Ferguson Activist from Black Church Guides Pastors in Supporting Young Protesters

As night fell over Ferguson, Missouri, for the third straight evening after the tragic death of Michael Brown Jr., Gwendolyn DeLoach Packnett felt compelled to take a stand. Since Brown was fatally shot by a police officer on August 9, 2014, she had watched her daughter, Brittany, leave their home each day to join the protests against the brutal treatment meted out to the 18-year-old. Brown’s lifeless body had been left on the street for hours, a stark and haunting image for the community.

The previous night had been chaotic, filled with the scent of tear gas, which Brittany had inhaled, and brutal confrontations as police officers, armed and aggressive, faced off against protesters. Gwendolyn, concerned for her daughter’s well-being, voiced her worries. “My mom was, like, ‘I just really would rather you stay home,’” Brittany recounted. “She was aware of my passion and anger, but she needed me to stay safe.”

Brittany’s decision to defy her mother’s wishes that night was pivotal, guiding her toward a path of national leadership in the fight for police accountability following Michael Brown’s death. Her emergence as a prominent racial justice activist not only tells the story of her personal journey but also honors the legacy of her late father, the Rev. Ronald B. Packnett, who served as senior pastor of the historic Central Baptist Church in St. Louis.

The Rev. Packnett was noted for his activism and community organizing. Friends and family remember him leading efforts to unite the St. Louis community following the Rodney King verdict and attending the Million Man March in 1994, an act of defiance against conservative religious sentiments at the time. He passed away in December 1996 at the young age of 45.

Matthew V. Johnson, the senior pastor at Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, described Packnett as part of a new wave of progressive clergy in the 1980s who began addressing social justice issues within their religious practice. In 1982, he joined the executive board of the National Baptist Convention, advocating for a socially conscious approach within the largest Black denomination in the United States.

Brittany was significantly influenced by her father’s commitment to social justice. “I tell people that I was really raised in this tradition,” she reflected. “The work in politics—formal and informal—was just as integral to our ministry as the spiritual teachings.”

Ferguson marked a turning point in the struggle for justice. Unlike previous movements often organized by church leaders, the protests that erupted in Ferguson were largely grassroots, composed of individuals who felt disconnected from traditional churches. This shift illustrated a powerful transformation, where hip-hop culture began to reflect and often replace the Black church as a voice for young African Americans.

Now known as Brittany Packnett-Cunningham, she identifies as a police abolitionist, bringing a distinct voice to the social justice movement that resonates deeply with the rhythm and message of hip-hop. Her involvement was rooted in her father’s early ministry days when artists like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five lyrically confronted the realities of police violence and community decay.

Brittany observed the disconnect between younger activists and older clergy who struggled to adapt to changing times. “It didn’t happen inside of a church house. It didn’t happen in the choir stand,” she emphasized. “It happened on the street.”

Responding to a generation clamoring for answers, Rev. Traci Blackmon, who was the senior pastor of Christ the King United Church of Christ at the time, took to the streets to voice her remorse into a bullhorn. “I felt I needed to apologize to those children,” she said, acknowledging the gap between the clergy and a generation of young people ignited by outrage.

The circumstances surrounding Brown’s death were unsettlingly familiar. Rev. Angela Sims, president of Crozer Colgate Rochester Divinity School, noted that the public display of Brown’s body echoed past injustices, resembling the historical public lynchings that sent chilling messages to the Black community. “It mirrored a tactic by white people to leave the body hanging in public as a warning,” she stated. The difference now, she pointed out, was the immediacy afforded by technology, allowing the world to witness the aftermath rapidly.

Blackmon was one of the clergy who participated in the Ferguson Commission set up to examine the underlying social and economic factors contributing to unrest in the region. These issues were deeply ingrained and systemic, having existed long before Ronald B. Packnett began pastoring Central Baptist Church.

Packnett, originally from Chicago, sought educational opportunities at Illinois State University and Yale Divinity School before leading St. James Baptist Church in New Britain, Connecticut. During a national Baptist congress in St. Louis, he met Gwendolyn DeLoach, who would eventually become his wife. Both would later play significant roles in the church and social justice movements.

Packnett’s journey led him to Central Baptist, where he inherited a proud history of resistance against oppression. However, his tenure was cut short by health issues, and he passed away when Brittany was just 12 years old. Gwendolyn DeLoach Packnett later remarried, and Brittany went on to establish a career in education with Teach for America.

Despite her accomplishments, Brittany struggled to reconcile her work with her emerging beliefs. The death of Michael Brown served as a catalyst for her to channel her grief and commitment into activism. She felt her father’s spirit guiding her as she joined protests and faced off against law enforcement.

Amid the chaos of tear gas and protests, her father’s former colleagues recognized her potential, unaware of the new generation’s capacity to organize and mobilize through social media. In an era where hip-hop provided spiritual sustenance, Brittany’s call to action would resonate well beyond the streets of Ferguson.

This narrative is part of a broader exploration of the lasting influence and implications of the Ferguson protests, which ignited national discourse on police violence and highlighted the urgent need for deeper systemic change in addressing racial injustices.

Source: Associated Press