Dr. Lamont Francies shares his strategies for social resistance and education as a spiritual process through the Black church.
Francies is a senior pastor at Delta Bay Church of Christ in Antioch, California. He graduated from the University of San Francisco with a master’s in sociology and counseling and a doctorate in international multicultural education. Francies co-founded East County Northstar, a blog geared toward local African Americans, and is opening the Allensworth Hamer Academy, an Afrocentric elementary school.
Francies attributes his inspiration to unsung civil rights organizer, Stokely Carmichael. A colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King, Carmichael coined the term “Black Power” in 1966. Carmichael emphasized the importance of mobilization and organization for the civil rights movement. This means it is not enough to assemble behind an issue; there must be a structure or a plan to facilitate change.
“Change only comes through our collective organizations as African Americans,” Francies says. “If organizations are not there, we are left with a moment but no movement.”
In response to moments of modern racism, Francies unites and educates the community through the Black church. The Delta Bay Church of Christ held a voter registration drive this past fall. The event informed community members of what was on the ballot and how to register to vote. They partnered with the local NAACP to talk about the importance of voting. The church partnered with East County Northstar in a live debate with the mayor. The debate influenced the election of Mayor Lamar Thorpe, Antioch’s second African American mayor.
About 70 years after the civil rights movement, Francies critiques the integrative model in the United States.
“We’ve moved in but we have not moved up,” Francies says. “Integration made us perpetual guests. There is always a sense of white paternalism.”
Part of Francies’ call for social resistance is reversal of whitewashed integration. This involves a redistribution of resources to establish successful Black churches, schools stores and communities.
Dr. Francies’ event, “Beyond the Veil”, is hosted by Lane Community College on Thursday, April 29 from 2:30 – 4 PM. For more information contact Dr. Lawrence Rasheed or register via Zoom.
