A Reflection, Understanding the Importance of Leaders such as Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery
Key Search Terms: Joseph Lowery, SCLC, Civil Rights, Cascade.
The Martin Luther King Day festivities have come to a close, with many organizations on and off campus taking part in thoughtful and resourceful service projects that benefit their community and global communities. Hampton University held a march, set to be a way students could honor the dream Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life to achieve. Starting at Emancipation Oak and concluding on the steps of Ogden Hall, this collective gathering of students reflected the timeless message that the civil rights movement encouraged; Achieving positive change is possible; it starts with us as individuals and succeeds with us as a collective. Martin Luther King's ideologies and widespread continuation of the nonviolence movement would not have been possible without various leaders; one stands out, as his stories, experiences, and impact could serve as a learning opportunity. Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery is a light in the community; his church family from Cascade United Methodist Church on cascade road in Atlanta would agree. A man of community, courage, and dedication, he left a legacy in the hearts of those he met or those who took the time to learn about him.
Image source: The Baptist Standard
Dr. Lowery is seated between Martin Luther King Jr. and Wyatt Tee Walker.
Being welcomed earthside on October 6th, 1921, in Huntsville, Alabama, this infant would grow up to be the Dean of the civil rights movement; his influence has no bounds. To be a trailblazer, you will run into various blockages such as weeds and other debris; during his upbringing, his father navigated the beginning of his path, ensuring his safety during the chaotic racist climate of Huntsville. Leroy Lowery, his father, was devoted to his family. Prioritizing the character development of his children, Reverend Dr. Lowery reflects on his father, saying, "I think of my father and mother, but my father, especially his honesty, integrity. He would not tolerate any kind of dishonesty or that kind of thing." His father was not only an inspiration to him, but many could gather a lesson or two from Dr. Lowrey’s father. He teaches us a lesson about unconventional ways of achieving success, as learning can occur in numerous settings outside of the classroom. Not finishing high school yet still being able to support his growing family was an amazing accomplishment. For students, you can find lessons or means of inspiration in everyone; even if they do not fit in with what may be deemed perfect, their existence is a testimony.
These lessons that his father embedded in him may have stemmed from his paternal grandparents. His grandmother became a Lowery when she married, but beforehand had the last name of Echolls, where Reverend Dr. Lowery received his middle name. Ma Polly, his grandmother, was the main support beam, upholding her family. Domestic service was the primary source of income, but she also paid the price emotionally. As her grandson says, "She worked about maybe three or four blocks in a big, two-story house near where she lived. And she had told us that they used to make her come in the back door. And she told me one day that she resented it, but she had to work because she had these two boys." Work conditions were terrible, and this job was unbearable, confusing, and discouraging. Dr. Lowery says, "She used to talk about--and I don't remember whether she did it, but she had friends who fed little, hungry white babies from their black breast. But they had to come in the back door, which was a good picture of the ridiculous nature of racial segregation and oppression." These cruel practices did not stop her from initiating a level of productive change, she used her position to teach the upcoming generations. Much of her domestic work surrounded the children of the families she worked for, so it was said that; she would drill into the children sometimes another version of race and race relations that was not, that did not conform to the positions of the family and their stories. However, always when she was alone with the children, she would try to drill into them some respect for her and people of color." (Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, The History Makers 2003)
The symbolism of not wanting to eat from our hands but feed from us can be seen in current environments as we shine a light on appropriation, discrimination and exploitation through systematic racism. Many marched to initiate change, and celebrations such as Martin Luther King Day remind us to recognize those who came before us and the importance of a strong foundation, a family, whether it is comprised of blood relatives or close friends, a strong unit can produce the leaders of tomorrow. Let it be known families take on various shapes and forms, as your friend group, team, church congregation, staff, or class could be considered family. Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery led many church congregations, creating a vast family during his call to ministry. However, even then, he was active in many organizations in his lifetime, saying, "I became active in the, in the NAACP Youth chapters and so forth. And when I'd come home back to Huntsville during the summer, I would work with youth activities related to not only church activities but civic activities." Being active does not only build your legacy but your connections, and then that family becomes a significant element of your legacy. In fact, his family grew as he became married to Evelyn Lowery in 1947. An HBCU grad, as she received an education from Clark University also referred to as Clark Atlanta University, which is in the heart of downtown Atlanta not too far from Martin Luther King's childhood home.
Furthermore, viewing Dr. Lowrey’s legacy from a hands-on perspective, one could see how he served his community through organizations with the intent to uplift, support, and help end injustice based on the color of a person's skin. One of the starting points of his service within the civil rights movement was the collaboration with Martin Luther King to create the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Rev. Dr. Lowery explains the beginnings of these conferences, saying, "We used to meet in Montgomery every month to talk about our different trials and tribulations to strengthen each other, to commensurate with each other, and to talk about strategies." Operating a movement can be damaging at times, seeking council or other opinions could help each leader in attendance alter his approach to conducting a more productive outcome. Mentally highlight this; asking for extra guidance or an alternative outlook is a common practice. Asking for help is not a negative or weak action, as it can better the outcome of whatever you are working on, whether that be a social movement or assignment. Evelyn Lowery then adopted this idea as she wanted to create an organization that could support the children, women, and families of the community. She says, "The larger vision was for women to help empower women and to work to strengthen families." She initiated the creation of this organization stating, "I called a group of women into my home, and we talked about it, and they were interested in it. And so we had another meeting, and we got the name, SCLC/WOMEN Southern Christian Leadership Conference." (Evelyn Lowery The History Makers 2003)
Image source: from 11Alive
Remember, the March on campus? It is also sheds light and honors what happened in Selma; the peaceful protests turned deadly in minutes, also known as bloody Sunday. The intent behind this demonstration in Selma was to showcase the unfairness behind voting rights, and cruel and the unsupportive responses local government. Reverend Dr. Joseph E lowery goes on to say that there were three reasons they chose to do this March; "One, the fact that it already had been--voter registration efforts had been initiated and rebuffed. Secondly, a black majority in the Black Belt of Alabama. If ever there were instances where blacks were out to be able to vote, it was where they could hold office and where they were the majority. So that was it--and we knew the resistance would be fierce. And so that would get the nation on our side because the nature of the resistance always attracts attention and simplifies the process of change. The more drastic the discrimination, the more obvious the need for change.” The people who gathered on Edmund Pettus bridge did not know the level of violence that would be released among them, but they knew the importance of voting rights and social change. Reverend Dr. Lowery reflects on the devastating acts of violence that were used against friends and other peaceful protesters, sharing, "John got a severe blow to his head which, which he suffered, which was a very serious matter. Others were hurt and gassed. They were run, run--they were forced back to the church and into the city. And, of course, that hit the news." That spark ignited a large response due to the media picking up the story and causing the world to see it. "People became disgusted and outraged and infuriated at such fierce and vicious and violent resistance to people's right to exercise their first amendment rights and to seek the right to vote," Lowery said. This reflects his favorite quote when listening to how the positions of many across the world shifted as they got a glimpse of what protestors were experiencing; Let's turn to each other and not on each other. Their rights as citizens were not being upheld by the ones who were meant to protect them, so they turned to each other to vocalize their disappointment in the system.
Therefore, this was a fight to vote; readers understand the freedoms many of us do not exercise or altogether disregard; someone paved the way for you to use. Let the memory of this information shared and leaders such as Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery chime in your head as you continue your day. Live with purpose and do things that have a positive and productive outcome. The best way to uplift each other as we transition into black history month is to continue spreading the knowledge of Black history while interlinking it to elements of everyday life. So many resources are out there; learn more stories of black Icons using the sources used in this article. We must keep these voices alive, so keep educating, reach out and use every opportunity you can to support up-and-coming positive movements in your community. Get out and vote; use your voice.
An update from the Author: Hello, readers. I hope all is well. As we approach Black History Month, we are preparing to host a fun event for students to participate in. We are currently still in the planning and confirmation process. However, when it is completely set in stone, we will be much closer to helping disperse the fantastic possibilities of the History Makers Digital Archive. We are currently organizing with teachers to start presenting to various classes about the site and how to use this program. I am proud of all program ambassadors and hope we all have successful outcomes.
Sources Used
Reverend Dr. Joseph Lowery (The HistoryMakers A2003.185), interviewed by Larry Crowe, August 13, 2003, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 4, story 1, Joseph Lowery remembers the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march, 1965
Evelyn Gibson Lowery (The HistoryMakers A2004.170), interviewed by Jodi Merriday, September 21, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 2, story 5, Evelyn Lowery recalls the founding of SCLC/WOMEN, Inc.
Reverend Dr. Joseph Lowery (The HistoryMakers A2003.185), interviewed by Larry Crowe, August 13, 2003, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 4, Joseph Lowery describes his paternal grandmother
Reverend Dr. Joseph Lowery (The HistoryMakers A2003.185), interviewed by Larry Crowe, August 13, 2003, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 6, story 3, Joseph Lowery considers his legacy
Reverend Dr. Joseph Lowery (The HistoryMakers A2003.185), interviewed by Larry Crowe, August 13, 2003, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 6, Joseph Lowery remembers his father's stories
Reverend Dr. Joseph Lowery (The HistoryMakers A2003.185), interviewed by Larry Crowe, August 13, 2003, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 4, Joseph Lowery recalls the beginnings of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Evelyn Gibson Lowery (The HistoryMakers A2004.170), interviewed by Jodi Merriday, September 21, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 9, Evelyn Lowery explains how she met her husband, Joseph Lowery