FutureChurch to discuss 'fugitive slave' with Dr. Nikki Taylor

Dr. Nikki Taylor will discuss racism and enslavement in 1856, specifically Margaret Garner. Image: Markus Spiske|Unsplash

The FutureChurch will present Dr. Nikki Taylor on Thursday, March 23, as she will discuss her book, "Driven Toward Madness: The Fugitive Slave Margaret Garner and Tragedy on the Ohio."

As part of the Women Witnesses for Racial Justice series, Taylor will talk about a woman who killed her child in 1856 rather than returning them to slavery. 

Book's Focus on the Story of Margaret Garner 

Margaret Garner, an enslaved wife and mother, was the main character of Dr. Nikki Taylor's discussion. 

In 1856, Garner and her entire family escaped slavery in northern Kentucky. 

When the Garner family's owners caught up with them, Margaret attempted to kill all four of her children so they would not have to return to being enslaved. 

She was only successful in killing one of her children.

According to the church's post, the harrowing story is retold in the book from the point of view of Margaret Garner, a woman who was illiterate and left very little of her voice in the historical record.

Black feminist and interdisciplinary research methodologies are used to tell this story. Ultimately, Driven Toward Madness investigates why the fated crime was the best remaining choice for her as an enslaved mother.

Who is Dr. Nikki Taylor?

Dr. Nikki M. Taylor is the History Department Chair and a History Professor at Howard University. According to the university's post, her area of expertise is Black American history of the 19th century.

In Frontiers of Freedom: Cincinnati's Black Community, she traces the development of an upstanding black society against the backdrop of one of the most racist American cities of the nineteenth century. 

A group of people who, in the wake of slavery's lingering presence, resorted to black nationalism, emigration, legislative activism, and even armed self-defense to carve out a place for themselves.

Per the post, her areas of expertise include Black American women's history, urban history, and intellectual history. Dr. Taylor also received a Fulbright, Social Science Research Council, and Woodrow Wilson fellowships.

About FutureChurch 

The goal at FutureChurch is to make adjustments that will allow all Roman Catholics to take an active role in all aspects of Church life, including but not limited to worship, ministry, and leadership. FutureChurch advocates for more just, open, and collaborative Catholic worship, organization, and governance.

According to the website, the spirituality of the FutureChurch is rooted in the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

The church is also rooted in the Holy Eucharist, the convictions of the faithful filled with the Holy Spirit, and the teachings of Vatican II.

Church History 

The timeline of the Church's origins begins in the summer of 1990. Following a request from the Community of St. Malachi's elected council, a committee was established to address matters of internal reform within the Catholic Church.

According to its history, about 33 people representing 16 different faiths gathered at St. Malachi Center on Oct. 16, 1990, to establish the FutureChurch coalition. 

Weekly services were held at the center, and monthly meetings were held for parishioners from all over the diocese. 

The Resurrection Parish Council had contacted all parish councils within the diocese to voice its concerns, and now, more than 20 of those councils have formally endorsed the Resurrection resolution.

More from Crossmap: Bp. Edward Malesic leads institution of 3 diaconal candidates at St. Patrick Church

More Local News