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On Thursday Evening, July 26, 2018, at the gala celebration for the 50th Anniversary meeting of The Union of Black Episcopalians (the “Union”), held in Nassau, Bahamas, the Rev. Dr. Robert E. DuBose Chapter (the “DuBose Chapter”) received its official charter certifying it’s official membership into the 55 collective chapters and interest groups throughout the continental United States and the Caribbean that comprise the Union. The Union also has members in Canada, Africa and Latin America. The DuBose Chapter is a joint venture between the Diocese of Alabama and the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast. The Chapter will work to foster Collaborative social justice projects and community focused programs to meet the unique needs of under-resourced parishes in the two dioceses. The Chapter is named for the Rev. Dr. Robert E. DuBose, Jr., a native of Birmingham, AL. DuBose served churches in Alabama and Pennsylvania, and was an honorary Canon of the Cathedral Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Accra, Ghana. In the 1960’s, DuBose participated in the Montgomery bus boycott and sit-ins, and was the plaintiff in a court case which led to the desegregation of Alabama restaurants. The officers of the DuBose Chapter are the Rev. Tommie Watkins, associate rector and assistant chaplin at Canterbury Chapel Episcopal Church and Student Center, Tuscaloosa, AL; the Rev. Deacon Carolyn Foster, from the Diocese of Alabama; and Joe McDaniel, Jr., from the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, serving respectively as president, vice-president, and secretary/treasurer. Membership is open to anyone who wishes to work in the area of social justice. For information, please contact Joe McDaniel at mcdanieljoe43@yahoo.com.
Pictured above: UBE national vice president, the Rev. Canon Martini Shaw, and UBE national president, Annette Buchanan, present Joe McDaniel, Jr., and the Rev. Tommie Watkins with the Charter for The Rev. Dr. Robert E. DuBose Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians.