GA06039

National Black Presbyterian Caucus dinner

Speaker says much has been done, but much still to do in advancing civil rights

by Evan Silverstein

BIRMINGHAM, June 17 — The civil rights movement has brought about steady advancements for African Americans and for the black church, but more work is still needed, according to the Rev. McKinley Washington Jr.

The Presbyterian pastor and long-time member of the South Carolina General Assembly addressed the annual National Black Presbyterian Caucus dinner Friday night.

"When we look at the legacy of the black church and its involvement with the civil rights movement, we have much to celebrate because things have changed, we have seen improvement," Washington said. "Things are not perfect, but they are a lot better than they used to be. Especially in the area of public accommodations, housing, employment, education, the protection of the voter's rights and the list goes on and on, though there is still room for improvement."

He stirred the crowd by saying African-Americans need a "crazy church" with "drunk leaders" because this is a "crazy paradoxical world" that requires a relevant ministry that speaks to current challenges facing society.

Needed is a ministry that addresses such issues as the war on terrorism, which Washington said is responsible for the death and injury of thousands abroad along with the destruction of many ancient shrines in Iraq.

"We have bombed the hillsides and caves of Afghanistan," Washington said. "We have blocked the borders of Pakistan and we have sent our troops from house to house in many of the areas. But when it comes to the flood victims in New Orleans, we have a president who wouldn't take a stand.

"Yes, we live in a crazy world. We have a president who wants to ban gay marriages but he will let the oil industry do whatever it wants to do to the American public at the (gas) pump."

Nevertheless, Washington said that Jesus — like biblical passages from Matthew and Luke — calls on faith followers to love and pray for their leaders.

"When we stand for the word of God, we will make it through all the difficulties that we find ourselves in whether it's political, social, economic, religious, you name it," Washington said. "God himself is able to sustain us in whatever situation we might find ourselves."

The National Black Presbyterian Caucus represents the historic legacy and continuing existence of a black caucus in the Presbyterian Church, which was first organized by black clergy in 1856 at Shiloh Presbyterian Church in New York City.

The caucus works in programmatic partnership with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Black Congregational Enhancement Office and the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns to develop recommendations for consideration by the denomination's General Assembly.

Washington, who was born in Maysville, SC, is pastor of Edisto Presbyterian Church on Edisto Island, SC. A husband and father of two, Washington earned a bachelor's degree in 1960 and a bachelor's of divinity in 1964 from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC, where he currently serves on the school's board of trustees. In 1973, he received a Master's of Divinity from Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, GA.

Washington has served in the South Carolina General Assembly for a quarter of a century. He was first elected in 1974 to the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing Charleston County.

In 1990, Washington was elected to the South Carolina Senate, where he served until July 2000. That year, in a joint session of the General Assembly, Washington was elected to serve a four-year term on the South Carolina Employment Security Commission and was re-elected to another four-year term in January 2004.

Related articles

June 21
Values, not power, are our hope, says Branch

June 16
Civil Rights Institute founder calls for "reconciliation in our world"

June 15
Lyrical Freedom Riders "Not just a history lesson"