How sweet the sound: ‘Amazing Grace’ writer overcame a racist past

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You’ve likely heard the famous hymn “Amazing Grace.” People the world over love the song. It’s been sung at countless memorial services, civil rights events, and churches. Recently, people in 50 different coronavirus-affected nations sang it together in an inspiring video: “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.”

The writer of these words helped to abolish the slave trade, but were you aware of his racist past? I thought for a long time that I knew his real story, but I didn’t. It holds valuable lessons for today’s racial turmoil.

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