Series: The MICAH Project: Race and the History of the Episcopal Church
February 21, 2021
Frustrated with Atlanta Diocese’s response to racial controversy, Episcopal priest Austin Ford founded Emmaus House as a faith-based community advocacy and support center. Run by white people who were church staff members and local Black people, Emmaus House became a wellspring for social and economic justice activism exemplified by Ethel Mae Matthews. Matthews, a local Black mother and welfare recipient, worked with Ford to expand the vision of Emmaus House to include a commitment to transformative social and economic justice.
Dr. Joseph Crespino is the Jimmy Carter Professor of History at Emory University. He is an expert in the political and cultural history of the twentieth century United States, and of the history of the American South since Reconstruction. His research has been supported by fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Academy of Education.
