06/15/2024
History is messy! Roger Williams's story is very messy. He lived most of his life with good intentions - soul liberty, religious freedom, an honest effort at Native American relations - which is the story taught to students in school. As his ancestor, I apologize for his unfortunate behavior near the end. He got a bit angry and flipped the tables. https://www.providencejournal.com/story/opinion/2020/08/29/our-hidden-history-roger-williams-and-slaveryrsquos-origins/42468467/
I opened this month's episode sharing a story with good intentions, and now I need to make sure my sharing of my opening Story Walking story is enlightening, as opposed to offensive, so I must correct myself here. I apologize for not sharing the end of Williams's story in the episode.
I think Spirit sends me messages that often have double/hidden meaning, like the halo behind the statue... in order to push me to explore a deeper meaning... as in "let's shine some light on the life of this character." Initially, the occurrence of three's after seeing the halo led me to the Roger Williams book in my library and to page 33 to see a Roman numeral III under the chapter heading "Evolution of a Prophet." The book in my library was written by, Perry Miller, a white Harvard University historian, who focuses on Williams's religious writings. For me, this story became a part of my ancestral history, and then I later learned from Ray Rickman about Williams' capitulation to participating in slavery... which saddens me. Miller's book draws attention to the prosecution of Jesus, Prince of Peace, and I thought about how "flipping tables in anger can cause big trouble."
There are many sides to history. In the end, here on earth, we are but human. There is a great need to share stories from all sides in order to arrive at a common understanding. Half of my ancestry is Slavic. Slavic derives from a word meaning "slave." Relatives in my father's side immigrated from Czechoslovakia to escape the economic oppression of Germans. Slavery spans human history, and we need to unite together to end slavery and oppression, and prevent their recurrence, because these injustices are still happening... to people of all colors.
Before I post the link to this month's podcast (below), I want my listeners to consider Williams's complete story, and weigh in, if you will. Thank you!
In summer 1676, the Providence town meeting convened “under a tree by ye Water side.” The meetinghouse...
