Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land
By Joseph E. Lowery Published
From the earliest meetings of the Civil Rights Movement to offering the benediction for the first African American President of the United States, Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery has been an eyewitness to some of the most significant events in our history. But, more important, he has been a voice that speaks truth to power--inspiring change that moves us forward.
In Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land, you will find Dr. Lowery's most enduring speeches and messages from the past fifty years including Coretta Scott King's funeral and the benediction given at President Obama's inauguration. This book, however, is not simply a collection of words. It is the heart of a movement and a call to a new generation to carry the mantle--for all people.
Endorsements
Words matter; words combined with action matter the most. This powerful truth is engagingly affirmed in Rev. Joseph Lowery’s book of selected social gospel sermons and speeches and in the chronicles of some of the mighty work he has done for Civil Rights and for peace with justice.
--Johnnetta Betsch Cole, President Emerita, Spelman College and Bennett College for Women
True activism is an action of the heart and passion for our most sacred rights. Dr. Lowery stands among the 21st century leaders who have faithfully protected and preserved those rights for others. Through his service as a preacher, activist, historian, and counselor to presidents and mayors, he inspires others to a life of service and public duty. --Shirley Franklin, Former Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia
About the Author
Joseph E. Lowery
Joseph E. Lowery, a minister in the United Methodist Church, is an activist in the American civil rights movement. He served as the third president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from 1978-1998, after Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and his immediate successor, Rev. Dr. Ralph David Abernathy, and participated in most of the major activities of the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the '60s.
In addition to speaking at Coretta Scott King’s funeral and giving the benediction at President Barack Obama’s inauguration, Rev. Joseph E. Lowery is most recently noted for winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His numerous other awards include: the NAACP award at its 1997 convention for, “dean of the civil rights movement,” and Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received the Martin Luther King Jr. Center Peace Award and the National Urban League’s Whitney M. Young, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. Ebony has named him one of the 15 greatest black preachers.
Lowery has also received several honorary doctorates from colleges and universities. In addition, he was given the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award by the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. On his 80th birthday in 2001, the city of Atlanta changed the name of Ashby Street to Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, Atlanta Public Schools established the Joseph E. Lowery Lecture Series on Civic Engagement and Clark Atlanta University founded the Joseph E. Lowery Institute for Justice & Human Rights.
