Biographies of Black Bishops (2024)

Ketlen Solak

#1138 Consecrated November 13, 2021, Diocese of Pittsburgh

IX Bishop of Pittsburgh
Bishop Solak was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in a Roman Catholic family that was devout in faith and active in helping others. In her youth, she was drawn to the beauty of the church’s liturgy and she found inspiration and joy in reading the Bible. She moved to the United States as a teenager in order to pursue her education. Along the way, she felt called to The Episcopal Church and eventually the priesthood. After graduating from seminary and ordination, she served in parishes in Virginia and Delaware. In 2014, she became the founding rector of the Brandywine Collaborative Ministries, a partnership of three distinct congregations in Wilmington that operate as a cohesive community, a position she held until her election as bishop.

Bishop Solak has earned four academic degrees: a Bachelor and Master of Music from Catholic University in Washington, DC; and a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria.

Deon Johnson

#1133 Consecrated June 13, 2020, Diocese of Missouri

XI Bishop of Missouri
The eleventh Bishop of Missouri was born and raised in a small village on the Caribbean island of Barbados. He served as Associate Rector at Christ Episcopal Church in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and as Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brighton, Michigan. He also serves on the Task Force for Liturgical and Prayer Book Revision and as a consultant with the Office of Black Ministries. Bishop Deon is the first Black, first gay, and first immigrant Bishop of Missouri.

Shannon MacVean-Brown

#1122 Consecrated September 28, 2019, Diocese of Vermont

XI Bishop of Vermont
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Shannon MacVean-Brown was elected bishop by the people of the Episcopal Church in Vermont on May 18, 2019 and was ordained and consecrated bishop on September 28, 2019. She is the 11th bishop of the Diocese of Vermont.

Ordained a priest in 2005, Bishop Shannon is particularly committed to community engagement, social justice, and leading in multigenerational and multicultural communities through formation, liturgy, pastoral care, and the arts. “I am always at heart an artist,” she said after her election as bishop. “I express this in the liturgies I create, my poetry and icon writing, and in other creative endeavors that nourish my spirituality.”

Prior to her election as the 11th Bishop of Vermont, Bishop Shannon served as interim rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Franklin, Indiana, a rural congregation committed to radical welcome and service to the community. She has also served at Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis and St. John’s, Speedway in the Diocese of Indianapolis and several parishes in the Diocese of Michigan, including St. Matthew’s & St. Joseph’s in Detroit, where she was rector from 2006 to 2013. Bishop Shannon has led diocesan initiatives in both Michigan and Indianapolis and served the wider Episcopal Church in a variety of ways.She is currently a member of the Episcopal Church Taskforce on Women, Justice, and Reconciliation.

An experienced leader and community organizer, Bishop Shannon has held national leadership roles with Faith in Action, a national community organizing network, and has led Faith in Indiana and Act Indiana, partner organizations working on innovative, multi-faith solutions to statewide issues including immigration, mass incarceration, and access to healthcare and childcare. During her time in Detroit, she founded and led the Greater Woodward Community Development Corporation, which advances economic opportunities and well-being of underserved residents of Detroit’s North End.

Bishop Shannon holds a B.F.A. from Kendall College of Art & Design in Grand Rapids, an M.Div. from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, and a D.Min. from Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, where her dissertation was titled “Womanist Theory: An Appreciative Agenda for the Episcopal Church.” Before entering seminary, she worked as a commercial interior designer and jewelry designer.

Bishop Shannon and her husband, Phil, have been married for 29 years. Together they have a teenage daughter and a chihuahua named Detroit.

Kimberly (Kym) Lucas

#1117 Consecrated May 18, 2019, Diocese of Colorado

XI Bishop of Colorado
The Rev. Kimberly (Kym) Lucas was ordained and consecrated as the eleventh bishop of The Episcopal Church in Colorado on May 18 at Saint John’s Cathedral in Denver. Lucas became the first woman bishop as well as the first African American bishop in the diocese’s 132-year history.

Phoebe A. Roaf

#1116 Consecrated May 4, 2019, Diocese of West Tennessee

IV Bishop of West Tennessee
Born in Lansing, Michigan. Associate Rector, Trinity New Orleans. Rector, St. Philip’s, Richmond.

Carlye J. Hughes

#1109 Consecrated September 22, 2018, Diocese of Newark

XI Bishop of Newark
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and raised in Ft. Worth, Texas. Lilly Fellowship, St. James’ Church, New York City. Rector, St. Peter’s Church, Peekskill, New York. Rector, Trinity Church, Ft. Worth, Texas. Board of Trustees, Seminary of the Southwest. General Convention Task Forces on the Study of Marriage and Racial Justice & Reconciliation. Member, Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget & Finance. Board, College for Bishops. Episcopal Representative, Province II Provincial Council. Bishop Visitor, The Order of Saint Helena, the Diocese of Upper South Carolina. First woman and first African-American elected Diocesan Bishop in the Diocese of Newark.

Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows

#1100 Consecrated April 29, 2017, Diocese of Indianapolis

Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, a native of New York City, holds a B. A. in architecture from Smith College, an M.A. in historic preservation planning from Cornell University, and an M.Div. from Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Before being elected bishop of the Diocese of Indianapolis in 2016, she served in the Dioceses of Newark, Central New York and Chicago. She is the first Black woman to be elected a diocesan bishop in The Episcopal Church.

Carl Wright

#1098 Consecrated February 11, 2017, Armed Forces and Federal Ministries

VII Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Forces and Federal Ministries
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Wright was elected Bishop Suffragan at the Fall 2016 House of Bishops Meeting in Detroit Michigan and will be consecrated Bishop at the Washington National Cathedral on February 11, 2017, by The Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. Wright has been active in the Episcopal Church both as a civilian priest and an Air Force Chaplain.

Wright enlisted in the US Air Force in 1978. Following his initial enlistment, Wright was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the Maryland Army National Guard, and U.S. Army Reserve. In 1993 Wright was commissioned as a Chaplain, US Air Force until his retirement as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2011.

Prior to being elected Bishop, Wright served as Rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Pasadena, Maryland and as Archdeacon for Deployment and Pastoral Care in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.

Robert Christopher Wright

#1069 Consecrated October 13, 2012, Diocese of Atlanta

X Bishop of Atlanta
Born Pittsburgh, Former Rector; St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Atlanta, GA. Former Canon Pastor and Vicar of the Congregation of St. Savior at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, NY. Former Chaplain; The Cathedral School, New York, NY. Serves the Atlanta community as a member of Leadership Atlanta. Judicatory Head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Synod, and on the board of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. Served as Board member of the St. Laurence School, Dean of the Mid-Atlanta Convocation, Chair of the Commission on Ministry, Deputy of the General Convention, Youth Dean of Camp Mikell, and Adjunct Professor at Virginia Theological Seminary.

Ogé Beauvoir

#1064 Consecrated May 22, 2012, Diocese of Haiti

Bishop Suffragan of Haiti
Born Haiti. Appointed Missionary as Dean of the Theological Seminary, and Executive Director of the Network of the Episcopal Schools in Haiti. Program Associate for the Global South at the Grants Program at Trinity Wall Street, Mission Coordinator for Africa & the Middle East at the National Office of the Anglican Church of Canada. Dean of the Theological Seminary and the Principal of St. Peter’s College. Chairperson of the Francophone Network of the Anglican Communion and member of the Theological Education for the Anglican Communion (TEAC) set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury ater the 2002 Primates meeting. Montreal Diocesan Theological College awarded him a “Doctoris Sanctae Theologiae (honoris causa)” Published De I’ordination des femmes, Perspectives anthropologiques et théologiques, a book on women ordination. Contributed to The Scripture of Their Lives publshed by Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, and Transforming Vision by Anglican Book Centre, Toronto, Ontario Canada.

Eugene Taylor Sutton

#1030 Consecrated June 28, 2008, Diocese of Maryland

XIV Bishop of Maryland
The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton was elected bishop of the Diocese of Maryland in 2008. Previously he served as canon pastor of the Washington National Cathedral, directing its Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage. He has published articles on prayer, spirituality and justice, and contributed to the books, The Diversity of Centering Prayer, and Reclaiming the Gospel of Peace: Challenging the Epidemic of Gun Violence.

Bishop Sutton is recognized as a thought leader on issues of racial reconciliation and reparations, testifying before the United States Congress alongside author Ta-Nehisi Coates, actor Danny Glover, and economist Julianne Malveaux for Congressional Bill HR40 that calls for the establishment of a national bipartisan commission to study reparations as a restitution for slavery and racial discrimination.He’s appeared on National Public Radio, PBS television, Fox News, at The Chautauqua Institution, Howard University, and other public forums. His board memberships include the Institute for Christian, Jewish and Islamic Studies, the Institute for Sustainable Communities, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and Bishops United Against Gun Violence.He was named by the Center for American Progress as one of “14 Faith Leaders to Watch”.

A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he did graduate study at Princeton Theological Seminary and Anglican studies at the University of the South’s School of Theology. In addition to serving several parishes, he taught homiletics and liturgics at New Brunswick Theological Seminary and Vanderbilt University Divinity School.He is married to Sonya Subbayya Sutton, president of the Association of Anglican Musicians.

Nathan D. Baxter

#1010 Consecrated October 22, 2006, Diocese of Central Pennsylvania

X Bishop of Central Pennsylvania
Born Coatesville, PA. Rector of St. James Episcopal Church, Lancaster, PA. Served as Administrative Dean, Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Episcopal Divinity School; Dean and Associate Professor of Ministry at Lancaster Theological Seminary; Dean of Washington National Cathedral, Chief Administrative Officer of the Protestant Episcopal Church Foundation. Presently Honorary Chair of Union of Black Episcopalians; Convener of Episcopal Bishops of African Descent; and Peer Coach for newly ordained bishops. The Washington National Cathedral established the Nathan D. Baxter Endowed Fund for Preaching. Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia has a classroom donated in honor of his ecumenical ministry. Among his publications are Vsions for the Millennium, the award winning Comfort & Challenge: A Pastor’s Thoughts for a Troubled Nation. Most recently he contributed two homiletical essays on the Gospel of John for a new commentary by Knox/Westminster Press’ Feasting on the Gospels series.

Edward Ambrose Gumbs

#1003 Consecrated June 11, 2005, Diocese of The Virgin Islands

Bishop of the Diocese of Virgin Islands
Born island of Anguilla West Indies 1988 – Rector of St. Andrews Church in St. Thomas until his consecration. Member at the Center for Study of Spirituality and Professionalism at the University of the Virgin Islands.

Gayle Elizabeth Harris

#981 Consecrated January 18, 2003, Diocese of Massachusetts

Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts
Born in Cleveland, Ohio. Assistant, St. Philip the Evangelist Church, Washington, DC. Priest-in-charge, Holy Communion Church. Nave Clergy at Washington National Cathedral, Washington, DC. Rector, St. Luke and St. Simon Cyrene Church, Rochester, New York. Vice President, Church Pension Fund. CREDO Advisory Committee. Second African-American and third woman of color to be ordained a bishop in The Episcopal Church. Nominating Committee for Presiding Bishop.

Lloyd Emmanuel Allen

#971 Consecrated October 20, 2001, Diocese of Honduras

III Bishop of Honduras
Born Tela, Honduras. Vicar San Andres Church, Santa Maria de Los Angeles and St. Mary’s Church in Tegucigalpa. Founded eleven missions and churches in the Tegucigalpa area and a bilingual parochial school. Dean of the Tegucigalpa Deanery, Chaplain and President of the Board of Governors of El Hogar Ministries. President, Ninth Province. Presiding Bishop’s Committee of Advice.

Michael Bruce Curry

#955 Consecrated June 17, 2000, Diocese of North Carolina

XI Bishop of North Carolina
First Black Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church
Born in Chicago, Illinois. Deacon-in-charge, St. Stephen’s Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Rector St. Simon of Cyrene, Lincoln Heights, Ohio. Rector, St. James Church, Baltimore, Maryland. Extensive involvement in Crisis Control Ministry. Founder of ecumenical summer day camps for children, the Absalom Jones Initiative, and networks of family daycare providers. Broker of funds for investment in inner-city neighborhoods. National preaching and teaching ministry featured on The Protestant Hour. Chair, Advisory Committee for Black Ministries. Elected Presiding Bishop in 2015 at the 78th General Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Wendell Nathaniel Gibbs, Jr.

#950 Consecrated February 5, 2000, Diocese of Michigan

X Bishop of Michigan
Born in Washington. DC. Curate Emmanuel Church, Rockford, Illinois. Associate Rector of Grace Church, Utica, New York. Rector of the Four Point Parish in Waterville, Chadwicks, Clark Mills, and Oriskany Falls, New York. Rector St. Andrew’s Church, Cincinnati, Ohio. Dean of the Ohio River Deanery, Diocese of Southern Ohio. President, Province V. Presiding Bishop’s Committee of Advice.

Theodore Althelbert Daniels, III

#931 Consecrated June 30, 1997, Diocese of the Virgin Islands

Assistant Bishop of Texas
IV Bishop of the Virgin Islands
Born in Ancon, Panama. Rector, Calvary, Washington, DC, House of the Redeemer, Landover Hills, Maryland, St. Luke’s, Columbia, South Carolina. Member, Diocesan and National Commissions on Ecumenism. Member, Executive Council, and House of Bishops Theology Committee. Committed to an ecumenical ministry of empowerment for the disenfranchised.

Jean Zaché Duracin

#881 Consecrated June 2, 1993, Diocese of Haiti

V Bishop of Haiti
Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. As a Linguist, he engaged in international partnerships to promote education and employment in Haiti. Committed to economic and academic equality. Works with various cultural and ecumenical groups to further the goals of education, employment, and housing for the people of Haiti.

Victor Alfonso Scantlebury

#864 Consecrated March 15, 1991, Diocese of Panama

Assistant Bishop of Chicago
Bishop Suffragan of Panama
Born in Colon, Panama. Rector, St. Paul’s, Panama City. Diocese youth Director and Province IX Youth Ministry. President of the Standing Committee. Member, Human Rights Committee for Refugees. Director Cursillos in Panama. Member, Executive Council, and representative for the Partners in Mission consultation of the Iberian Provinces in Spain. Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief. Rector, St. Mark/ St Christopher Church, Jackson Mississippi.

Chester Lovell Talton

#861 Consecrated January 26, 1991, Diocese of Los Angeles

Bishop Suffragan of Los Angeles
Born in Eldorado, Arizona. Mission Officer, Trinity Church Wall Street. Rector St. Phillip’s Church, Harlem, New York, and Rector, St. Paul’s, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Vicar, Church of the Holy Cross, Chicago. Focused on empowering the poor towards economic stability. Instrumental in the production of the Black Urban Ministries Conference for church leaders, in Los Angeles.

Barbara Clementine Harris

#834 Consecrated February 11, 1989, Diocese of Massachusetts

Assisting Bishop of Washington
Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts
First woman Bishop in the Anglican Communion
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Crucifier at the ordination of the “Philadelphia 11”,the first women priests of The Episcopal Church. Co-founder of the Black women’s Task Force. Executive Director of the Episcopal Church Publishing Company, publisher of Witness Magazine. Founder of the Consultation, a coalition of progressive church-related organizations. Priest-In-Charge, St. Augustine’s, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An advocate for the disenfranchised and a voice for the voiceless. Served all four orders in the struggle for full inclusion of Black people in the church.

Franklin Delton Turner

#831 Consecrated October 7, 1988, Diocese of Pennsylvania

Assisting Bishop of Pennsylvania
Bishop Suffragan of Pennsylvania
Born in Norwood, North Carolina. Vicar, Church of the Epiphany, Dallas, Texas. Rector of St. George’s Church, Washington, DC. Staff Officer for Black Ministries. Founder and President Washington Episcopal Clergy Association. Board of Directors Kanuga Conference Center. Board of Trustees, Berkeley/ Yale Divinity School. Member Executive Council. Advocate for recruitment of Black leaders for Ministry. Foundered Organization of Black Episcopal Seminarians. Editor,Lift Every Voice and Sing.

Herbert Thompson, Jr.

#829 Consecrated September 24, 1988, Diocese of Southern Ohio

VIII Bishop of Southern Ohio
Born in Bronx, New York. Vicar. St. Gabriel’s Church, Brooklyn, New York. Rector, Christ Church, Bellport, Long Island, Rector, Grace Church, Jamaica, New York. Bishop Coadjutor of Southern Ohio. Board of Directors Kanuga Conference Center. President, Church Pension Fund. Nominee for Presiding Bishop. Founder “Clergy Family” Network of the Diocese of Southern Ohio. Board of Trustees, General Theological Seminary.

Orris George Walker, Jr.

#826 Consecrated April 9, 1988, Diocese of Long Island

VII Bishop of Long Island
Born in Baltimore, Maryland. Co-founder of the Union of Black Episcopalians. Vicar, St. Mark’s, Kansas City. Rector of St. Matthew and St. Joseph Church, Detroit, Michigan. Archdeacon of Michigan. Bishop Coadjutor of Long Island. President and professor of Canon Law of the George Mercer Memorial School of Theology. President, Episcopal Charities of Long Island. Chair, Board of Managers of the Episcopal Church Services, and Interfaith Medical Center. Chair, Recruitment, Training, and Deployment Committee. Board of Trustees, General Theological Seminary, Nominating Committee for Presiding Bishop.

Egbert Don Taylor

#819 Consecrated February 24, 1987, Diocese of the Virgin Island

Vicar Bishop of New York
III Bishop of the Virgin Island
Born in Kingston, Jamaica. Rector, St. Philip’s Church, Buffalo, New York, and the Church of the Holy Cross, Decatur, Georgia. Communications work with the Episcopal Radio and Television Network Author and Lecturer on Pastoral Care and Evangelism.

Arthur Benjamin Williams, Jr.

#812 Consecrated October 11, 1986, Diocese of Ohio

Bishop Suffragan of Ohio
Born in Providence, Rhode Island. Served parishes Diocese of Rhode Island and Michigan. Member, New Perspectives on Race which developed basic curriculum on anti-racism training. Archdeacon of the Diocese of Ohio. Member, National Executive Council, and the Board of Trustees of the General Theological Seminary. Chair, Commission on Human Sexuality. Chair, Committee for Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation. Vice President, Union of Black Episcopalians. Chair, Editorial Committee of Life Every Voice and Sing II. Vice President of the House of Bishops. Interim Director of Ethnic Congregational Development, national church staff.

Sturdie Wayman Downs

#793 Consecrated February 9, 1985, Diocese of Nicaragua

II Bishop of Nicaragua
Born Corn Island, Nicaragua. Educated at St. Andrews Seminary, Mexico City, Mexico. First Indigenous Bishop of Nicaragua. Rector, All Saints, Managua, Nicaragua.

James Hamilton Ottley

#779 Consecrated June 24, 1984, Diocese of Panama

Assisting Bishop of Southeast Florida
V Bishop of Panama
Born Colon, Panama. Rector, St. Paul’s Church, Panama City, Panama. Vice President House of Bishops. Anglican Observer to the United Nations. Advocate for human economic rights among all nations. A member of the Ecumenical Delegation for peace and justice. Interim Bishop of Honduras. Executive Secretary, Province IX.

Clarence Nicholas Coleridge

#763 Consecrated October 23, 1981, Diocese of Connecticut

Assisting Bishop of Pennsylvania
XIII Bishop of Connecticut
Born Georgetown, Guyana. Assistant, St. Philip’s, Harlem, New York, and St. George’s Church, Brooklyn, New York. Rector, St. Mark’s Church, Bridgeport, Connecticut. President, Christian Council of Connecticut. National Episcopal Commission for Black Ministries. Instituted The Bishop’s Fund for Children. Retired diplomat American Association of Pastoral Counselors. Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut 1981 –1993.

Henry Boyd Hucles, III

#760 Consecrated June 20, 1981, Diocese of Long Island

Bishop Suffragan of Long Island
Born in New York City. Rector, St. George’s Church, Brooklyn, New York. Archdeacon of Brooklyn, New York. Chair, Recruitment, Training, and Deployment Committee.

Walter Decoster Dennis, Jr.

#734 Consecrated October 6, 1979, Diocese of New York

Bishop Suffragan of New York
Born in Washington, DC. Canon, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York. Vicar, St. Cyprian’s, Hampton, Virginia. Co-founder, the Guild of St. Ives. Chair National Standing Committee on Constitutions and Canons. Co-Chair, National Recruitment, Training, and Deployment Committee. Vice President of Province II. Member, National Standing Commission on Structure. Chair, National Episcopal Commission for Black Ministries.

Henry Irving Mayson

#716 Consecrated October 9, 1976, Diocese of Michigan

Bishop Suffragan of Michigan
Born in Cleveland, Ohio. Graduate St. Augustine’s College. Vicar, St. Philip’s Church, Akron, Ohio. Director, Department of Christian Social Relations, Diocese of Ohio. Archdeacon of Michigan.

Harold Louis Wright

#694 Consecrated February 2, 1974, Diocese of New York

Bishop Suffragan of New York
Born Boston, Massachusetts. Church musician, seminary instructor, parish priest. Rector, Church of the Resurrection, East Elmhurst, New York. Executive Council staff; Ministries coordinator, Diocese of New York. Chair, National Commission for Black Ministries.

Quintin Ebenezer Primo, Jr.

#683 Consecrated September 20, 1972, Diocese of Chicago

Bishop Suffragan of Chicago
Born in Liberty County, Georgia. Chair, Chicago Advisory Commission on Metropolitan Affairs; coordinated diocesan inner-city parish work. Member, Executive Council. Rector, St. Simon’s Church, Rochester, New York; St. Matthew’s, Wilmington, Delaware; St. Matthew and St. Joseph Church, Detroit, Michigan. Known for his passion for justice.

Telèsforo Alexander Isaac

#678 Consecrated March 9, 1972, Diocese of the Dominican Republic

II Bishop of the Dominican Republic
Born San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. School Chaplain and rural priest. Rector San Andres Church, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. First indigenous bishop. Vice President Province IX. Vice-Chair Church World Service in the Dominican Republic. Known for his commitment to education and to the indigenous people in the region.

Lemuel Barnett Shirley

#675 Consecrated February 19, 1972, Diocese of Panama

IV Bishop of Panama
Born Colon, Panama. First native Panamanian ordained priest and first indigenous bishop. Educated in Panama and the United States. Active in parish ministry, including St. Paul’s, Panama City, Panama. Archdeacon of Panama.

John Thomas Walker

#664 Consecrated June 29, 1971, Diocese of Washington

VI Bishop of Washington
Born in Barnesville, Georgia. Rector St. Mary’s Church, Detroit, Michigan. Faculty of St. Paul’s School, Concord, New Hampshire; Canon, Washington Cathedral. Bishop Suffragan of Washington. Dean of the National Cathedral. Nominee for Presiding Bishop. A strong advocate for African American development and self-determination.

Luc Anatole Jacques Garnier

#660 Consecrated April 20, 1971, Diocese of Haiti

IV Bishop of Haiti
Born in Maissade, Haiti. First indigenous Bishop of Haiti. Served rural parishes and Rector Church of the Epiphany, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Dean Holy Trinity Cathedral and Executive Administrator of the diocese.

George Daniel Browne

#652 Consecrated August 6, 1970, Diocese of Liberia

X Bishop of Liberia
IV Archbishop of West Africa
Born Garroway, Liberia. First indigenous Bishop of Liberia. First Missionary Bishop directly elected by a diocese. Led the Church in Liberia toward self-support, independence from the American Church, and membership in the Province of West Africa. A visionary for peace and harmony during the civil unrest in Liberia.

Richard Beamon Martin

#620 Consecrated February 2, 1967, Diocese of Long Island

Bishop Suffragan of Long Island
Born in Peake, South Carolina. Rector of Grace Church, Norfolk, Virginia, and St. Philip’s Church. Brooklyn, New York. Archdeacon of Southern Virginia and Brooklyn, New York. Executive for Education, Mission, and Ministry of the National Church; Interim Bishop of the Virgin Island. Known for his reconciling spirit and as an active advocate for recruitment, training, and deployment of Blacks seeking Holy Orders.

Cedric Earl Mills

#593 Consecrated April 19, 1963, Diocese of The Virgin Islands

First Black Bishop of the Virgin Islands
Born Hartford, Connecticut. Rector St. James’ Church, Baltimore, Maryland. Assistant Bishop of the Diocese Los Angeles. Twice Executive Council Deputy to General Convention. Active in social agencies and educational groups.

John Melville Burgess

#590 Consecrated December 8, 1962, Diocese of Massachusetts

X Bishop of Massachusetts
First Black Diocesan Bishop in the United States
Born Grand Rapids, Michigan. Served as Chaplain at Howard University. First Black Canon of Washington National Cathedral. Served as Archdeacon of Boston and Superintendent of the Episcopal City Mission. Bishop Suffragan and later Bishop Coadjutor of Massachusetts; member of the Church Workers Union and National President of the Union of Black Episcopalians. A champion of the ecumenical movement. Active in National Church and World Councils of Churches.

Dillard Houston Brown, Jr.

#580 Consecrated January 6, 1961, Diocese of Liberia
IX Bishop of Liberia
Born in Marietta, Georgia. Rector St. Luke’s, Washington. A strong advocate for youth Ministry and community organization. Consecrated Bishop Coadjutor of Liberia 1961; Diocesan 1964. Vigorous fundraiser and developer of schools and parishes in outlying areas. Assassinated, along with four members of the diocesan staff, November 19, 1969.

Bravid Washington Harris

#451 Consecrated April 17, 1945, Diocese of Liberia

VIII Bishop of Liberia
First Executive Secretary for Negro Work
Born Warrenton, North Carolina. Rector, Grace Church, Norfolk, Virginia. Archdeacon for Negro Work, Diocese of Southern Virginia. Revitalized Cuttington College and Theological School. Established tropical disease research and public health laboratories.

Theophilus Momolu Firah Gardiner

#318 ​​​​​​​Consecrated June 23, 1921, Diocese of Liberia

Bishop Suffragan of Liberia
Born Cape Mount, Liberia. Son of a Muslim Imam. Professor of History at Cuttington College. Helped to lead the Church into the interior of Liberia.

Henry Beard Delany

#298 ​​​​​​​Consecrated November 19, 1918, Diocese of North Carolina

Bishop Suffragan for Colored Work
Born a Methodist in St. Mary’s, Georgia. Entire ministry as a teacher, priest, archdeacon, and bishop was centered at St. Augustine’s College, Raleigh, North Carolina. Greatly advanced the cause of Blacks in the south.

Edward Thomas Demby

#296 Consecrated September 29, 1918, Diocese of Arkansas

Bishop Suffragan for Colored Work
First Black Suffragan Bishop in the United States
Born Wilmington, Delaware. Suffragan Bishop for Colored Work, Diocese of Arkansas, and the Province of the Southwest. Wrote many devotional books including Devotions of the Cross and At the Holy Mass. Led Church expansion westward.

Samuel David Ferguson

#139 Consecrated June 24, 1885, Diocese of Liberia

IV Bishop of Liberia
First Black Bishop of Liberia
First Black Member of the House of Bishops
Born Charleston, South Carolina. Emigrated with his parents to Liberia in 1848. Former Assistant minister and later rector of St. Mark’s Harper, Liberia. Founded Cuttington College. Greatly expanded the Church in Liberia.

James Theodore Holly

#106a Consecrated November 8, 1874, Diocese of Haiti

I Bishop of Haiti.
First black bishop in The Episcopal Church.
Born in Washington DC. Ordained and served as Deacon at St. Matthew’s, Detroit, Michigan. Rector of St. Luke’s, New Haven Connecticut. The first Black Bishop present at a Lambeth Conference (1878). Founded the Anglican Church in Haiti, L’Eglise Orthodoxe Apostolique Haitienne.

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