Mayor Steven Reed
“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.
Breath of Life Ministries, in partnership with Oakwood University Church, was honored to worship with and award Mayor Steven Reed, the first African American to become Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, during our Black History Month Worship Celebration. Not only is Mayor Reed the first African American Mayor of Montgomery, but he is also the youngest. Montgomery is the capital of Alabama and was once the hub for the slave trade in 1819. Understanding that nearly 200 years ago, slaves inhabited Montgomery and then 200 years later in 2019, a black man would become the Mayor of what was once the biggest hub for the slave trade is astonishing.
Mayor Reed was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama, and once looked at every opportunity in life as a chance to make money. So much so, he had dreamt of becoming a corporate CEO or owning his own business and being featured in the Black Enterprise. Mayor Reed had no intention of going back to Montgomery until he realized a change needed to happen. Even with that realization, he was still running from his purpose. It wasn’t until former President Barack Obama came to Selma, Alabama, and said something that resonated with Mayor Reed. President Obama’s word’s caused Mayor Reed to stop looking at monetary benefits and start looking at life from a service aspect. This newly found motivation pushed him to run for mayor, and on November 12, 2019, he was elected as the 57th Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama.
Mayor Reed briefly addressed the congregation expressing the significance of Black History Month, which initially started as Negro History Month. The week was set to recognize the birthdays of Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. It did not always recognize the major contributions of countless other people of color who paved the way for us now. This generation needs to know that life isn’t all about social media, and everything that follows but the fact that our life’s work is about what we’ve done, not for ourselves but for others. We should always choose to stick to our faith over giving in to our fears.
Following Mayor Reed’s address, Pastor Byrd used as reference the Bible verse Deuteronomy 6: 1-9. His message was entitled “Don’t Forget Where You’ve Come From.” In it, he stressed the importance of passing our family history, wisdom, faith, and insight into the next generation. We should never look at our current state with great pride because we weren’t always privileged, yet we should be thankful for how far we have come, and the great contributions and strength given by persistent trailblazers before us.
After the service, Mayor Reed graciously answered questions from the community and Oakwood University students in a brief conference in the Family Life Center. Here Mayor Reed shared with us his journey as a student at Morehouse College in Georgia, working 60-70 hours a week as an Analysis at American Airlines, attending Business school, becoming a probate judge, and finally, the first African American Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama. Mayor Reed encouraged students to become the best they can be while keeping their faith at the forefront!
“We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.”- Maya Angelou
