Karilyn Crockett

What will historians say a century from now about this moment in Black history? Looking back, will they see the first quarter of the 21st century as a pivotal moment of retrenchment, comparable to the imposition of Jim Crow after the promises of the post-Civil War era of Reconstruction?

Can churches help narrow the wealth gap? Three teams of community organizers and students explored that question during a daylong hackathon on the racial wealth gap.

Hackathons usually involve computer programmers and sometimes engineers gathering together to brainstorm, trying to solve a technical challenge. But the 75 activists, faith leaders and students assembled for a hackathon at MIT last weekend were focused on an economic and social challenge: the racial wealth gap.