At 75, Rev. Herbert Daughtry Walked to Millions More Movement!

he Rev. Herbert Daughtry brings new meaning to the old saying, "You’ve got to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk." On September 1^st, he set out on a Freedom Walk from the House of the Lord Church in Brooklyn, New York to the Millions More Movement in Washington, DC. The purpose was to focus attention on problems plaguing the Black community, and the plan was to retrace the route of the Underground Railroad, the vast network of people who, during the 1800s, helped tens of thousands of captive Africans escape from slavery.

One of the things Daughtry hadn’t counted on was Hurricane Katrina. After it hit, "My mind was flooded with images of suffering human beings," he said. "I felt I had to return to my church and redirect my time and energy to a relief effort." However, after he got it up and running, Daughtry resumed his walk from Chester, Pennsylvania.

There were to be other brief but important interruptions as well, but after each of those Daughtry picked up directly where he left off. Right on schedule he entered Washington on Friday morning the 14^th to begin the three days of events scheduled during the Millions More Movement. He felt exhilarated and strong after his trek through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland.

"I made this march for a number of reasons," explained Rev. Daughtry. "At the top of the list was the health issue for Americans of African ancestry. I've been profoundly concerned about the health of our people, for we lead in all the major diseases. I thought that in making this walk at the age of 75, I could call attention to the health situation in our nation."

Daughtry went on to state that he’s seriously worried about the health of the American people in general and believes that three things are necessary: 1) We must accept personal responsibility to take care of ourselves and make the right choices regarding what we consume, think, and breathe. 2) The government must meet its responsibility to provide quality healthcare and services. 3) Corporations have an obligation to stop lying to people and provide them instead with accurate information and products.

Rev. Daughtry believes the Creator intended for people to live to be at least 150, and when they died to simply go to sleep without pain. "But to achieve that would require government and corporate participation," he commented. "Our nation has to agree that the health of its people is a top priority, and therefore they will not pollute the atmosphere or give people poisons and say it’s good for them."

The Freedom Walk also attempted to call attention to the issues of joblessness, violence, and the escalation in the imprisonment of African Americans. The marchers visited New Jersey’s Essex County Jail and raised the question of why is it that there are more Black young men of college age in prison than in college.

"And, of course, we need unity," Daughtry said. "I agree with Minister Louis Farrakhan’s statement that 90% of our problems could be resolve if we had unity."

Rev. Daughtry went on to express that he felt a divine impetus to do this walk to generate attention around these issues. He is also immensely grateful to his mobile staffers Jessica Jolley, Cuyler Cohen, and Robert Knowing who stuck with him every step of the way, as well as to all the other people who journeyed with them along the way.

Rev. Daughtry returned to New York City on Saturday, October 22^nd, retracing a small portion of their path. They set out from Jersey City at 8 am, crossed the Hudson River, and prayed at the site of the World Trade Center. From there they visited the site where, fleeing slavery, Frederick Douglass first entered New York in 1838. Next, the marchers paused at the African Burial Ground for a brief ceremony before crossing the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn where they visited several Underground Railroad sites. The final destination was the House of the Lord Church, which they reach around noon and were enthusiastically greeted by well wishers.

Since his return, Rev. Herbert Daughtry hasn’t been sitting around twiddling his thumbs. He is calling on the City to install markers indicating important places in the Underground Railroad – such as the pier where Douglass entered – and the site of the original Bridge Street Church in Brooklyn which played a significant part in the abolitionist movement. There is also a place on Chambers Street in Lower Manhattan where bones of an enslaved ancestor were discovered above ground that needs to be marked as well.