It’s time again to meet one of the great candidates down here in the South, ready to take us from red to blue in the Senate! Grab cold Cocola and pull up a chair so I can introduce you to Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor and caretaker of Ebenezer Baptist Church and the moral opposite of his rich, out of touch opponent, stock dumper and Senate seat-buyer Kelly Loeffler.
Rev. Warnock is just the fifth minister at Ebenezer. Founded by Rev. John A. Parker and his flock of 13 in 1886, Ebenezer is best known as the church of Rev. Martin Luther King, his son, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the epicenter of the civil rights movement in Atlanta. I drive the old church and new campus everyday on the way home from work; that route also takes me by the SCLC national office and MLK, Jr.’s birth home. It’s quite a drive.
Raphael Warnock is a child of Savannah, GA’s housing projects. As he states on his campaign website, “The family was short on money, but long on faith, love and humor.” His father was a preacher and had a small business hauling junk cars for scrap. His mother picked cotton and tobacco, then became the hard-working mother of 11. Rev. Warnock made it to Morehouse on a wing and prayer, relying on Pell grants and student loans from undergrad through his PhD from Union. He has been senior pastor — and yes, caretaker, because all at Ebeneezer are caretakers of the legacy of MLK — at Ebeneezer for fourteen years and is married to lovely Spellman grad Oulèye Ndoye Warnock, who has more degrees and accomplishments than I can list.
From his church bio:
Since 2005, the Reverend Dr. Raphael Gamaliel Warnock has served as the Senior Pastor of the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, spiritual home of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The son of two Pentecostal pastors, Dr. Warnock responded to the call of ministry at a very early age, and at age 35, became the fifth and the youngest person ever called to the senior pastorate of Ebenezer Baptist Church, founded in 1886. Before coming to EBC, “America’s Freedom Church,” Dr. Warnock was blessed to study and serve within the pastoral ranks of leading congregations also known for their deep spiritual roots and strong public witness. Under Dr. Warnock’s leadership, more than 4,000 new members have joined EBC, enhancing the church’s legacy of social activism with both spiritual and numerical growth.
Dr. Warnock is a graduate of the Leadership Program sponsored by the Greater Baltimore Committee, a graduate of the Summer Leadership Institute of Harvard University, and a graduate of Leadership Atlanta. Dr. Warnock graduated from Morehouse College cum laude in 1991, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. He also holds a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, from which he graduated with honors and distinctions. Seeing his pastoral work as tied to the ministry of scholarship and the life of the mind, Dr. Warnock continued his graduate studies at Union, receiving a Master of Philosophy degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in the field of systematic theology. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc., and a Lifetime Member of the NAACP. Dr. Warnock’s activism was honored in 2016, as his footprints were placed on the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.
Under Dr. Warnock’s leadership, more than 4,000 new members have joined EBC, enhancing the church’s legacy of social activism with both spiritual and numerical growth.
Among other honors, Dr. Warnock has been recognized as one of “Atlanta’s 55 Most Powerful” by Atlanta magazine, one of the “New Kingdom Voices” by Gospel Today magazine, one of “God’s Trombones” by the Rainbow Push Coalition, a “Good Shepherd” by Associated Black Charities, one of the “Chosen Pastors” by The Gospel Choice Awards, “A Man of Influence” by the Atlanta Business League, one of The Root 100 in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 (TheRoot.com a division of the Washington Post), one of the “Top 10 Most Influential Black Ministers” by Loop 21, one of the “20 Top African American Church Leaders” by TheRoot.com, and he has received the Reverend Dr. William A. Jones Justice Award from the National Action Network. He is a National TRIO Achiever Award recipient and has been honored by induction into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers. As an opinion leader, his perspective has been sought out by electronic and print media, locally, nationally, and internationally. His work has been featured on CNN, the CBS Evening News, the Huffington Post, and in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution which hailed him “a leader among Atlanta and national clergy, a fitting heir to the mantle once worn by The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
His first book is entitled, The Divided Mind of the Black Church: Theology, Piety & Public Witness (NYU Press, 2014). Dr. Warnock is married to Mrs. Oulèye Ndoye Warnock and the couple has one daughter, Chloé.
At President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama’s request, Dr. Warnock delivered the closing prayer at the 2013 Inaugural Prayer Service held at the National Cathedral and delivered the sermon for the Annual White House Prayer breakfast in March 2016.
I am sending $25 right now in the name of MLK, John Lewis and those who came before. Can you join me?
DKHIVE Group Guidelines
The DKHive Community group has been created by former Kamala2020 Group members to positively support efforts to re-take the Senate and keep Democratic control of the House of Representatives.
We will support candidates supported by Senator Harris as well as other candidates, especially women, POC, and down-ballot democrats in local races.
All should be made to feel welcome here. What’s not welcomed here is petty bickering over any of our preferred candidates, or personal attacks on fellow Democrats. We’re not responsible for the actions of others who may offend, insult or attempt to sow discord and disunity — that’s on them.
What we are responsible for are our own words and actions — that’s 100% on us.
We’d like to ask all group members, as well as those dropping by who support or are interested in Democratic control of the Senate and House, that we not respond to negativity from other campaigns’ supporters with even more negativity. Let’s do better than our best and respond with respect, humor or try to hold our peace.
(FYI: Zero Tolerance for Misogyny/Misogynoir)
😋 ❤️ 😋 💜 😋 💙 😋
|
|
If you would like to join our group, please ask for an invitation in the comments, and one will be KosMailed to you.
Our members will largely share in writing diaries, in much the same fashion as we did with the Kamala2020 group — all voices are welcome. We hope to continue with regular 2 or 3 x weekly diaries, although we will vary the publish times of the diaries throughout the week. Suggestions on this are welcome! Sign-ups will begin immediately!
|
|
Please volunteer for the down-ballot effort!
YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
|
|
We would love to hear about your down-ballot-related idea, in the comments below or kosmailed to the group! Would you like to write about a challenger taking on a Republican-held or red-leaning seat? How about our embattled incumbents, many of whom have been targeted by dark money and other nasty attacks? Or do you have another down-ballot-related idea? This is a way to make a difference!
|
|
SENATE RACES: Our Cecelia S is mad as hell and she’s not going to take it any more put together an excellent roundup of the Senate seats we want back from those hosers ASAP. Start there if you’re looking for Democrats to support!
|