Pasadena parish acknowledges Jim Crow-era segregation with permanent plaque

All Saints Church Pasadena unveiled a permanent plaque on September 14 acknowledging the parish's participation in racial segregation during the Jim Crow era. The ceremony, attended by parishioners and civic leaders including Pasadena Mayor Victor M. Gordo and Los Angeles Bishop Antonio José Gallardo Lucena, took place at the church's 1923 building. The plaque honors African Americans and people of color who were turned away from All Saints and tells the story of eight Black women who, after exclusion, founded what became St. Barnabas Church about a mile away. The plaque text reads, "We acknowledge and repent of these racist actions, and we ask forgiveness from the descendants of those excluded." The Rev. Mark Chase, the associate pastor and director for justice advocacy, compared the effort to clearing soil of rocks and debris to prepare it for growth. The plaque is part of the congregation's broader "Telling the Whole Story" project begun in 2023, which has examined the church's relationship to Indigenous history and the whiteness of its iconography. Chase emphasized the plaque represents a step in an ongoing journey rather than a conclusion.

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Source: Episcopal News Service — https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/09/15/all-saints-pasadena-unveils-plaque-acknowledging-its-history-of-racial-segregation/