Episcopal Diocese in Ohio commits $500K to racial reparations program
An Episcopal Church diocese in Ohio has committed to giving $500,000 to four historically African American congregations as part of a racial reparations program.
The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio announced last week that it was allocating an initial $500,000 from its endowment to St. Philip Episcopal Church of Columbus, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church of Trotwood, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church of Cincinnati, and St. Simon of Cyrene Episcopal Church of Cincinnati.
The diocese directed The Christian Post to its official announcement signed by Southern Ohio Bishop Kristin Uffelman White and Diocese Trustees President Tyrone K. Yates.
The announcement noted that the program stemmed from the work of a task force created in 2020 to discern efforts to advance racial reconciliation and reparations within the regional body.
A 15-member entity known as the Commission on Reparative Justice will oversee the process and schedule for distributing funds to the four congregations.
“This action does not indicate the completion of this work, nor the end of anticipated restitution of financial resources,” White and Yates said in the announcement.
“Rather, it marks an important first step in an ongoing process and demonstrates a meaningful financial commitment to reinvest in the vitality and self-determination of our Black leadership and communities.”
The Rev. Benjamin Speare-Hardy II, rector at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, told CP that he and his congregation “receive this announcement with deep gratitude and hope.”
Speare-Hardy believed that the $500,000 allocation “reflects a thoughtful and prayerful process of discernment rooted in truth-telling, repentance, and a desire for repair.”
“We see this as a faithful step forward, pastoral before it is financial, grounded in the conviction that reconciliation requires tangible repair,” he said. “It signals that the Church is willing not only to speak about justice, but to align resources with that commitment.”
Speare-Hardy told CP that the funds going to his church will be centered on “long-term capacity building and endowment growth rather than short-term operational spending.”
“Our goal is to use these funds in ways that create stability and freedom for mission, so that our congregation is resourced not merely to survive, but to thrive for generations to come,” he continued.
Speare-Hardy also noted that historically black congregations “have been spiritual anchors, centers of moral leadership, and catalysts for social transformation in American life.”
“Within the Episcopal tradition and beyond, we have and continue to proclaim the Gospel with resilience and joy, even when facing systemic inequities, limited resources and exclusion,” he told CP.
“The Church’s call to reconciliation is in this moment, highlighting the black congregation's contributions, is not about nostalgia; it is about recognizing living communities whose ministries continue to bless the wider Church and society.”
The Diocese of Southern Ohio was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in downtown Cincinnati. It comprises 70 churches and approximately 15,000 members.
