I Shall Wear A Crown

"I shall wear a crown."

It was between wine-colored pews and the melodic homilies given by robe-draped choirs where I found Jesus.

Jesus—the one familiar with the sorrows of the parishioners and the beckoning call of a better tomorrow—was preached from pulpits and presented as not only an option, but a necessity for life.

For those of us with darker hues, Jesus was introduced as the great liberator and the one who shall present a crown on the heads of those who "made it over."

The Black church served and still serves as a haven for the unspoken burdens of those wandering through a majority culture. In these spaces, I was introduced to the words of Thomas Whitfield:

"When it's all over. I am going to put on my robe and tell the story of how I made it over."