July 5, 2022
On June 22, Rev. Dr. David Latimore, director of the Betsey Stockton Center for Black Church Studies, facilitated a discussion on behalf of the National Archives Museum with Dr. Gregory Nobles. Professor Emeritus of History at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Nobles is the author of The Education of Betsey Stockton: An Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom.
In this livestream, Nobles and Latimore discuss Betsey Stockton’s remarkable life and journey from enslavement to emancipation. Nobles provides an overview of Stockton’s life, from her birth in enslavement to her self-education as a young woman and her work as a missionary and deep commitment to teaching. Latimore asks thoughtful questions regarding Stockton’s connection to two local Princeton churches in the 1840s, First Presbyterian Church and Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church. By delving deeper into the relationship between the churches and their congregants, Nobles and Latimore explore the nuances of Princeton’s relationship with its own Black community. They also address the roles race and gender played in Stockton’s life, and her unique, trailblazing role as an educator and woman of faith.
Click below to watch this compelling discussion of Stockton’s life story and its importance in the larger historical narrative.
If you would like to receive the latest news and information from the Betsey Stockton Center for Black Church Studies, sign up for their mailing list.
“Preaching is one of the most important things we do as pastors. You get to challenge people’s minds and hearts, as the gospel challenges all of us.”