Faith in Action

Joe Madison is testifying for the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.  He drops stats, facts, and figures left and right.  While half of my brain is listening to him - the other half is trying to organize my thoughts and sound half way intelligent while testifying. 

Madison is done and Walter Fauntroy goes next.  Like a good preacher he makes a little joke before starting to warm up the crowd.  They chuckle and he proceeds. 

While he’s talking I get my stuff together.  I think I can pull this off impromptu style now.  It hits me in that moment that growing up in the Black Church prepared me for this.  All those times that I had to stand and welcome visitors, respond to the welcome, sing a lead on a song, or pray over the offering prepared me for speaking confidently in front of people.  Thank you Church! (I gotta give a nod to the Future Business Leaders of America Club in high school too.  Did I mention that I placed 2nd in the county in the Impromptu Speaking competition?)

Fauntroy hits his last statement and I inch up closer to the mic ready to do my thang. 

“Psst. Rev. Brown.  Here’s your paper.”

“Oh.  Thank you Sis. E.”, I whisper instantly relieved that I could read the words and focus on intonation. 

“Thank you for coming, Rev. Brown”, the chairwoman says, “but we’ve really got other bills to attend to this morning so I’ll ask that you make your comments brief please.”

“Madam Chairwoman I must keep my comments brief.  These two giants of social justice have said almost everything that I wanted to say 10 times more eloquently than I could ever say it”, I quipped.

I proceeded with my testimony cutting out much of what I had written to avoid redundancy.  I focused however on the fact that it was International Women’s Day.  I read an excerpt from a report by the international humanitarian group, Doctors Without Borders.  The piece I read came from a report entitled “The Crushing Burden of Rape: Sexual Violence in Darfur“.  I read about two girls - one 13 and the other 14 who were gang raped by 5 men while knives were being held to their necks.  I encouraged the council to remember the human beings caught up in this genocide - and particularly the women and children while they were considering the Darfur Divestment Bill.  My testimony appeared to be well received.

After the session, I walked out in the lobby and networked a bit with other Darfur advocates.  My senator colleague followed me out in the hall and started talking to me about the Death Penalty Repeal bill.  Senator said that she had good support for it from the PG County Ministers, but she needed more active support from the Baltimore Clergy.  I told her that I would pass on the information and remain in touch about the issue. 

Then I caught up with Mr. Joe Madison, his lovely wife, and Rev. Walter Fauntroy.  I thanked them profusely for their testimony and reminded Rev. Fauntroy about the Virginia Union connection.  He remembered preaching there during my graduation weekend.  I told them about my having a personal meeting with Wyatt Tee Walker and I asked them to remember me as they continued to advocate on this issue.  It was great being in their company.  I asked if they would be coming back later for the 12noon press conference for the Darfur bill.  Madison said he would try, but Fauntroy couldn’t make it.  We shook hands and parted ways.

I ran back to the car and got back on the highway headed for Baltimore.  I had a 10AM meeting with community leaders and folks from the Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence. 

I arrived at the meeting and greeted colleagues that I have been working on this issue with for some time now.  I shared with them how I just had the amazing experience of testifying in support of the Darfur Divestment bill alongside Joe Madison and Walter Fauntroy.  I was still on cloud 1 million. 

Then I go to cloud 2 million when one of the sisters present says, “That’s so good that you participated at that hearing.  I was born in Khartoum.” [Capital of Sudan]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????????

I do not believe in coincidence.  That moment was orchestrated.  Here I am advocating for people that I may never meet and a sister born in Sudan just happens to be at my second meeting of the day??!!  OK - you can call it coincidence if you want, but I ain’t buying it.  We promise each other that we’ll grab coffee or something one day to discuss her upbringing. 

The meeting about youth violence in Baltimore goes well.  There was a really good sister there who kept us men in the room focused on why we were there.  There’s some really exciting things coming down the pipe related to halting the flow of youthful blood in the streets of Baltimore.  If all goes as planned, the Faith community will play an integral role in the action.  I peek at my clock and realize that I have to go.  The Darfur press conference is calling me.

I bid everyone adieu and race to the vehicle.  I have to pick Dr. William Calhoun up from the church.  As the president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Baltimore & Vicinity, he was asked by Senator Jones to be present at the press conference.  I offered to pick him up and serve as his chaffeaur.  I looked forward to the time.  We needed to catch up on IMA stuff being that I am the 1st vp and we hadn’t been in dialogue in a few weeks because of busy schedules. 

Of course it was 11:40 when I picked him up at the church and of course that meant that I would be racing once again down toward Annapolis.  I keep a calm, cool, and collected outer shell as I push the gas and race the streets to get that man to the mic. 

That day his church operated a food kitchen so he brought me a sandwich.  I had an extra water so I gave him a drink.  See - intergenerational partnership….lol.

I got him down to Annapolis in time and rushed him to the front door.  We stood together during the press conference with the MD’s Leutienant Governor, state comptroller, state treasurer, Joe Madison, and others.  Dr. Calhoun spoke wonderfully as usual and put religious significance on this political event. 

On the way back to Baltimore we chatted for a bit and then I pulled out my ipod and together we listened to a classic sermon entitled “Seeing our hurts with God’s eyes” preached by Dr. Calhoun’s good friend, Dr. Gardner C. Taylor.

As I cruised up the road and Calhoun enjoyed a highway nap, the soothing yet provocative sound of Taylor’s preaching served as inspirational benediction to a long day of advocacy.

We pulled up to the church. 

“Alright, buddy.  Thank you for testifying this morning and for coming to pick me up.”

“It was my pleasure, Doc.  Thanks for coming.”

He returned to his car and I drove off into the sunset thankful that God decided to use me in that way that day. 

When the situation in Darfur looks to bleak to change and frustration with American apathy swells in my soul, I’ll remember days like this and encourage myself not to get weary in well doing for in due season we all will reap if we faint not. 

Thank you for riding along with me and sharing my story of a truly fascinating day for Darfur.

Day for Darfur Pt. 1

Day for Darfur Pt. 2