A Candid Interview: The Life, Leadership and Legacy of Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III

As Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church, family, and friends along with citizens of New York City and beyond are joining to celebrate the life of Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, I invite those who may not be familiar with Rev. Butts to watch this interview from the show Explorations in Black Leadership, produced and hosted by Julian Bond, an iconic civil rights leader, activist, and advocate for social justice in his own right. Julian Bond was a Georgia State legislator and university professor who also served as National President of the NAACP and the first President of the Southern Poverty Law Center. His well-honed leadership experience in social justice and his insightful interview skills, coupled with Rev. Butts’ astute synthesis of his own leadership style and theological philosophy, offer a rare and lively engagement in didactic learning. What remained consistent during Rev. Butts’ 50 years of effective urban ministry was the core undergirding of a moral compass that is fundamentally inclusive, Christocentric, yet informed by universal Black and Pan African aspiration within the African diaspora. Here are two of the last half century’s most effective social justice leaders engaged in a candid discussion of the challenges and triumphs along the journey to becoming a trusted results-oriented religious leader and pragmatic advocate for social justice, equality of educational opportunity, and empowered community development. Abyssinian Development Corporation (ADC) was chartered by a group of volunteers led by Rev. Butts. ADC is a nationally recognized nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to building the human, social, and physical capital of Harlem. ADC accomplishes this by increasing the availability of quality affordable housing. Delivering human services, particularly to the homeless, elderly, families, and children, ADC fosters economic revitalization, enhances educational opportunities for youth, and builds community capacity through civic engagement. ADC’s first major project in 1999 was a $17 million dollar 65,000 square-foot PathMark supermarket that helped transform the 125th Street and Lexington corridor in East Harlem from a veritable food desert and hub for drug and illicit activities into a busy commercial enterprise, helping to anchor Harlem’s then-burgeoning rebound. In the early 20th Century the Renaissance Theater and Casino next to the Abyssinian Baptist Church was where Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson performed, Joe Louis slugged opponents, and the Harlem Wrens basketball team dominated games and championships. The ADC has retrofitted the building and grounds of the Renaissance Ballroom to a modern multiservice complex with conference facilities and social service amenities. ADC partnered with the New York City Department of Education to build the first new Harlem public school in decades, the Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change. ADC’s Harlem Center, an $85 million-dollar retail and office complex on 125th Street, was developed with the Forest City Ratner Company. Businesses there include Marshalls, Staples, H&M, CVS, and the Washington Mutual Bank These ADC projects were initiated in collaboration with many entities, public and private, including federal, state, and local financing, through a network of teams, facilitated by Dr. Butts, making today’s Harlem a popular residential and business destina