National Urban Ministry Network honors memory of Eugene Blackwell

Open letter invites church to join them in fight for social and racial justice

by Paul Seebeck | Presbyterian News Service

The National Urban Ministry Network’s ‘open letter’ honors the late Rev. Eugene ‘Freedom’ Blackwell’s ministry in Homewood, a disenfranchised community in Pittsburgh,while calling church to join them in their fight for social and racial justice for all who suffer in U.S. cities. (Photo by Paul Seebeck)

LOUISVILLE – In an open letter to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the church’s National Urban Ministry Network honored the memory of the recently passed Rev. Eugene “Freedom” Blackwell and encouraged readers to join them in continuing his fight for social and racial justice “for all of those who suffer in our cities.”

Blackwell died on August 29, 2016 from bone cancer and the letter is scheduled to be read at Blackwell’s funeral tomorrow (September 9) by his long time mentor the Rev. Dr. Jonnie Monroe.

As founding pastor of House of Manna beginning in 2009 in a disenfranchised neighborhood in Pittsburgh, he “fought to the end” for those in the predominately African-American community that he served.

One of the letters signees, Phil Tom of Eastchester Presbyterian Church in Bronx, New York, said Eugene went where traditional, established churches don’t— reaching out to those living in a community where the average income was $12,000.

“As a member of our network he modeled what justice-based ministry looks like,” said Tom. “His life was a testimony to us.”

Blackwell, who wanted to be known as “Freedom” because it reminded him of the tireless work of securing freedom for others, stood on one leg at the 222nd General Assembly advocating for the Pittsburgh Presbytery overture, which he co-authored, on “The Plight of the African American male.”

The overture passed overwhelmingly and calls for the church to support pilot programs to assist African-American males in five cities—Baltimore, Charlotte, Cleveland, New York and Pittsburgh—to address and create change in the following areas:

• The increasing number of police shootings of black males
• Murder as the number one cause of death for black males
• Escalating and excessive incarceration
• Deteriorating education and employment opportunities

The Rev. Dr. Sterling Morse, coordinator for African American Intercultural Congregational Support and a staff resource person for the overture, said this is the second version of a request asking the PC(USA) to respond to issues of great concern in black communities. Over 25 years ago, at the 202nd General Assembly in 1990, an overture from Pittsburgh Presbytery, which also passed, referred to “African American males as endangered species.”

“But it didn’t have legs under it, and now the issues are even more dire,” said Morse. “The concerns go very deep. Addressing these concerns, the Black Lives Matter movement is providing momentum. It can no longer be tolerated or pushed to the side.”

Morse added that Racial Ethnic & Women’s Ministries supported Blackwell’s efforts when he was launching House of Manna.

“More and more, Eugene’s work expanded to the street,” said Morse. “He literally poured himself into poverty stricken situations, becoming an advocate for people who had no-one—the least of these.”

The National Urban Ministry Network letter also asks pastors who serve in urbanized areas to consider joining the network for purposes of mutual support and to share good ideas and strategies for prophetic action in the neighborhoods and communities they serve.

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The National Urban Ministry Network was formed in 2015 in response to the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy’s report “The Gospel from Detroit: Renewing the Church’s Urban Vision.”

Approved by the 221st General Assembly (2014) and updated in 2016, the report affirmed “God’s call to seek the welfare of the city and to organize God’s people for the proclamation of the Gospel and the promotion of racial, economic and social equity and justice for all citizens of Detroit and other cities of the United States of America.”