You may recall the 75 Years campaign insert a few weeks ago the shared this story:

Integrating Alexandria Public Schools

Pastor Carl Beyer arrived at Good Shepherd in 1960 in the midst of race riots and wide-spread refusal to integrate the public schools. With other clergy, he monitored the high school lunchroom twice a week to help provide a peaceful presence.

I first heard this snippet a few years ago, in the context of anti-racism team efforts. It made me proud and I wanted to learn more. I wanted our congregation now to know more about this history.

Fast forward to 2019. The snippet of a story came up again as we planned the 75 Years campaign. We reached out to Pastor Beyer’s daughter to learn more. Part of her response did add additional information:

...My father’s activities with school integration were things that he pursued on his own and was not representative of the whole congregation at the time. Many members of Good Shepherd moved out of the city or sent their children to private school during integration but continued coming to the church. I think it is a bit of revisionist history for the church to claim this as their history. Read more