True celebrity

:: Dr. Lawrence Carter is a prominent figure with 30 years’ worth of accolades to his name, and a man who has proven his love for humankind.

Lawrence Carter is dean of the Martin Luther King International Chapel at Morehouse College

By Belen Velasco

Dr. Lawrence Carter Sr. can easily be considered a celebrity, having earned a number of titles, written a number of books and presided over a variety of international conferences. What I found, however, was a humble man with no desire for fame, an authentic Christian keenly aware that everything received from God was useless unless employed in the service of others.

Since he is dean of the Martin Luther King International Chapel, I asked him about Dr. King. Carter had the good fortune to have known and worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr., and it was his son who asked Carter to come to Morehouse. King has remained a significant influence on Carter in his time at college; though at times his service at Morehouse has been a struggle, he has followed King’s example of remaining faithful to God through life’s challenges.

Carter shared with me the profound moment when he learned that King had been slain. Upon receiving this terrible news, Carter and his fiancée went to pray together. The image in his mind was of Jesus Christ in Gethsemane. Remembering Jesus’ suffering at that moment, he asked God to give him the opportunity to do something that would let people know of Dr. King’s life.

Having traveled extensively, Carter attests to the richness of diversity, which he has discovered in the myriad cultures, traditions, faiths and races around the globe. He sees every trip as a pilgrimage, and this attitude has helped him appreciate both the differences and similarities between peoples. His different trips around the world have humanized the abstract, putting faces on the states and nations he has visited — places made up of children, adults and families who worship, celebrate, suffer and, most importantly, live. All the joys and tragedies of people that once seemed so far have become a part of him.

On one of his trips, Carter met some members of the Focolare Movement and immediately felt in tune with the spirituality. Those he met, wanting to live like Christ by promoting interfaith dialogue and unconditional love, greatly impressed him. Since that first meeting, Dr. Carter has felt blessed with his friendship with the movement.

In fact, he has been working for many years to build dialogue between people. “If you are not so quick in being judgmental, then you have a better chance of practicing forgiveness,” he says. It is obvious that these are not empty words for him — they describe a lifestyle. Though the prejudice and racism he has experienced seem to pose a threat to this commitment, Carter has never given up on building dialogue with
all people.

When he was seven days old, Carter’s grandmother carried him into church, lifted him heavenward, and asked the Lord to make him a minister. She never mentioned this to anybody; Carter himself only heard the story after he had been ordained. He holds up that event as a testimony to the power of prayer, and consciousness of that power has remained with him since he was a young boy.

When he was 15, Carter felt a personal call to work for peace and the people around him. He started praying for the chance to strengthen the church he loved by motivating hundreds of young men and women to join the ministry. Thirty years later it seems his prayer was answered through the various youth ministries at Morehouse.

We spoke about the hard times African-Americans have faced and the steps that American society has made toward unity. We cannot separate this country from the world, he says, and it is not in “pointing the finger” that we build dialogue, but in becoming an example for others. The flaws of our imperfect society have nothing to do with skin color, he says, and solutions to our problems can only be achieved through integrity, intelligence and love.

“Be the change you wish to see,” he says, quoting Mahatma Gandhi while referring to our duty to work together for our country and our world. Carter cites the U.S.’s first African-American president as proof of positive change in our country — decreased hostility, increased dialogue, growth and consciousness.

“We become more conscious by being conscious of our consciousness,” he says. Personal consciousness allows each of us to become homo universalis, “universal person,” men and women who are able to love and embrace the whole world, not just the little corners in which we live.

On September 11, 2001, he explains, the U.S. learned this same truth: that America is not a separate world but a part of the world. That day was also an indication of the power of dialogue among different people. “Since that fateful day, we have become a much more united country.”

Carter admits that although Americans still have a ways to go toward unity, progress is nevertheless being made. He would be very happy on his final day to have been permitted to do meaningful work in this meaningful period of time.

“I might only be remembered as a footnote in history,” he says, “but I tried to make my contribution.” And that is all that matters.

— with Iffie Awachie

To see more about Dr. Lawrence Cater go to morehouse.edu

Martin Luther King, Jr. Spirit-Led Prophet A Biography Foreword by Coretta Scott King (New City Press) 978-1-56548-185-5 US$13.95

Martin Luther King, Jr. was the most inspiring civil rights leader in American history. He was a scholar and a very gifted orator but, before all else, he was a pastor, a theologian, a martyr, a Christian. Spirit-led Prophet uniquely tells his
compelling story from the perspective of his faith. In the midst of a tumultuous public life, King prayed for guidance and depended upon God’s spirit to lead him.

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