Kirk, 31, an avowed Christian, white nationalist, and Trump administration insider, had a history of bigoted, racist remarks. Since his assassination, conservatives have compared him to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., but Black ministers pushed back on that comparison in sermons the Sunday after the murder. When he stepped to the podium at Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, last Sunday, Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, the senior pastor, had a message for his congregation about the broad-daylight murder of Charlie Kirk, the far-right political activist. Within an hour of the end of the 8 a.m. service, the entire world…
Author: Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
When worshipers gather at Metropolitan AME Church in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, March 16, their morning service will carry a special significance. They’ll be celebrating the 198th anniversary of the Black press — a cornerstone of Black civil rights and community building since the founding of Freedom’s Journal, the first Black-owned newspaper, in 1827. The service, a collaboration between the Washington Association of Black Journalists and The Afro-American Newspapers, will also mark the 60th anniversary of The Washington Informer — founded by Dr. Calvin W. Rolark and currently published by his daughter, Denise Rolark Barnes. (Disclosure: The Baltimore AFRO and The Washington Informer are two of…