"Colors of the Human Family."

"Colors of the Human Family.". . , sto·ri·a·tion // (n): A decoration with scenes telling a story, usually from history or mythology. Some public or collegiate buildings are decorated with bas relief or other ornamentation depicting or suggesting historical events (from medieval Latin histroriatus)., ◄ An example of storiation is these statues. First located on PHS's previous headquarters, they do not tell the entire story of this building's diverse history., This is a reinterpretation of the storiation of PHS through excerpts of Bettie J. Durrah's 1982 choreopoem: , "Colors of the Human Family". , Bettie J. Durrah , Bettie J. Durrah is a ruling elder of Radcliffe Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA. She has been a driving force behind voices of color within the governing bodies of the church for decades. Born in Newnan, GA, Bettie is a third-generation Presbyterian who graduated from Spelman College with her three sisters. She later received advanced degrees from Atlanta University and Georgia State University., cho·re·o·po·em // (n): , A choreopoem is a form of dramatic expression that combines poetry dance, music and song. It typically involves two or more people sharing lines in the poem and reading together in a fast and dramatic way. The term was first coined in 1975 by American writer Ntozake Shange in a description of her work, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf. Bettie has produced many choreopoems during her career, and "Colors of the Human Family" is one of her most recognizable and celebrated works. It has been translated into Spanish and performed around the world., [Captions:] , Francis Makamie, a white male and native of Ireland, is known as a Crusader for Religious Freedom, having invoked the British Tolerance Act of 1689. He was a slaveholder and his will listed thirty-five "chattel slaves" for distribution upon his death., John Witherspoon, a white male, was president of what is known today as Princeton University and one of twelve Presbyterians to sign the Declaration of Independence. He owned enslaved people, publicly lectured and voted against abolition, yet tutored several African and African American students., John McMillan, a white male, is known as the "Father of Presbyterianism in western Pennsylvania." He founded the Log School in Canonsburg and helped found Washington-Jefferson College and today's University of Pittsburgh. He promoted religious tolerance and separation of church and state., Samuel Davies, a white male, was a leading figure during the First Great Awakening. He believed enslaved people deserved spiritual equality with whites but did not oppose slavery itself. He was a slaveholder of at least two people in his lifetime., James Caldwell, a white male, was a Presbyterian minister and a pivotal figure during the American Revolutionary War. He was also on a committee that encouraged missionary work in Africa to examine the church's position on slavery., Marcus Whitman, a white male, started a school in Oregon that taught Cayuse Indians to read and write; he founded a mission to convert them to Christianity but was unsuccessful. The settlers Whitman led west brought measles that caused many deaths among Cayuse children and adults. In self-defense the Cayuse killed Whitman, his family, and other settlers.