Colorblind
By Kelly Alm
This is the fourth story in a series honoring February's distinction as Black History Month.
Pastor Tyronne Champion always dreamed of having a multicultural church. That's how he imagined heaven would be.
In 1997, with only one member, Champion started his crusade at the True Deliverance Church of God in Bealeton, originally founded by his father-in-law, Apostle Albert Venson. Champion and his wife Felicia have since grown the ministry, attracting black, white, and Hispanic congregates.
But their vision didn’t stop there.
“This is a legacy my dad started,” Mrs. Champion said, referring to both the church and a drug-abuse outreach program that Venson founded on the same property. “We wanted to start building on his vision. Each generation should take the mission further.”
Under the umbrella organization, Community Touch Inc., the Champions founded Victory Transitional Housing, which provides housing and other resources to help homeless people get back on their feet; Noah’s Ark, which offers clothing, furniture and household goods to the needy; and Clara’s Faith House Food Pantry.
According to the Champions, the majority of those served by Community Touch are white, a fact that is irrelevant to the couple.
“I don't see color, just need,” Champion said. “We are here to serve basic human needs by providing food, clothing and housing.”
Diversity and adversity
Champion learned early in life to appreciate racial diversity.
He remembers his father, a master sergeant in the United State Air Force, sometimes returning home from work to express his frustration with the racist epithets co-workers had directed at him that day. Like many military families, the Champion's moved frequently, bringing Tyronne, his four brothers, and one sister, into contact with a diverse range of people.
“I was exposed to different nationalities,” he said, “so I learned that race doesn't matter. I wasn't tainted by life's prejudices.”
In contrast, his wife spent part of her childhood in Milwaukee, then the most segregated city in the United States. As a fourth-grader in the mid-1960s, she was bused across town to an all-white school during desegregation.
“There were only 10 of us in a white school, and they were mean,” she recalled. “They treated us like we were from another planet.” On more than one occasion, police arrested African American students after they had been beaten by their white classmates.
She also remembers residents hanging “Soul Brother” signs in their windows to prevent their homes from being burned during the July 30, 1967, race riots in Milwaukee. In an eruption of violence that marked the bloodiest day in the city’s history, Milwaukee joined the list of cities raising consciousness to the dangers of racial discrimination that night.
“My mindset had to be transformed by the Lord,” Mrs. Champion said of the strength she needed to rise above such racial strife and recover a positive outlook on the world.
She also attributes her ability to overcome such adversity to strong family values. Along with lessons from the Bible, her parents used family time to discuss the history of African Americans with young Felicia and her seven siblings.
Her husband, on the other hand, learned about African American history primarily through school.
“As I grew older, I became more aware of the significance of what these famous historical African American figures did — the price they paid for us to be where we are now,” he said.
The greatness of African Americans like Fredrick Douglas and Harriet Tubman is magnified by the time in which they lived, Champion said.
“I began to realize more and more how powerful these people were,” he said. “We’re not talking about today. We’re talking about the 1800s, before slavery was even abolished.”
“And the sacrifices they made to empower us,” Mrs. Champion added. “They break the stereotypes even within our own culture. They show us we can do it.”
The couple agrees that there are positive and negative role models for young African Americans today. “It’s all about what you are drawn to,” he said. “A lot of kids — African American, white, Hispanic, from all walks of life — look at success, fortune and money for the benchmark.”
The Champions recognize the media’s role not only in influencing who African American youth are drawn to, but also to whom they are exposed.
With the exception of the current media spotlight on presidential candidate Barack Obama, the majority of African Americans shown on television are sports figures or rap and hip-hop artists, the couple observed. Some of these stars model positive behavior; others are certainly not role models most parents would select for their children. Negative stereotypes of African Americans continue to plague television shows and movies.
“When you open your mind, that's what you become if you're not careful,” Mrs. Champion said.
Positive role models and words are crucial to empowerment and progress, the couple believes.
“Martin Luther King saw the vision before it was a reality. He spoke it into our lives, ‘We shall be free. We shall overcome.’ We can speak positive messages into our children,” she said.
“When you begin to speak words of life, it gives people hope,” Champion added, noting that their 11-year-old son Denzell especially admires King. “He was a very smart man. He went to college when he was 16. That inspires my Denzell.”
“M.L.K. followed his destiny, in spite of his obstacles,” Mrs. Champion added. This is a lesson the Champions not only preach to their own four children, but to their congregation and those who seek help from Community Touch.
“Don’t let anyone determine your destiny,” she said. “Don’t be a victim. You can overcome.”
The Champions do not dismiss the role that a history of subjugation has played in the African American community. And, in the same respects, they recognize that not everyone has equal access to the same resources and opportunities.
By helping to fill fundamental needs like food, clothing and housing, while offering guidance and encouragement through Community Touch, the Champions work to to help those affected by adversity fulfill their potential.
“You have to find a balance in life. It’s about reflecting on where we came from, where we are and where we're going,” Mrs. Champion said. “We share this world together. We all have something to contribute.”
E-mail the reporter: kalm@timespapers.com .