By Rev. John Jackson
Last week in Atlanta, Georgia, the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc., celebrated 20 years of operating as a justice focused conference of clergy and lay persons. The Proctor Conference, incorporated on September 17, 2003, was envisioned by three founders, themselves giants of the social justice gospel in this nation, Dr. Iva E. Carruthers, Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III and Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.
The conference is named after Gospel giant and Jegna of education and theological liberation, Dr. Samuel DeWitt Proctor.
Dr. Proctor not only pastored the historic Abyssinia Baptist Church in New York but was the president of Virginia Union University, president of North Carolina A&T University, director of the Peace Corps chapter in Africa, a personal friend and mentor of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr., and mentor to Reverend Jesse Jackson, Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., and thousands of others.
The Proctor Conference is a recognized Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) of the United Nations.
“The mission of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference is to nurture, sustain, and mobilize the African American faith community in collaboration with civic, corporate, and philanthropic leaders to address critical needs of human rights and social justice within local, national, and global communities.”
The Proctor Conference has endeavored to live the scripture of Luke 4, wherein Jesus quotes the book of Isaiah that says, “Let the oppressed go free.” The Proctor Conference believes there is no separation between “The spirit of the Lord and the social justice aspects which that same spirit calls us to carry out day to day in the communities in which we serve.”
This year’s conference workshop subjects were “Ableism: How Our Theologies Lead to Death,” “Access, Equity, and the Influence of Tech,” “African Spirituality:
The Sacred and the Secular,” “Afrofuturism: Black Futures and Black Faith,” “Gender: How Our Theologies Lead to Death,” “Health and Medical Disparities,” “Our Rhythm and Sound: The Power of Music,” “Sisters of the Rock,” and “Theoethics: A Paradigm Shift.”
South African activist, theologian and scholar Dr. Allan A. Boesak and Senator Raphael G. Warnock were able to share with the attendees in this year’s session.
There was also powerful and prophetic preaching from persons such as Reverend Dr. Neichelle Guidry, Dean of Spelman College; Reverend Dr. Joshua Mitchell, pastor of Thirty-First Street Baptist Church, Richmond, VA; Reverend Dr. Brandon Crowley, pastor of Myrtle Beach Baptist Church, West Newton, Massachusetts; Reverend Dr. Teresa Lynn Fry Brown, Bandy Professor of Preaching, Candler School of Theology at Emory University; and Reverend Dr. Alison Gise Johnson, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Department of Humanities, Claflin University.
What has always been unique about the Proctor Conference and what sets it apart from other clergy conferences is that it is dedicated to equipping persons, be they clergy or lay, to advocate, educate and become activists for justice in communities where Black people in particular, but all people in general, are suffering oppressive policies.
This conference merges theory and practice to form praxis where organizing and mobilizing on behalf of those that Howard Thurman describes in his classic book, “Jesus and The Disinherited,” whose “backs are against the wall,” to help them exercise their agency as humans to free themselves from the exploitation that is rampant in this nation where profit is valued over people.
The gathering of persons of African ancestry from all over the world who are committed to liberation and justice for Black bodies, is one of the high points of the year and is a source of renewal and rejuvenation for those of us who labor in the trenches of our communities, trying to do what the African liberator, Jesus of Nazareth, did in his earthly community of biblical Palestine.
I encourage those of you reading this article to look up the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc., and see the great work this body of people is carrying on throughout the year to bring hope, righteousness, justice and resources to those struggling in these “yet to be United States,” to quote Maya Angelou. I also encourage clergy to plug into this powerful movement in order to gain needed insights, resources and tools for doing ministry that changes lives in this 21st century context.
The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc., best exemplifies Queen Mother Mari Evans’ admonition, quoted at the beginning of this article, to “Speak to the mind of the people…Speak truth!”
Be Free Today!
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Rev. Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr. is the Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ-Gary, 1276 W. 20th Ave. in Gary. “We are not just another church but we are a culturally conscious, Christ-centered church, committed to the community; We are Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian.” Contact the church by email at [email protected] or by phone at 219-944-0500.
