As white Southerners try to move on with their lives as best as possible, the ladies of Virginia’s (white) Manchester Baptist Church sewing circle enjoy a special dinner and women’s program this day. Many lost family members to the war — husbands, sons or brothers. The day prior the Richmond Daily Dispatch announced the event:…

For white Baptists, Christmas Day is mostly just another day. Privately, relatively few families exchange gifts in their homes. Some mark the day with a special meal. Churches, opposed to holidays with pagan origins, do not celebrate or otherwise recognize the day. On the other hand, African Americans, including Baptists, have a different view. During…

Although tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of former slaves who are Baptists have since left the white churches they were forced to attend and formed their own autonomous congregations, many remain in their old congregations. Those who remain do so because they have few resources and face an uncertain future, as white Southerners seem determined…