inspirations
By Danton Wilson
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Back in 1976, when De-
troiter Byron Douglas headed off to college in Washington, D.C., he went with more than the verbal blessings of fellow church members. He was blessed to have some of their money, thanks to donations church members and others made to an already thriving Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church Scholarship Fund.
His church’s investment
produced significant returns. Now known as Dr. Douglas, he turned that initial financial boost into a bachelor’s degree from Howard University in 1980, later earning a doctorate in clinical psychology from St. Louis University. He now works as a psychologist in the Ann Arbor Public Schools System.
Dr. Douglas said he rou-
tinely reflects on the financial help he got from his church as he left for college, including what he calls “informal schol- arship support” from people simply “pushing dollars in your hand” as they whispered encouragement.
The scholarship fund that
helped Dr. Douglas has helped hundreds of students since it was established more than 41 years ago. The roster of former scholarship recipi- ents includes physicians, en- gineers, entrepreneurs, and musicians. It also includes students from Africa and the Caribbean.
Dr. Douglas, who has lec-
tured extensively on African American history, said the link between African-Ameri- can churches and education has been critical since the very beginnings of the Black church in the U.S. It is a link often highlighted by current Tabernacle Pastor Nathan Johnson.
Dr. Lance Watson
churches continue to have scholarship
“Just as many of our committees
today, the first schools, first colleges, and hospitals were built by churches literally on a seed and a prayer,” said Dr. Douglas, who served as chair- man of Tabernacle’s scholar- ship fund for six years and still serves on the scholar- ship committee at the church. “Even during these last few years, in challenging eco- nomic times, people continue to give to church scholarship funds. It speaks to our legacy as a people.”
That legacy will be high-
lighted on Sunday, May 2, at 4 p.m. when another highly ac- complished beneficiary of the Tabernacle Baptist Church Scholarship Committee re- turns to the church to speak at a service benefiting the scholarship fund. Nationally renowned minister Dr. Lance Watson, pastor of the 12,000- member St. Paul Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., re- turns as special guest preach- er to the Detroit church that was his spiritual, educational, and professional incubator. The theme for the program is “Giving God the Glory Through Scholarship – Forty-One Years of Continuous Service.”
Born in Detroit, Dr. Watson used funds from the Taberna-
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
Nationally acclaimed pastor returns to Detroit roots to ‘give back’
cle Scholarship Fund to head down an educational path that eventually resulted in three degrees from Wayne State Uni- versity plus degrees from Vir- ginia Union University, Union Theological Seminary, and the United Theological Seminary.
As host of the “Positive
Power” telecast, Dr. Watson is seen nationally on the TV ONE Network. At St. Paul in Rich- mond, Dr. Watson has over- seen the first phase of con- struction of the church’s “City of Possibility,” which will fea- ture 400 acres of residential neighborhoods, retail and office space, a park, elemen- tary school, and community life facility. St. Paul already has developed and imple- mented community outreach initiatives such as the Destiny Child Development Center, Destiny Christian Academy, Destiny Center for Performing Arts, St. Paul’s Federal Credit Union, and St. Paul’s Commu- nity Foundation.
Dr. Watson’s appearance as
a guest preacher for the Taber- nacle Scholarship Fund which once helped him is filled with symbolism, Dr. Douglas be- lieves. “It speaks to his un- derstanding the importance of young people getting an opportunity to go to college, and it speaks volumes about the fact he has not forgotten where he came from.
“We want to encourage
other former recipients to contribute. Funds for this and other scholarship funds come solely from individual dona- tions. Scholarship committee members have always made significant contributions to their scholarship funds. Past recipients must always re- member that just as people have contributed to help them, they need to do so in return.”
For more information on
this special service, call (313) 898-3325.
Gamma Phi Delta Sorority Inc., Alpha Theta Chapter celebrating 50th anniversary
To celebrate 50 years of “charitable, educational
and community service,” Gamma Phi Delta Sorority Inc., Alpha Theta Chapter, will hold a dinner at Fel- lowship Chapel Banquet Center, 7707 W. Outer Dr. on Saturday, May 8. The semi-formal event will run from 6 p.m. to midnight, with dinner served at 7:30. There is a cost to attend. Proceeds will benefit the scholarship fund.
Carolyn Sanders is chairperson. Beverly Harris
is president. Ellina Simmons-Gibson is co-chairper- son.
For more information, call 313-273-8961.
April 28 - May 4, 2010
Page B-7
New St. Paul’s 70th Anniversary Gala
Members of New St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church recently celebrated its 70th anniversary at the San Marino Club. Seated (from left) are First Lady Laneen Morgan and Pastor Tommie Morgan. Standing (from left) are Deacon Greer, Detroit Councilwoman Brenda Jones and spe- cial guest O’Neil D. Swanson, president and CEO of Swanson Funeral Home, Inc.
Israel Baptist Church celebrates 86th anniversary
Pastor Edward L. McCree, Jr. and Israel Baptist
Church will celebrate their 86th church anniversary. A three-night revival will take place May 10-12. Ser- vice will begin at 7 p.m. each night with Rev. An- thony Curry on May 10 and Rev. LaThomas Willis on May 11 and 12.
Friday, May 14, will be a Night of Praise, featuring
Elder Will Smith and the Family and Friends Choir, the Williams Special and others.
There will be a prayer breakfast May 15 at 10 a.m.
There is a cost to attend. May 16 will be the 86th church anniversary with
3 p.m. service featuring guest preacher Pastor Syl- vester Thompson and the Messiah Baptist Church of Pontiac.
Martha Jean, The Queen
Remembering the Queen
Alberta Blackburn and the Com-
munity (the Charitiers #1) present “Remembering ‘The Queen’ Martha Jean, Detroit’s image builder, at the 6th annual Mother’s Day dinner and fashion show, Sunday, May 9, at 3 p.m. Doors open at 2 p.m.
The event will take place at the
Athena Hall Banquet Center, 25650 Gratiot in Roseville. The volunteer gov- erning board voted to give all proceeds to a home for needy boys and girls in memory of Martha Jean, “The Queen.”
For more information, call (313) 862-7251 or (313) 510-8687.
•Idotsia Sanders celebrates 100 years
Idotsia “Honey” Sand-
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD descendants Tuskegee Airman Col. Lawrence Millben (from left), Dr. David Milburn and Dr. Carlyle Steweart III. Before a capacity crowd of dignitaries, they placed memorial wreaths at the riverfront Windsor-Detroit Underground Railroad statues.
Underground Railroad Families Historical Society celebrates lineage
By Ramen Sangral
Before a capacity crowd
of dignitaries, descendants of the Underground Railroad placed memorials at the river- front Windsor-Detroit Under- ground Railroad statues. The Underground Railroad heri- tage is acknowledged by many historians and scholars as the movement that played a pivotal role in bringing the civil rights struggle to the forefront of political consciousness, and forever changed the humani- tarian concepts of the western hemisphere.
With the help of Native
Americans, including chiefs Pontiac and Tecumseh from 1680 to 1840, more than 100,000 runaway slaves es- caped from the South to Michi- gan and Canada. Underground Railroad descendants still live on the Mt. Pleasant reserva- tion and the Walpole Island reservation in Ontario.
The War of 1812 marked
the unification of Blacks and Native Americans into a power- ful military force that prevent- ed the spread of slavery from the United States to Canada. After initial military victory, credence was given to the fact that only the military push of civil war would eradicate slav- ery in the United States.
Detroit and Chatham, On-
tario are the locations where abolitionists John Brown, Frederick Douglass and Josiah Henson planned the raid on Harper’s Ferry, Va.
Guest speaker Egyptologist
Dr. Christopher Avator gave a fascinating African global perspective of ancient Kemet, citing books from Smithson- ian Scholar Dr. Ivan Van Ser-
DR. DAVID MILLBURN and Ed Dwight in front of Dwight’s Underground Railroad masterpiece on Detroit’s riverfront. Dr. Millburn spoke of their family friendship that spanned genera- tions. Dr. Lewis Millburn, a flight surgeon, was deputy director of aerospace Medical Services when Dwight became the first Black astronaut trainee at NASA during the Kennedy presi- dency.
tima of Rutgers University, visiting professor at Princeton University, and Dr. Charles Finch III of Morehouse Medi- cal School.
Dr. Avator noted that
the Greeks Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Hippocrates and Py- thagoras were all educated in ancient Kemet (Egypt), North Africa.
African people were the first builders of monumental
civilizations, including the de- velopment of writing scripts, sciences, medicine, advanced mathematics, engineering, architecture, astronomy, reli- gion, law and fine arts.
Imhotep, the father of medi-
cine and architecture, was the world’s first historical genius. He was the eminent architect of the Saqqara pyramid temple complex, forerunner of Pha- raoh Khufu’s Great Pyramid.
ers was born in Marion, Alabama, on May 3, 1910, the 10th of 21 children to the late Walter and Lillie Moorer. She married the love of her life, the late Andrew Sanders, on Feb. 17, 1932, and on Nov. 27, 1932 she gave birth to their daughter, Dorothy Mae.
The family moved to De-
troit in 1948 where they began their life together on John R and Brush streets. In 1955, they moved to their first home on Richton Street, where Mrs. Sanders still resides.
In 1948, she joined
Gospel Temple Missionary Baptist Church on Bethune Street and is still a member today. She has served the church in various capaci- ties over the years.
•
munity and is well known in the city of Highland Park, where she was a member of the Highland Park Caucus Club for many years, and worked at the voting polls up until the age of 90.
She also worked for 17
years for the priests at the Shrine of The Little Flower in Royal Oak, and cleaned houses for prominent doc- tors and psychologists three days a week in the evenings.
Mrs. Sanders always
believed in sharing and believed in helping those who did not have by either finding them a job, feeding people or providing cloth- ing and shelter.
She is the proud grand-
Idotsia Sanders
Mrs. Sanders also worked in the com-
•
parent of three, and also has four great-grandchil-
dren and two great-great-grandchildren who bring much joy to her life.
Stinson
•
•
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32