Fighting Injustice—One Show at a Time

This Black History Month, I was motivated to pursue the origin story of The Annual Walk Through Black History Month production at the First Baptist Church in Dubuque, Iowa.

For 13 years, Mrs. Peggy Jackson has organized the event which focuses on different figures in Black history.

This year’s production highlights Mildred Loving of the 1967 Supreme Court case, Loving v. Virginia which struck down bans on interracial marriage. Before the ruling, the Lovings couldn’t legally live together as an interracial couple in their home state.

Mrs. Jackson emphasized that the Lovings genuinely loved each other and that Mildred wasn’t trying to be a civil rights activist, she just wanted to live in Virginia with her family. It’s a reminder that individual acts to right injustice can lead to change.

Her annual production started after she discovered that local students weren’t encouraged to participate in a contest every year for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it was optional.

She shared with me how unjust and wrong it was that “nobody felt it was necessary for the kids to learn [Black history]; it was at your leisure.”

This injustice propelled her to ask her pastor, “Why don’t we, our church, put on something every year for Black history?” So, the production began, and thirteen years later, it is still going strong.

What truly struck me during our conversation was the amount of genuine joy and passion she has about her work. This came forth from what Mrs. Jackson viewed as an injustice to the memory of Black history and through her tireless efforts she has shared stories that otherwise might go unnoticed and unheard.

Something that I, and I hope others, take away from Mrs. Jackson is the ability to see an instance of injustice and feel empowered enough to make a change that addresses the root of it. Although I’m sure it was not always easy for her to head this annual event, it does give me hope that we can effect change in our neighborhoods and communities.

Featured image: Mildred and Richard Loving. Fair use.

About the author: Krissy Juarez is the social justice coordinator for the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Sisters of St. Francis in Dubuque, Iowa.