Profiles from Black History
Throughout the month of February, Dearborn First UMC will be celebrating Black History Month by paying tribute to notable individuals and their contributions that significantly impacted this nation and world.
Celebrated Individuals
Amanda Gorman
(March 7, 1998 - )
Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. History, having recited her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the inauguration of President Joe Biden in 2021, when she was twenty-two years old. Read more about Amanda and her works here.
Frederick Douglass
(circa 1818 - 1895)
Frederick Douglass was an African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. An escaped slave, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement and met with President Lincoln on several occasions to advocate for equal rights. Learn more.
Ruth Ellis
(July 1899 - October 2000)
Ruth Ellis, known as one of Detroit’s oldest and proudest African American lesbians, forged a path for Detroit’s LGBTQ community at a time when most people stayed in the closet. Her home was a safe-haven for people with few places to socialize. Read more.
Archbishop
Desmond Tutu
(October 1931 - December 2021)
Archbishop Tutu is known for his role in ending South Africa’s apartheid, earning him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. Throughout his life, he actively promoted equal rights for all people, including the LGBTQ community. Read more.
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are natural, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”
“Differences are not intended to separate, to alienate. We are different precisely in order to realize our need of one another.”
-Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Black American Composers
Male Composers, featured in worship on Sunday, February 6, 2022
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Rollo Dilworth (1970 - ) is an American choral composer, arranger, conductor, and music educator from St. Louis, Missouri. Rollo Dilworth (b. 1970) is Vice Dean and Professor of Music Education at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music in Philadelphia, PA. More than 150 of his choral compositions and arrangements have been published, with emphasis in the areas of spirituals and gospel-inspired works. Read more.
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Harry Burleigh (1866-1949) was the first black composer who was instrumental in developing characteristically American music, Burleigh made Black music available to classically trained artists both by introducing them to spirituals and by arranging spirituals in a more classical form. Learn more.
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Ramsey Lewis (1935 - ) is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received five gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career. Read more about Ramsey and his work here.
Female Composers, featured in worship on Sunday, February 13, 2022
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Doris Akers (1923 - 1995) was an African American gospel music composer, arranger and singer. Known for her work with the Sky Pilot Choir, she was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Her best-known songs include “Sweet, Sweet Spirit,” “Sweet Jesus” and “I Cannot Fail the Lord.” She was honored by the Smithsonian Institute, who called her songs “National Treasures.” Read more.
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Florence Beatrice Smith Price (1887 - 1953) was an American classical composer, pianist, organist and music teacher. Price is noted as the first African-American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer, and the first to have a composition played by a major orchestra. Read more about her here.
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Dr. Margaret Pleasant Douroux, PhD (1941 - ) is an American gospel songwriter, teacher, and author. She works in Bible based ministries and song composition, and uses her talents to connect music, religion, and education within her community. She holds a PhD, having followed a professional career in education, and is the CEO and founder of Heritage Music, whose mission is to preserve and nurture gospel music. Read more.
Featured in worship on Sunday, February 20, 2022
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Hezekiah Brinson, Jr (b. 1958) is a Doctor Of Musical Arts, Music Theory, and Composition. He is the Minister of Music in 2 different churches in Louisiana. His arrangements of spiritual favorites can be found in publication.
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Andre Crouch (1942 - 2015) was an award-winning American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, record producer and pastor. Known as the “father of modern gospel” he was a key figure in Christian music in the 1960s and 70s. Read More.
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James Weldon Johnson (1871 - 1938) was a distinguished lawyer and diplomat. He was also a composer who wrote the lyrics for "Lift Every Voice and Sing," known as the Black national anthem. In 1920, he was the first African American to be chosen as executive secretary of the NAACP, where he served for a decade. Read more.
