The Rev. Will Mebane, the rector of St. Barnabas's Church in Falmouth, has been nominated by the Cape Cod Times for inclusion in the USA Today Leaders of Change project, lifting up his lifelong stand for racial equality.
From the Aug. 31 profile: "The Rev. Will Mebane’s first glimpse of racism came when he was 8 or 9, in his hometown of Durham, North Carolina. He and his father drove by the local YMCA and Will saw children playing in the pool. It was a hot August day, and he begged his father to take him to the pool. But his father said no — only whites were allowed.
“'That is probably my most vivid memory and understanding of what segregation was,' said Mebane, now 67, and the rector at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
"Mebane has led a life of activism. From Durham to Buffalo, New York, and now to Cape Cod, he has been speaking at marches, protests and community events, preaching the gospel and leading nonprofit groups committed to community development.
“'I am not preaching politics when I’m preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ,' Mebane said. 'It can sound a lot like politics when I’m challenging our government to make sure that children who are hungry in this nation have food. I do that because Jesus says feed the hungry.
“'It can sound like politics when I say that every person in this nation should have health care, health insurance. Why? Because Jesus says care for the sick.'”
Use the link below to read the full profile.