
The following are directions from First Church to Northern Hills, bypassing construction.

1. Turn LEFT/NORTH onto READING ROAD (follow for about 2 miles).
2. Follow the signs for HWY 4 and turn LEFT onto PADDOCK ROAD.
3. Follow HWY 4 for about 5.5 miles (name changes from PADDOCK to VINE to SPRINGFIELD PIKE).
4. Turn LEFT/WEST onto OLIVER from SPRINGFIELD PIKE.
5. Turn RIGHT/NORTH onto BRAYTON.
6. Turn LEFT/WEST onto FLEMING ROAD. Northern Hills is about 1/2 mile down on the right just past the cemetery. Address is 450 FLEMING.

For More Information
The W.H.G. Carter Weekend Contact is Cecilia Kloecker from First Unitarian Church. You may contact Cecilia at (513) 745-9062.