by The Reverend Dr. Kristina “Tina” Campbell, Black Mountain United Church of Christ
I am standing on the shoulders of the ones who came before me.
I am stronger for their courage, I am wiser for their words.
I am lifted by their longing for a fair and brighter future
I am grateful for their vision, for their toiling on this Earth.
-Joyce Rouse
Last weekend commemorated the sixtieth anniversary of the March on Washington where The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his now famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Many of the organizers of the march were recognized and honored, and we had an opportunity to pause and ponder… upon whose shoulders do we stand?
I entered the ministry due to the influence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At the time his life was coming to a close, I was living in an all African American community as a VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) volunteer. I clung to the words of Dr. King, and was utterly taken aback by the influence he had on the lives around me. He influenced people to be brave, to have hope, to take action, to live out their faith, to move beyond restriction into liberation. On the day of his death, I stood beside grown men who openly wept at the loss of this great soul. I wanted to stand on the shoulders of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
When I first moved to Phoenix, I was looking for a church, and one of my colleagues at St. Luke’s Hospital said to me, “If you want to go where they’re doing something, go talk with Don Heinrich.” Don was the long time pastor at Shepherd of the Hills United Church of Christ, and Don was in the crowd in Washington, D.C. when Dr. King articulated his vision of a dream. Don carried the momentum of Dr. King’s dream in the Phoenix area. Don stood firmly on all social issues, but he did more than that. He suited up and he showed up for his congregation. He showed up to receive the Peggy Goldwater Award for Reproductive Rights, and he also showed to hand wash dishes at my father’s memorial service. I stand on Don’s shoulders.
All of us stand on the shoulders of those who lived before us, who dreamed before us, who put their faith into action. God has blessed our lives with great souls upon whose shoulders we stand. Thanks be to God.