The Archives of the Episcopal Church holds a variety of research resources, such as archival materials, audio-visual records, and historical periodicals. These items reflect the biases and perspectives of the time periods in which they were created.
As an historical repository, part of our mission is to preserve the original context and terminology associated with materials in our collection. This information is intended to serve as evidence for analyzing and challenging the legacies of that history, both as it occurred and how it influences modern-day events, rather than to endorse or perpetuate any discriminatory or offensive attitudes or acts.
We acknowledge that the collections of The Archives of the Episcopal Church include materials that are troubling, discriminatory, and racist and we are committed to critically reflecting on how to address these issues. We recognize our responsibility as stewards of history and are committed to developing practices and policies that are not oppressive, but equitable and inclusive. This work is iterative and ongoing.
We strive to be respectful of the beliefs and practices of different cultures by actively following known cultural protocols and engaging in shared, culturally-responsive decision making with communities and scholars. This may include providing proper attribution, context statements, or mediated access to archival materials.
Our practices are guided by our principles, as well as work occurring across The Episcopal Church. This work, affirmed by General Convention Resolutions 2022-A017, 2022-A127, 2022-A129, 2018-D016, and 2009-D035, further commits the staff of The Episcopal Church to challenge the legacies of discrimination, including colonialism, paternalism, racism, and sexism, while acknowledging the harm caused by these actions and the importance of preserving the historical record within the collections of The Archives of the Episcopal Church.