The Shoulders We Stand On - A Black History Month Reflection from Rev. Dr. Joi Robinson

What does Black History Month mean to me? It means an opportunity to celebrate the never-ending accomplishments of a group of people whose experiences ripple through time and space. A group of people whose ancestors were African kings and queens – such as Emperor Mansa Musa, the richest human who has ever lived – to being violently removed from their homeland in Africa and forced into chattel slavery in the Americas…to being subjugated to the illusion of “separate but equal” through segregation…to living through a televised revolution otherwise known as the Civil Rights Era…to the history-making event of electing the first Black president of the United States of America. Wow! What a journey! And yet, every step along this journey, there were an untold number of people – known and unknown, Black and non-Black – who helped lay the foundation for what we now celebrate as Black History Month.  

Black History Month would not be possible without those – of every ethnicity – who have lived, died, suffered, sacrificed, endured, and persevered to address and overcome the racism, classism, sexism, oppression and microaggressions that have existed, and still exist, today. We must never fail to revere our well-known Black History icons who have gone before us, such as Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rosa Parks, as well as numerous “firsts” across the gamut of society, such as Amanda Gorman as the first person ever to be named National Youth Poet Laureate in the United States and in 2021 becoming the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history for the inauguration of President Joe Biden.

But what about those who are not “famous?” We must take the time to honor them as well because as an African proverb states: “If we stand tall as a people, we only do so because of the shoulders of the giants we stand on.” Vernon Jordan, a prominent civil rights leader, lawyer, and former Executive Director of the National Urban League, reflected on this proverb when he stated, “You are where you are today because you stand on somebody’s shoulders. And wherever you are heading, you cannot get there by yourself.” This quote resonates deeply with me because as the first female African American Moderator for the Christian Church in the Pacific Southwest Region (PSWR), I gratefully stand on the shoulders of Elder Vance Martin of United Christian Church in Los Angeles who, in 1981, served as the first African American Moderator for the Christian Church in the PSWR. And he stands on the shoulders of the iconic Rev. Carnella J. Barnes of the same church who, in 1974, made history as the first African American president of the International Christian Women’s Fellowship – now known as the International Disciples Women’s Ministries in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). This “shoulder” effect has rippled across the life of the church and beyond to enrich the lives of many people.  

When it comes to Black History, ignorance is not bliss because the more we are ignorant of the greatness all around us, the more we deprive ourselves of the wisdom, strength, dignity, and fortitude that can help us all move closer to making Dr. King’s “Beloved Community” a reality: a society based on justice, equal opportunity, and unconditional love. Our regional church and national church counter ignorance by honoring and celebrating the “hidden figures” among us who have laid a foundation for us all, often unbeknownst to us. The term “hidden figures” refers to the African American author Margot Lee Shetterly’s book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race, which later, became a blockbuster film by the shortened title “Hidden Figures.”  

One example of honoring “hidden figures” is the PSWR’s Church in Society Committee’s annual MLK Jr. Celebration. Since 1974, this celebration has honored the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by awarding a “Disciple of the Year” award to “one or more members of a Disciple congregation in the PSWR who has been recognized for their efforts on behalf of justice and peace.” During this celebration in 2025, in addition to awarding the “Disciple of the Year” award, the MLK Jr. Celebration Planning Committee honored a living “hidden figure” among us – Mrs. Betty Dunson, a member of Abundant Life Christian Church and the second Black person to graduate from the University of Alabama at the height of the bloody fight against desegregation. In 2026, they honored Mrs. Delores Shine Kerr – a member of McCarty Memorial Church and a nurse, educator, philanthropist, model, and singer. The PSWR is not alone in honoring those who have gone unrecognized. 

Within our national church, New Church Ministry does an outstanding job of highlighting African American “hidden figures” (people and ministries) within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) during Black History Month. Some of the posts include “8 Ministries Disciples Should Know for Black History Month,” “8 People Disciples Should Know for Black History Month”, and “7 Dates Disciples Should Know for Black History Month.”

As we honor our “hidden figures” by allowing them to share their stories of tragedy and triumph and “giving them their flowers while they can still smell them,” we must bookend Black History Month by sharing with all young people the powerful journey that is Black History because Black History is American history. We can accomplish this by providing engaging learning opportunities locally and nationally for our youth, such as visiting the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN – which is housed at the Lorraine Motel, the site of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination.  Other museums and learning experiences across the country are:

• National Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, GA

• National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. 

• Legacy Sites in Montgomery, AL which consist of the National Memorial for Peace and     Justice, The Legacy Museum, and Freedom Monument Sculpture Park

• 16th Street Baptist Church Tour in Birmingham, AL

• National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in Selma, AL 

When it comes to honoring Black History Month, I would like our Church to continue to celebrate even more “hidden figures” and to teach our youth, irrespective of their ethnicity, the contributions of Americans of African descent, past and present. We can do it if – in the words of Whitney Houston’s song “Step by Step” – we take this journey together, “step by step, bit by bit, stone by stone, day by day, and mile by mile.”

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Rev. Dr. Joi Robinson currently serves as Regional Board Moderator for the Christian Church in the Pacific Southwest Region and Senior Associate Minister of Coaching for New Church Ministry, a ministry of the Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. She is the proud daughter of Rev. Dr. Jo Ann Bynum, Associate Regional Minister for the Christian Church in the Pacific Southwest Region and is a charter member of Abundant Life Christian Church in Los Angeles. She enjoys attending concerts with her friends and traveling to new places.