Through the Blood of the Righteous: Remembering African-American Martyrs
Dean Jason Curry • Feb 06, 2018

   Black History Month is indeed a time in which we pause to celebrate the tremendous, unprecedented and unparalleled achievements of African-Americans who are alive as well as those who have moved on from labor to reward. Throughout the month of February, we both recognize and celebrate the achievements of people of African-Americans such as Venus Williams in the arena of athletics, Oprah Winfrey in the field of business, former President Barack Obama in politics, Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole in education, Roberta Flack in music, Paul Roberson in acting and a host of other people of African descent in various areas. History declares that they worked incessantly to maximize the human potential that God provided them, and in doing so, they have inspired generations of people of all ethnicities who reside in the United States as well as abroad. To be sure, the accomplishments of the African-American that we celebrate this month, in particular, and throughout the year, in general, are rooted in the tremendous sacrifices made by African-Americans and others in this country and abroad. For example, we remain indebted to Fannie Lou Hamer for helping African-American exercise their right to vote and to François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture for resisting European imperialism in Haiti. We stand today on their shoulders. We are, however, unable to pay adequate homage to those to have achieved and sacrificed so much to promote African-American progress without remembering those who endured the ultimate sacrifice for our collective well-being. During the month of February, we remember those who were killed seeking to improve the lives of Black people throughout the world such as Malcolm X (el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz), the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers, Patrice Lumumba, Stephen Bantu Biko, Harry and Harriette Moore, the Reverend George Lee, and Fred Hampton.

               Biblical scholars have informed us that most of Jesus 12 disciples were martyred. The Christian faith that we now embrace was propelled throughout history through the “ink” (e.g., the printing press and scribes who copied by the bible by hand) and blood of the martyrs. In Matthew 23:29, Jesus eloquently captured how many prophets, who spoke truth to power, were viewed once they were gone. In this passage of scripture, Jesus said: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.” In short, people who were once hated as agitators are now recognized as contributors to society.

                 It is important to keep the memory of those who were martyred alive. It is also important to remember their legacy by becoming champions of justice, beacon lights of hope and change-agents that seek to promote democracy and a life-sustaining environment worldwide. 

The Grumblings Associated with Effective Leadership: Staying the Course

By Dean Jason Curry • 26 Feb, 2020
I was blessed to have had the opportunity to be raised by someone who participated in the Civil Rights Movement. My uncle, Mr. Bob Gore, who is much like a father to me, marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many others during the 1960’s. I continue to be amazed by the heroic and unprecedented sacrifices made by both the leaders and the participants of the Civil Rights Movement. To my surprise, Mr. uncle informed me that many African-Americans and white Americans did not participate in “The Movement.” Some people were resistant to Dr. King’s leadership because they were concerned about their employment or their physical well-being (e.g., it was possible to become injured or killed while marching). Like the Hebrews in Moses’ day, people “grumbled” against Dr. King (see Exodus 16:2). Nevertheless, Dr. King, additional leaders of the Movement and many followers stayed the course. The criticisms of white clergy (see Dr. King’s “Letter from the Birmingham Jail”) , the threats and acts of violence, the loss of income and the ostracization by family members or friends did not dissuade them from their mission. The leaders often heard the “grumblings” of the people; however, they held on to their purpose. My uncle’s commitment to assisting African-Americans in the process of attaining our Civil Rights would prove to be instrumental in my character development and sense of political consciousness. I am eternally grateful for his involvement in my life. Leadership is a challenging phenomenon. Undoubtedly, leaders are essential for the cohesion of society. People need leaders, and in the absence of ethical and visionary leadership, the historical record throughout the world has proven that people will following myopic, ineffective, unethical and seemingly incompetent leaders. Moses and his brother Aaron were competent, ethical, divinely-inspired and visionary leaders; however, the people often “grumbled” against them. At one point, the Hebrews criticized Moses, and wished that he had not freed from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 13:3). Moses listened, but depersonalized their grumblings. Essentially, he said: “You are not grumbling against me, but against the Lord (Exodus 16:8).” Moses loved the people and cared for the people in spite of their grumblings. Moses prayed to the Lord during his challenging, leadership experiences, and the Lord provided the people with manna, which is bread from heaven (Exodus 16:15).” If God has appointed you as a leader at you job, in your home, at your church or in your civic or social organization, I want to encourage you to continue to be an ethical, visionary, competent and divinely inspired leader. Stay the course, even when you hear the grumblings of the people, and watch the Lord provide resources (also known as manna) for you.

When Silence Means Agreement: Supporting four Congresswomen of Color

By Dean Jason Curry • 23 Jul, 2019
As an African-American, I celebrate the recent election of four Congresswomen of color: Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. Even though there were Congresswomen of color leading the nation on Capitol Hill prior to their arrival, their election to the most powerful and prestigious legislative body in the world should be celebrated given the racist and sexist history and extant racist and sexist climate of this country. As a Christian minster, I do not embrace each and every political position championed by these courageous, four women; however, I celebrate their achievements, support their vision for a more inclusive society and support their Constitutional right to dissent and challenge the status quo. Lost in this mainstream discussion about their views which are in opposition to the President, conservative America and racist America is the fact that they are Black people (i.e., people of African descent) whose brilliance, tenacity, vision and diligence earned them a place in history. Their very presence should be cause of celebration for America. I know many people who are affiliated with the Black Church celebrate their historic achievements and/or their current political position(s). I understand that some white, evangelicals cannot or will not celebrate black excellence. However, the caustic, racist, xenophobic political climate that they refuse to denounce poses a threat to both Black life and the Christian message. Much of the rhetoric which appears in national headlines is anti-Christian. For example, the popular chant “Send Her Back” is in direct contradiction to the Christian mandate to love one’s neighbor (Matthew 22:39) and to welcome the stranger (Matthew 25:35). The silence of the church as it concerns the racist, sexist, xenophobic, divisive and dangerous national narrative, means that church is in agreement with it. This silence cripples community, cheapens Christianity, causes faith to falter, truncates the truth, promotes a nihilistic threat to Black life as it dissuades a generation of people from wanting to embrace Christ. If it is not careful, the evangelical church that supports this caustic narrative will be on the wrong side of both human and salvation history. Jesus encouraged humanity to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (see Matthew 22:34-40). As members of the church universal, we have a Christian mandate to support a narrative which affirms the humanity and dignity of people wherever and however they may be found. As Christian leaders and laity, we must denounce any narrative which seeks to devaluate and dehumanize people. Indeed, we are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). However, if the salt has lost its saltiness, what is it good for (Matthew 5:13)?
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