All Saints Church unveils plaque, heralding in reparations

All Saints Church of Pasadena unveiled the newest addition to their “Tell the Whole Story” project, a plaque adorning the entrance recognizing their involvement in Jim Crow era laws. After a 2023 start to the project, it became clear that while there was a rich history for the parish, it had moments of weakness as well.

The church’s new plaque recognizes the participation of the church in segregation, and how the members who were turned away later formed St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.

The plaque is inscribed: “This Plaque honors the memory of the African Americans and people of color who were turned away from All Saints Church by its white parishioners during the Jim Crow era in Pasadena. Years before the laying of the church’s 1923 cornerstone, African Americans were not permitted to worship at All Saints Church. In response to this exclusion, eight courageous African American women gathered in their homes over several years to create a worship space of their own, founding what would become St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, a mile away in northwest Pasadena. We acknowledge and repent of these racist actions, and we ask forgiveness from the descendants of those excluded. Today, as we commit to living out our mission that all are welcome, we recognize our past history so that such actions may never be repeated.”

The September 14 noon event began with local Priest-in-Charge Tim Rich giving opening remarks.

“This is a moment of lament and repentance for sure,” said Rich during his opening speech. During the ceremony, many voices brought up the storied past of the church such as Bishop Dr. Antonio Jose Gallardo Lucena, Associate Pastor Mark Chase, and Executive Director of the Center for Restorative Justice John Williams. Members of legislature attended as well, to recognize the new era for the church. They included Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-25), Mayor of Pasadena Victor M. Gordo, and City Councilmember Jason Lyon.

‘We recognize our past history so that such actions may never be repeated.’

Prior aspects of the larger “Tell the Whole Story” project aimed to contextualize the church in other ways. One facet was how the church was built on the land of the indigenous Tongva Nation. Another recognized the iconography of the church and what its construction was meant to evoke.

Regarding the plaque, “It’s really a story that I’ve gotten to know. It’s a story of resilience – the resilience of the African-American women who started St. Barnabas Episcopal church in response to their exclusion,” said Chase.

The church has long prided itself on its want for accepting people into faith. Now its stains are brought to light and seen as a part of the church, just the same as its brilliance.

“Our mission statement says that we are an episcopal church walking with a revolutionary Jesus, a way that’s principally marked by love. But in order to become that, we have to accept and face the origins of this space, which were very antithetical to that,” said Chase.

Recently, All Saints Church of Pasadena and St. Barnabas Episcopal church had begun to recreate their connections, starting with faith.

“We held a service in June of 2025, that was a symbolic repair between the two churches, to repent that history. This is exactly what the space of All Saints Church of Pasadena was intended for,” said Chase.

Now the plaque hangs facing the east side garden of Pasadena City Hall, where all can view the roots of All Saints Church of Pasadena has been given new life.