In culmination of the annual Black Press Week, Metropolitan A.M.E Church and Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes ignited the powers of alliance and advocacy with the inaugural Black Press Sunday on March 16.
With inspirational speeches from faith, press and educational leaders, and the sanctuary packed with attendees, the church became a space to celebrate the resilience of Black media, and refuel the charge for Black America to continue the fight for democracy.
“We serve a God who commands us to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. We are called to be truth-tellers, justice seekers and hope bearers in a world that often seeks to silence us,” said Rolark Barnes. “As we commemorate this occasion, let us recommit ourselves to the calling of the Black Press–to be bold, to be fearless and to be unwavering in our mission.”
Rolark Barnes said what started out as divine intervention and an idea spread through word of mouth, blossomed into a profound convening for community and remembrance. Black Press Sunday honored the establishment of the Black Press (March 16, 1827), and The Washington Informer, which marked 60 years of publishing on October 16, 1964.
Beyond recognition, the impactful service was an invitation for community leaders like Rolark Barnes, guest preacher Dr. Ravi K. Perry, and the Rev. William Lamar IV, lead pastor of Metropolitan A.M.E Church, to charge attendees with a renewed commitment to faith, purpose, and hope for Black America.
“Today, as we reflect on our legacy, let us be reminded that our work is not separate from our faith,” Rolark Barnes said. “Let us leave here today reminded that journalism is not a profession–it is a purpose, and just as the Black church has been our refuge and foundation, the Black press will continue to be our mirror, our megaphone and our movement.”
History of the Black Press in the Black Church
As legendary powerhouses for civic reform and racial equity, the Black press and church share the role of championing justice in underserved communities, which made the historic Metropolitan A.M.E Church fitting for an empowering message of hope and rejuvenation.
Most notably, the strategically planned service stood as a reiteration of the foundation of faith in the Black press. Rolark Barnes noted that Freedom’s Journal – the first African American owned and operated newspaper, founded in 1827 – was the joint product of a journalist, John B. Russwurm, and a faith leader, the Rev. Samuel E. Cornish.
Moreover, Metropolitan A.M.E. has a special relationship with the Black Press, as slave abolitionist Frederick Douglass – founder of the 1847 antislavery newspaper The North Star – was a member of the historic landmark church.
“Douglass not only chronicled the fight for abolition, but also laid the foundation for Black journalism as a tool for liberation. He declared ‘power concedes nothing without a demand,’ and today, nearly two centuries after the founding of the Black press, we remain steadfast in demanding justice, truth and representation,” Rolark Barnes said with a passion.
Just a few days before the special Sunday service, the Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., delivered the State of the Black Press at Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library. Like Rolark Barnes, the global leader, who was also present for Black Press Sunday, lauded the need to reassert the values of the Black church and press in the forthcoming movement.
“From the very beginning of the Black press, we have been a praying people, a singing people, a unifying people,” Chavis said. “Faith in the God of justice and liberation has always undergone the sustainability of the Black press.”
Reviving the ‘Black Church-Black Press’ Movement
Chavis told the crowd on March 13 that a “Black church-Black press revival” is necessary and three days later Metropolitan A.M.E. and Black journalists gathered together.
“Pleading our own cause resuscitates that we do not lose sight about who is ultimately in charge,” he pointed out. “We have to keep publishing, we have to keep struggling, and we know that we will continue to make progress. God bless the Black Press of America.”
After Black Press Sunday, the Rev. Dr. Carlton Waterhouse–an ordained elder of Metropolitan A.M.E and professor of law at Howard University–shared his thoughts on the presence of faith institutions in fighting injustice.
The environmental law expert said he believes that those who aim to challenge abuses of power should continue to do so with a focused lens on youth development and community wellness.
“When you are grounded in a sense of community, and community well-being, then you choose ways to fight that are not only helpful for you or that feel good to you at the time, but that are actually uplifting the entire community,” Waterhouse explained.
Further, the faith leader highlighted some potential opportunities to further leverage the unity between churches and the Black press. Among the list of his suggestions were: utilizing op-ed collaborations, building readership through members of the church, and bringing people together to strategize.
“Things are developed through Black media, along with Christian communities that are committed to social justice–where people network, organize and strategize on ways to improve our situation, and the situation for all people who are in need,” Waterhouse told The Informer.
In his sermon, Perry, an activist scholar who specializes in Black politics, said that it is up to the church and storytellers to pursue their “anointing,” which he explained is just another word for joining God’s battle.
The political science professor acknowledged the “often dangerous” risks that come with reporting and encouraged the Black press to continue being a “distributor of what some might consider peace.”
“Without your continued courage, journalists,” Perry said, “truly, where would the Black American story be told?”
Perry challenged everyone present to enact action within their own reach.
“And the rest of us with the privilege of a platform…or some of us that just have a pen for the Letter to the Editor’s page, we cannot afford to be silent,” he said. “We must use our anointing, we must do justice.”
Though Black Press Week has come to an end, Black Press Sunday made it abundantly clear that the battle for justice is far from over. As Black faith leaders and journalists alike prepare to collaborate on mass meetings and community outreach, Perry strives to embody the resilience and strength of the forefathers of these Black institutions.
“Our divine weapons are ready and our ancestors already prepared us for battle,” Perry said. “We, the anointing together, can, will, and must transform ourselves, transcend today’s politics, and liberate one another.”