Englewood Black Lutheran Pastor Reflects on Ava Duvernay's Short Documentary Film AUGUST 28-A Day in The Life of A People & Celebrating His Own Ordination
Rev. Joel Washington (Khunanpu Sangoma)
Published: August 28, 2017
1. Rev. Joel Washington (Khunanpu Sangoma), a veteran resident of Englewood's Bethel Terrace Co-Op Apartments on 63rd PKWY and Pastor of the Far South Side's Reformation Lutheran Church ("Young Barack Obama's community organizing sanctuary"), celebrates the serendipitous August 28, 2011 Anniversary of his ordination with a reflection on its coincidence with the creation of Ms. Ava Duvernay's short documentary film, AUGUST 28-A Day in The Life of A People, commissioned by the Smithsonian Institute's new National Museum on African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).
2. Pastor Washington (Sangoma) reflects "Having attended the 1963 March on Washington as a young man, having seen, on a Harlem newstand while still an elementary school student, the original JET MAGAZINE news story and photo featuring the body of young Emmett Till lying in open coffin, and being aware of the unveiling of the MLK Monument near the National Mall on the same date, I could not help but see the Holy Spirit at work when August 28, 2011 was set aside as the date of my ordination along with Garfield Park's Rev. Felicia Campbell."
3. Initially ordained and commissioned, by Metro Chicago Synod's Bishop Wayne N. Miller/ELCA, to Engelwood's Kennedy/King College Campus Ministry, on Sunday, August 28, 2011, Pastor Washington (Sangoma) reflects "It was indeed a special day at Windsor Park Lutheran Church, a day when the then Metro Chicago African American Strategy Team showed up and showed out in full attendance and support."
4. Ms. Ava Duvernay, reflecting on her AUGUST 28 film, observes "I chose to focus on a date that has fascinated me for years...in my eyes August 28 tells so much about Black History through the lens of one date." More, Ms. Duvernay says "The Smithsonian gave us an opportunity to tell this story and I am proud to be a part of NMAAHC'S inaugural installations."
5. According to Ms. Duvernay, then, "AUGUST 28 depicts the 1955 lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 'I HAVE A DREAM' speech during the massive March on Washington."
6. Ms. Duvernay further adds "The film (looks) at the 2005 date that Hurricane Katrina made its landfall and the Denver night in 2008 when Barack Obama accepted the Democrats nomination as the first African American to be a major political party's Presidential candidate."
7. Pastor Washington (Sangoma) reflects "we respectfully submit that the historic coincidences lifted up by Ms. Duvernay's AUGUST 28 work for the BLACKSON on the one hand, and on the other the celebration of the 6th Anniversary of our Windsor Park ordination service expresses a special Holy Spirit anointing of our ministry-for those with spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear. More, we posit our ministry's special anointing not on the strength of our word only but rather on its coincidence with the August 28 Black History dates referenced above as dramatic confirmation."