The History and Spirit of the House of the Lord Churches
Intro to June 12 weekend
The commemoration of the June 12, 1982 weekend, the largest demonstration in history, was a glowing success. All of the events achieved their objective. We will discuss the occasion starting next week. The weekend and days preparing for the weekend were long and grueling with meetings 24/7. Monday the week after there were still other things to do.
Partnership of Faith Zoom Meeting
We started 8:30-10 am with a Zoom meeting with an organization we started in 1989. The name of the organization was called Partnership of Faith. The issues we discussed were the revitalization of the organization and youth activities. The most notable act that we did was to start the Stop the Violence Movement. In 1990, we organized a week of Stop the Violence with events in every borough. Stop the Violence became widespread and utilized by other organizations. I watched our slogan or watchwords capture our feelings and determination of that time “We’re fired up, Ain't gonna to take it no more”. The streets of Brooklyn and America and reverberated with the thunderous voices of people who meant what they said.
Office and Coordination
Office work from 12-1:30 pm, we went over the final draft for my book, Reflections on the Pandemic 2020, and an outline of my schedule and responses to phone calls, emails, etc. with LJ Digital Solutions.
1199 Installation of Officers
I attended 1199 Installation of Officers, held at the Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan. It’s always great being with 1199 union people, especially President George Grisham. 1199 has a history of being involved in the full range of human rights. Most unions only get involved in their issue. It is not so with 1199. We patted ourselves on the back for saving Interfaith Hospital in Brooklyn. We held daily rallies and on occasion all night rallies. The speakers included Bishop Barber who's organizing the Poor People’s Campaign, Mayor Eric Adams, and the State Attorney General, Tish James.
Remembering Arthur Miller Jr.
I departed the ceremony before the end. I regretted having to do so, but my next meeting was the I Remember Arthur Miller Jr., a virtual meeting. So, I left the meeting and found a quiet parking space on 10th Avenue between 51st and 52nd Street. The meeting lasted from 8-9:30 pm. Minister Lorenzo Daughtry-Chambers, my grandson, was the moderator. I rehearsed the times in which Arthur Miller Jr., was choked to death by the police. We were on the street boycotting because Randy Evans, fifteen years old, had been killed for no reason in November 1976 and at the same time the following year, the jury pretty much acquitted the officer Robert Torsney. We were boycotting the Downtown Brooklyn stores when we heard that Arthur Miller Jr., had been choked to death. We were demonstrating in the evening when we heard Arthur Miller had been killed. We left the demonstration and went to a school and held a rally in the auditorium. The auditorium was packed, Arthur Miller was a model citizen, he was liked and respected by everybody including the police.
I promised that Arthur Miller along with Randy Evans would never be forgotten and we would build a movement that would perpetuate their memory and empower our people. Out of that movement gained some of the prominent people in power positions. I’ve already mentioned Mayor Eric Adams. Lolisa Miller-Bradford, the youngest daughter of Arthur Miller, spoke of her growing up without her father. She introduced other members of the family and friends. She spoke of the family foundation- A Daughter Never Forgets Foundation.
In addition to the police killings on June 15th Arthur Miller was killed on June 14, 1978, and on the 15th 1978 Victor Rhodes a fifteen-year-old African American youth was almost beaten to death by 30-50 members of the Hasidic community. So with the police brutality, the Hasidic cruelty and special treatment, and other issues it was a challenging time and we had to organize and mobilize to meet the challenge and we did. The National Black United Front which became the internationally recognized preeminent mass-based and independent organization of people of African Ancestry consisting of all of the religious persuasions and ideologies. I spoke at the UN political committee annually. I sat with other liberation organizations, Southwest African People’s Organization (SWAPO), Namibia, the Patriotic Front of Zimbabwe, The African National Congress of South Africa(ANC), the Pan-African Congress (PAC), Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).
The weekend commemoration of the 40th anniversary of June 12, 1982, is over. It was an exciting, enlightening, challenging several days. Starting Friday with the Interfaith ceremony at the House of the Lord Church in Brooklyn. There were 35-40 people present. At first, I was disappointed. But it seemed I was the only one disappointed. When it was brought to my attention that the number had quality and competition. It was Stop Gun Violence month. The same weekend was a weekend that others had focused on gun violence. In addition, global issues have never been at the top of most people's list of urgencies, especially people of African Ancestry.
Mayor Adams spoke at the ceremony. He was, as usual, very eloquent. I particularly liked the fact that he detailed his involvement in the issues that the church had spearheaded or been deeply involved in. From being a young man at which I encouraged him to join the police force to the issues of police brutalities. Even to assist with security for dignitaries at the church. There were photos that I showed him to his delight.
There were other speakers including Rev. Dr. Karen Daughtry of the House of the Lord Church, Bishop Eric Figueroa of New Life Tabernacle, Bishop Orlando Findlayter, New Hope Christian Fellowship, Imam Talib Abdur Rashid, Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood Inc., Reverend Dr. Allen Hand Sr of Little Rock Baptist Church, Reverend Gilford Monrose, Leslie Cagan, coordinator for the June 12, 1982, Committee. Also in attendance was Minister Gregory Daughtry of the House of the Lord Church in Jersey City. The ceremony concluded with prayer and the blowing of the shofar (the ram’s horn).
United Nations Ceremony
The police led our car caravan to a special parking place along the street at Dag Hammerschel plaza. We gathered at the Isaiah Wall across the street from the United Nations on First Avenue between 41st and 42nd streets. It is called the Isaiah Wall because of Isaiah the prophet “And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Officially the name is Dr. Ralph Bunch. Dr. Ralph Bunch was an African American who gained fame in resolving the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land. We heard the prayers of every minister, then we had a photo session up the steps, along the wall, where the quote is written. Thus ended the first day of our 3-day commemoration of the 40th anniversary of June 12. We sought to have a meeting with the President of the General Assembly, Abdullah Sahid but because of emergencies, he was called away. We continued to look for an agreeable date and the names of the delegation, in the process of submitting the names of persons who will be in the delegation. Following is a letter I wrote to President Sahid.
Prayer to the Creator and Appeal to the Leaders of the World
Friday, June 3, 2022
We, the peace-loving peoples of the world, fervently desire peace and goodwill in and among the nations of the world.
We are profoundly concerned regarding the war in Ukraine and plead for a speedy, mutually beneficial agreement.
We tremble with fear, lest the war's continuation may result in a widening that would include other nations and the introduction of nuclear weapons.
We pray and plead that all nations, where there is the potential of conflict or war, for dialogue and successful negotiations; that the United Nations be utilized more fully to accomplish its primary purpose, for which it was established, a place where the nations of the world would gather in peaceful respectful interactions wherever there was danger of conflict or war. Moreover, not only when there was danger of war, but that the nations would learn to live together as one human family.
In some cities across the world, seemingly they have been infected with the war virus. In the USA massacres are happening daily, hatred, violence, and killings are the order of the day.
Concomitantly, hunger and homelessness, nakedness, disease, physical challenges of every description, and desperately inadequate, understaffed dilapidated hospitals are pervasive across the globe. Our own mother nature seems to be angry with us as though we have done something wrong to her.
It is a melancholy consideration that the land, resources, energy, creativity, and human toil that we put into the world’s militaries could heal and fix most, if not all, the aforementioned problems.
Just last Thursday, June 1st, 2022 the Congress of the United States approved 40 billion dollars which total of 54 billion dollars that have been spent in Ukraine since March 2022. In approximately four months, America alone will have spent and will spend up to 54 billion dollars. Now, add what the other nations have spent including Russia, and then it becomes reasonable that as stated, the ills of the world could be eradicated.
This is a great big beautiful world that the Creator has made for us, ALL OF US, to live in peace and happiness with one another. Let us hasten the day, (let us start today) fulfilling the words of the Prophet Isaiah written on the stone walls across the street. “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” Micah 4:3 Surely the peace-loving people of the world will shout out with one voice, “A consummation devoutly to be wished.”
We have no choice, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who issued an Armageddon threat, “we must learn to live as brothers or die as fools”.