A soil ceremony was held on Ash Wednesday at The Portico. The ceremony honors those lynched between 1892-1934 within the Tampa community. This was the second ceremony held at The Portico. This year the church honored Lewis Jackson. See the full story here.
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ABC Action News covered the Robert Johnson Soil Collection Ceremony at The Portico. Sometimes our faith calls us to confront painful parts of our past and work to make right the wrongs of previous generations. One way we are engaging with this work is through our Justice Ministry. Recently, we partnered with Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera and the Equal Justice Initiative to gather soil at the site where Robert Johnson, a Black man, was lynched on January 28, 1934.
Watch the ceremony below.
One of The Portico’s volunteers, Thad Bereday, was recently surprised with presidential pardon, wiping out his conviction for a federal crime from several years ago. Thad has been volunteering at The Portico for some time, serving with The Portico Work Force Housing Solution. His unexpected pardon removes any trace of the federal conviction he received during his time at WellCare, a Tampa company, and has given him a fresh start on life. In addition to working with clients in Work Force Housing, he is involved in Criminal Justice reform. Watch Thad’s story in the video below.