Glen Ellyn pastor reflects on King’s legacy

GLEN ELLYN – It's mid-afternoon and the Rev. James Shannon walks over from his desk to sit at a small round table inside his office at the Peoples Community Church. In his hands is "Jesus Calling," a book filled with inspirational passages. The Glen Ellyn pastor says this is his guide, a reminder that out of hardships comes hope.

“Nothing in heaven or on earth can stop you,” he reads. “You may encounter many obstacles as you move toward your goal, but don’t be discouraged. Never give up with my help.”

These days, the 71-year-old Shannon is reflective. He spoke at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, on Jan. 21 to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

For Shannon, the trip was a homecoming of sorts, and he sought to share a message that picked up where King left off. He wanted to inspire the Dexter congregation to unite and create change.

Shannon still carries with him the memories of growing up in the South at the heels of the Civil Rights Movement. The world was different back then, he said. Even as a child, Shannon knew there were places where he and his family were not welcome.

There were signs stuck to drinking fountains and washroom doors, barring black people from using them or separating them from whites. On the bus, Shannon also knew his place. He, along with many other African-Americans, had to sit in the back section.

Sometimes, Shannon recalled, the back of the bus was crowded with black passengers and even if the front section was empty, they were not allowed to move up.

“I mean it was this whole segregated system that growing up I didn’t understand,” he said. “And my parents couldn’t explain it to me because they’d just say, ‘Well, this is the way it is and this is what you have to grow up in.’ ”

To live during this time of racial tension, especially at such a young age, Shannon was in need of answers.

“All we wanted to do was be kids; all we wanted to do was have a life, and you know, you often wonder why people hate you,” he said.

As Shannon reflected on life in Alabama, he recalled a couple of experiences that left quite an impact on his life, ultimately calling him to become a church leader.

Shannon was only 7 years old when King and his family visited Dexter Avenue. It was from King that Shannon learned about empathy, equality and peace – teachings that Shannon continues to preach and have stood the test of time.

The other experience is the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a nearly yearlong protest that began in December 1955 after Rosa Park was arrested.

King, who was president of the Montgomery Improvement Association at the time, organized the nonviolent boycott in an effort to promote racial desegregation. The boycott put Montgomery on the map, and “there was a lot of pressure,” Shannon said, especially on King.

And, to witness all of that, Shannon saw something more.

“I saw the power of the church,” he said. “I don’t know if my kids are ever able to see this, but for me, that was something to see – that the church was the most powerful institution in our community.”

Shannon is now a husband, a father of two young adults and a pastor who has served the past 11 years at the Peoples Community Church in Glen Ellyn. The times have changed, and America has reached many milestones.

Shannon has lived to see Barack Obama become the first black president of the United States. Seeing more black actors and actresses, as well as people of color, on TV and in movies portraying different types of characters is another cultural achievement, he said.

Shannon even shared how significant it is for him that his daughter Ashley became the first black homecoming queen at Illinois State University and how his son Jarius can compete in collegiate sports. These are opportunities that would not have existed for them during the Civil Rights era.

Even with all that, Shannon knows the issue of racism still lingers – that the fight isn’t over.

In his office, there’s a painting hung on his wall that features a black man extending his arm and reaching for the hand of another African-American. The phrase “he ain’t heavy” scrolls across.

“There’s so many people that need a helping hand, and do you know the effect that one person can have on another person when they show them a helping hand?” he said. “One person. That’s all you need – one individual that would do that.”