40 Under 40

When I was 8 years old, my grandfather, Elder James Thomas, whispered in my ears the words whispered in his ear by his father. "You are of a royal priesthood. You are the heir of a rich tradition, born in the heat of slave, breed in the backwoods, go and preach the word given to your fathers and make your people free!" I have whispered these words in the ears of my five children with the hope that they will continue the prophetic preaching tradition.

While I am a third-generation ordained Pentecostal clergyperson, my work has been both ecumenical and interfaith with progressive orientation. I hold credentials in the National Baptist Convention (licensed minister) the Church of God in Christ (Ordained Elder), and in-care with a local United Church of Christ, where I serve as Senior Community Minister. I was privileged to serve as the founding National Coordinator of Clergy and Laity Concerned about Iraq. I spend so much time in one Mosque that the "brothers" there call me the Imam's Pastor. That Imam, my dear friend and brother, El Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid, once commented publicly, "I do not know if a Rev. Sekou is a preacher posing an Imam or an Imam posing a preacher."