Dr. Jonathan Lee Walton's Call to Greatness – Howard University

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The president of the Princeton Theological Seminary reminded attendees at the March 23 Call to Chapel of the God-given excellence within.
Jonathan Lee Walton, Ph.D., president of the Princeton Theological Seminary, reminded the congregation gathered at Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel on Sunday, March 23, of the greatness bestowed upon us all by God, a greatness that Black people do not have to prove their worth to earn.
“You don’t need access to power to act with power,” said Walton. “Because you are already powerful. You are powerful with a purpose.”
Preaching from the gospel of Matthew 23:11, which reads “the greatest among you, shall be your servant,” Walton began his message defining Black excellence from a generational standpoint, noting the current “hashtag nature” of celebrating those from the community who achieve great success on social media.
“Black excellence is a communal celebration. It is a valuable source of inspiration and encouragement for African Americans who have exceeded the oppressive and stifling ceilings of inequity,” he explained. “Black excellence says, ‘I see you.’ For those feeling deflated and discouraged by the many impediments that incumber Black life, Black excellence shouts ‘Keep going. You are strong. You are a survivor.’”
That said, Walton cautioned to remember the larger context of the term and where it came from: the notion that African Americans needed to be “twice as good to get half the credit.” Previously referred to in the past as the “Black tax,” Walton called the requirement to prove Black dignity and worth in the face of inhumanity and disrespect unjust.
“It’s an unfair yet expected obligation of what it means to be Black in America,” he said, calling the practice or need a “racialized burden, no matter the name,” due to the pervasive nature of racism in this country. Walton went on to describe two ways to dehumanize Black people — to presume that Blackness is “always intellectually deficient and morally deviant,” or that Black people must “always be superhuman.”
“Black excellence is an unjust and ineffective response because it places undue burdens on people of color to be exceptional just to be included. We shouldn’t be required to have advanced degrees, Grammies, gold medals, or executive positions to merit the fundamentals of democratic freedoms and protections — to simply be viewed as human,” Walton said.
“Black people, like all people are extraordinary and flawed. Brillant and blameworthy, noble and negligent,” he added. “In a world of mediocrity, for us to have to assume the responsibility to be excellent at all times is an unjust burden we shouldn’t have to carry.”
Princeton Theological Seminary President Jonathan Lee Walton, Ph.D. at Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel
As evident in the verse, Walton said Jesus understands this “double bind of prosecution” faced by people of color, which is why he offers a radically different definition of excellence. He urged those in attendance to remember the verse, which again reads simply, “the greatest among you, shall be your servant,” and how God therefore measures greatness, especially in this moment.
“Early followers of Jesus knew that excellence in the eyes of injustice would never be enough,” he explained. “Jesus taught them that greatness is not measured by power over others, but by service to others.” Walton continued, “The kingdom of God is not a social ladder but a table of fellowship, a table of where the marginalized are blessed, the meek are filled, and the servants are called great.”
Walton spoke of the greatness that has come from Howard and other historically Black colleges and universities like Morehouse and Spelman who countered the “lies disguised as science” coming out of institutions which at one time tried to justify or prove notions of Black inferiority and European intellectual supremacy.
“Howard University was cultivating and producing a moral counter witness,” he said. “It was from this campus that students and scholars projected literally a different world.”
Walton encouraged all to remember the impact of this community and the institutions that offer what he called the greatest challenge to tyranny. “The greatest challenge to tyranny comes from institutions that foster visible and invisible networks of resistance, institutions that champion competing forms of knowledge and that promote disruptive forms of art and activism,” he said, emphasizing that they bring us together and allow us to accomplish more together than we could on our own.
Calling attention to the work of Alain Locke, Mary Church Terrell, Lucy Diggs Slowe, Thurgood Marshall, Toni Morrison, Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad, Walton reminded current students of the University’s legacy and greatness, as well as the power already within them. He encouraged them not to be discouraged by attempts to erase Black legacies and stories.
“You are the promise of this nation — a promise that is more urgent than it’s ever been,” said Walton. He told attendees that Black people don’t need Target to celebrate Black history or permission from the Department of Justice or the Board of Education to speak out or up for the community. In other words, Black people don’t need permission to be great or to prove our excellence.
“You are the answer of somebody’s prayer. You are the fruit of somebody’s sacrifices. You are the dream of somebody who died not even knowing your name but believing in your future. Because of that, don’t you get caught up in being worried about being excellent,” said Walton. “Because when the day comes, God’s not going to ask you if you were perfect. God’s not going to ask you if you were excellent. God’s just going to ask you if you were faithful.”
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