From the seminary’s press release (new link added):
Virginia Theological Seminary recognizes that enslaved persons worked on the campus, and that even after slavery ended, VTS participated in segregation. VTS recognizes that we must start to repair the material consequences of our sin in the past.
The income from the endowment will be allocated annually in conversation with key stakeholders for the following purposes:
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- the needs emerging from local congregations linked with VTS;
- the particular needs of any descendants of enslaved persons that worked at the Seminary;
- the work of African American alumni/ae, especially in historic Black congregations;
- the raising up of African American clergy in The Episcopal Church;
- other activities and programs that promote justice and inclusion.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D. dean and president of VTS, explained: “This is a start. As we seek to mark Seminary’s milestone of 200 years, we do so conscious that our past is a mixture of sin as well as grace. This is the Seminary recognizing that along with repentance for past sins, there is also a need for action.”