In April 2020, a 1935 letter from “The Church Federation of Sacramento” to Texas US House of Representative member Thomas Blanton came to the attention of the Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento. The ICGS wants to make perfectly clear, we find the letter appalling, vile, hateful, and unequivocally denounce every part of the letter.
When we first were informed of the existence of this very disturbing 1935 letter, we, the Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento, set about to discover whether or not this was part of our past. The investigation took us to the California Secretary of State’s office, as well as archived articles from local Sacramento newspapers. What was discovered is that the original name of our organization was “The Sacramento Federation of Churches.” This was the name from 1920 to 1938. Though similar, it is not “The Church Federation of Sacramento,” the name printed on the letterhead of the Blanton letter.
By 1938 the name of our organization had changed to the Church Council of Sacramento, and in 1943, with the name change to Sacramento Council of Churches, the group aligned itself with what would become the National Council of Churches and its ecumenical and social justice commitment.
While we are not able to unequivocally state whether the 1935 Blanton letter did or did not come from a previous version of our organization some 85 years ago, what we can state is that the Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento rejects, denounces, and in the strongest terms possible disavows the views stated in that letter.
If it is an unknown part of our history, we repent and seek forgiveness from our sisters and brothers from Puerto Rico and Mexico, as well as our African American brothers and sisters.
Please reach out directly to us if there is any further question about the 1935 Blanton letter.
ICGS Board of Directors