DC Churches Heal 95-Year Wound With $165K Reparations Gift

A historically Black church in Washington, DC is finally receiving justice for a wrong that happened nearly a century ago. St. George's Episcopal Church lost everything in 1930 when the city seized their Fort Reno property to build a school for white students, and another congregation kept nearly all the compensation money promised to them.

The story stayed buried for decades. St. George's members carried the memory of that loss through generations, but the broader church community never fully acknowledged what happened or the deep racial inequities that made it possible.

That silence ended when St. Columba's Episcopal Church began examining its own history. Leaders discovered their congregation had received the Fort Reno property title and kept funds that were supposed to help St. George's rebuild.

Instead of looking away, St. Columba's chose accountability. In 2025, they committed $165,000 over four years to St. George's through a newly created Beloved Community Fund.

The money matters, but the relationship matters more. Both churches are building a partnership based on honesty about the past and hope for shared ministry in the future.

St. George's preserved their own story through an oral history project now archived at DC Public Library and a new documentary film called "The Little Church on the Corner." These aren't just historical records but acts of reclaiming a narrative too often erased.

The Ripple Effect

This partnership between two parishes is inspiring broader change across the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. When individual congregations take responsibility for past harms and choose repair over silence, they create a model for institutional healing.

Other faith communities are watching how truth-telling can lead to restored relationships. The story demonstrates that reconciliation requires more than apologies; it demands sustained commitment and tangible action.

The documentary premieres January 25 at Washington National Cathedral, bringing together diocesan leaders and racial justice partners to witness a story of faith, endurance, and restoration. What started as one community's determination to remember is becoming a blueprint for how institutions can make things right.

Healing a 95-year-old wound proves it's never too late to choose justice.