OAC recognizes Black History Month as an expression of biblical justice, love, and unity. The Bible implores us to “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression” (Isaiah 1:17). It is not about elevating one group over another—it’s about honoring God’s work through all people and in particular celebrating not only resilience but also service in the presence of oppression or power imbalances.
Historically, many churches were complicit in racial injustice, while others played a major role in the fight for freedom. Seventh-day Adventism has had its moments of both. The American Civil War, which in Ellen White’s view was a war over the enslavement of blacks, was a primary catalyst for the organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1863.
Alongside Ellen White and Joseph Bates, key leaders in establishing Seventh-day Adventism was Eri L. Barr. Born to a free African American family in Vermont, Barr was a Millerite believer who later embraced Sabbath keeping in 1852. Ellen White admired Barr and considered him a dependable minister. Eri Barr encouraged and gave literature resources to “a colored preacher from Upper Canada (likely Toronto)” who was attempting to “ameliorate the condition of oppressed countrymen…who found a refuge from their cruel bondage in the British dominions.”
Another inspiring person of faith is Anna Knight. Excluded from school as a child because of her skin, she taught herself to read and write and after her baptism in 1893 was sponsored by Dr John Harvey Kellogg to attend nursing school. In 1901 she felt called to mission service in Calcutta. She was the the first African-American female missionary sent to India by any Christian denomination. Upon her return to the US in 1907 she established a church and school in her home state of Mississippi and her legacy includes creating educational opportunities for many people of colour.
With such bright spots in our early church history it is sad to acknowledge the spirit of equity was not pervasive in all Adventist institutions. In later decades division would deepen when in 1944 Lucy Byard a black Adventist from New York City was denied treatment to Washington Adventist Sanitarium due to her race. Sent to the Freedman Hospital six miles away, she would die before receiving adequate care. Despite her dire condition she was not even given the dignity of an ambulance transfer but was sent by car. This sparked advocacy for racial equality but also resulted in segregated church structure.
The lessons of our past offer rich inspiration as well as hard truth that should continue to shape us into better expressions of our faith. Taking time to learn Black history builds credibility to speak against racial injustice which is at odds with the gospel.
Sources
More Peoples’ History of the Origin of Black Adventism