I Too Sing America: African-American Heroes and 9/11
Dean Jason Curry • September 11, 2017

The events of September 11, 2001 will forever be remembered in the hearts and minds of people throughout the nation and throughout the world. On that day, the world witnessed a horrific act of violence in which thousands of people perished on one day. Many families were affected by this event, and the collapsing of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center was of particular significance to me because my grandmother worked in one of the buildings prior to her retirement. There were thousands of victims from these horrific acts, and there were also hundreds of heroes who voluntarily gave their lives for our country on that day. Indeed, much of the country was united through its anger and grief, and there was little debate about the postmodern distinctives of race, class or gender as it concerned this horrific tragedy and our collective response to it.  However, when many of the pictures of the heroes of the great tragedy (e.g., firefighters and police officers) were shown throughout the nation, many people noticed that African-Americans were not readily displayed among this exceptional group of citizens. The conspicuous absence of African-American heroes was explicitly mentioned by many people who read Time magazine’s Commemorative edition of 9/11 which captured the tragedy in pictures approximately ten years after the event. The obvious absence of African-American faces caused many to wonder if we were somehow less patriotic than other groups. Unfortunately, as of today, I am only aware of one video documentary, which is titled “All Our Sons,” that chronicles the extraordinary effort of African-Americans firefighters who gave their lives for freedom and justice.

               Christians are often called to spread God’s message of redeeming love in an imperfect world; therefore, it will always be important for me and others to note the significant role that African-American played in building a “more perfect union.” As the country continues heal from this tragic set of events and to realize the vision of the founders, valiant efforts must be made to chronicle the extraordinary role that African-Americans have played in defending and building our country. In an attempt to highlight the significance of African-American patriotism in the building of our American democracy, the famous African-American poet named Langston Hughes wrote: “…I am the darker brother…they’ll see how beautiful I am…I, too, am American.” Crispus Attucks was an African-American and the first person to give his life for freedom in the Revolutionary War, and we remain indebted to African-American heroes such as Leon W. Smith Jr., Shawn E. Powell, Vernon Cherry, Andre Fletcher, Ronnie L Henderson, Gerard Jean Baptiste, Keithroy Maynard, William L. Henry Jr., Karl Joseph, and Tarel Coleman, Keith Glascoe and Vernon Richard for their extraordinary sacrifice on September 11th. May God continue to bless and keep their families and friends.


The Grumblings Associated with Effective Leadership: Staying the Course

By Dean Jason Curry • February 26, 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 • July 23, 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)?