Lowery, Height join those on inaugural platform
A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*
Jan. 20, 2009
The Rev. Joseph Lowery, 87, gave the benediction for the presidential
inauguration of Barack Obama. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.
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Two United Methodist veterans of the civil rights movement were
invited to share the inaugural platform on Jan. 20 when Barack Obama
was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.
The Rev. Joseph Lowery, 87, gave the benediction after President
Obama’s inaugural address. Dorothy Height, 96, was also invited to be
among the special guests. Both had worked alongside the Rev. Martin
Luther King Jr., whose birthday was celebrated a day earlier.
Lowery told National Public Radio on Jan. 19 that he was a bit
unnerved by the thought that millions would be listening to his closing
prayer. “Every time I think about what I’m going to say, I get a little
stage fright,” he admitted to Michele Norris. But he added that he had
been praying for strength from God.
No stage fright was evident after the new president’s address, as
Lowery began his prayer by reciting the third verse of the hymn, “Lift
Every Voice and Sing,” which is No. 519 in the United Methodist Hymnal.
“We truly give thanks for the glorious experience that we shared this
day,” Lowery prayed.
Noting that God will work “through faithful leadership” to restore
the nation’s stability, mend wounds and tend to the poor, Lowery called
upon Americans to “come into the spirit of unity and solidarity to
commit our support of our president.”
“Help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate, on the side
of inclusion, not exclusion, tolerance, not intolerance,” he prayed.
Lowery put on his preaching hat as he concluded the prayer, asking
that “all those who do justice and love mercy, say Amen.” The “amens”
were repeated several times.
In a Jan. 19 essay written for the Chicago Tribune,
Lowery said that, during the oath of office, he would look down the
National Mall and in his mind’s eye “see a 34-year-old preacher
standing before a crowd of nearly a quarter of a million at that
Lincoln Memorial in 1963, calling on Americans to move beyond the color
of their skin to the content of their character.”
“Obama's inauguration is a nation's response to that call,” he wrote.
Never expected to see the day
Height, who was invited by Obama to be his guest at the ceremony,
told The New York Times that she never expected to live long enough to
see an African American elected as president of the United States.
Dorothy Height is honored during a presentation at the United Nations in 1999. A UMNS file photo by John C. Goodwin.
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“This is real recognition that civil rights was not just what Dr. King
dreamed,” she said. “But it took a lot of people a lot of work to make
this happen, and they feel part of it.”
A longtime member of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in New York before moving to Washington,
Height has received numerous accolades for her civil rights work. In
2004, she was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President
George W. Bush.
She also was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by
President Bill Clinton in 1994 and the Presidential Citizenship Medal
by President Ronald Reagan in 1989.
Height was a national executive staff member with YWCA for 33
years and was elected national president of the National Council of
Negro Women in 1957, where she led a crusade for justice for black
women. She envisioned the plans for the National Centers for African
American Women and the Dorothy I. Height Leadership Institute, which
were launched in 1996.
Worked with King
Lowery co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
with King in 1957 and served as its president and chief executive
officer for 20 years, beginning in 1977.
King named him chairman of the delegation to take demands of the Selma-to-Montgomery
March in 1965 to Alabama Gov. George Wallace. Wallace had ordered the
marchers beaten—an episode that became known as “Bloody Sunday”—but
apologized to Lowery in 1995 as the civil rights pioneer led the 30th
anniversary re-enactment of the historic march that led to the passage
of the Voting Rights Act.
As a United Methodist minister, Lowery was elected a delegate
to three General Conferences and presided over an annual conference as
acting bishop in 1966. His prophetic voice was instrumental in moving
the church toward the goal of inclusiveness. He served as pastor of
United Methodist churches in Mobile and Birmingham, Ala., and Atlanta, where he led Central Church for 18 years.
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Video
Lowery Benediction at Inauguration
Audio
Dorothy
Height, as president of the National Council of Negro Women, appeared
on “Night Call”, a Methodist radio program, in September 1965: “The Negro wants what everyone else wants…civil rights act of 1964…”
Dorothy
Height, as president of the National Council of Negro Women, appeared
on “Night Call”, a Methodist radio program, in September 1965: “…when you speak of an American, you’re talking about a white citizen…”
Joseph Lowery on NPR
Profile: Dorothy Height
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune: Lowery reflects
Benediction will be emotional, Lowery says
Resources
2008 Election Coverage
Walking with King
Unlocking the Future
General Commission on Religion and Race
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