A Special Message from the President
To all the Friends and Supporters of the African American Heritage House at Chautauqua (“AAHH”)
It’s with gratitude for a life incredibly well-lived, and with sadness at the loss of a giant, that I write to tell you of the death of our friend, leader, and colleague, Joan Brown Campbell. Joan passed peacefully – in fact, her daughter Jane described it as “serenely” – on Saturday, March 29.
Joan was a force of nature in all facets of her life. She was a long-time leader of the quest for racial justice, helping Clevelanders elect the first black mayor of a major American city, the Honorable Carl Stokes, in 1967. She was also dedicated to ecumenical interfaith work. When Joan was 49, she was ordained by the National Baptist Church, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s denomination. Soon after, the Disciples of Christ recognized her ordination. Joan subsequently became the first woman to serve as the executive director of the US office of the World Council of Churches. She was the first ordained woman to serve as the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. She was also the first woman to serve as the director of religion at the Chautauqua Institution, and in that role was one of the founding visionaries of the AAHH. It’s not a stretch at all to say that, but for Joan’s inspiration, advocacy and commitment, the AAHH would not exist.
While Joan’s heart was firmly in Chautauqua, working tirelessly to make it more inviting, more welcoming, and more inclusive, her energies and vision were global. She led a delegation to meet with Pope John Paul II, presenting him with a copy of New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. She was part of the delegation led by President Bill Clinton to attend the funeral of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel. Along with her friend, Reverend Jesse Jackson, she traveled to Belgrade during the Balkan wars and negotiated the release of imprisoned American soldiers. She and Carl Sagan, the renowned astronomer, helped cofound the National Religious Partnership for the Environment. She served as an election observer when Nelson Mandela was elected as the first black president of South Africa. She was the only woman in the procession of over 200 clergy at the enthronement of Desmond Tutu as the archbishop of the Anglican Church in South Africa. Archbishop Tutu later called Joan “a woman of courage and compassion,” adding that “she helped put an end to the evil of apartheid.”
Joan lived a life that was, to quote her well-known phrasing, “rich and full.” And, indeed, our lives are richer and fuller as a result of her passion and ministry. Fittingly, Joan’s family has requested that, in lieu of flowers or gifts, her mourners direct their generosity to two places – a Geriatric Medicine endowment through the MetroHealth Foundation named in honor of her son, Dr. James W Campbell, and the AAHH. In that way, and in so many others, Joan’s life will continue to be a blessing to the ongoing work of the AAHH.
We all pass away twice. Once when we physically expire, and a second time when friends and history forget about us. The Rev. Joan Brown Campbell will pass away only once.
In Faith,
Erroll Davis
President,
African American Heritage House (AAHH)
