Founders
About Our
Founders
McCormick Theological Seminary and Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. launched the Center on June 19th, 2020, 156 years following the first Juneteenth. We are bound together in the pursuit of social justice, a reckoning of our history with our promise, and in prayerful hope to do God’s work in God’s world. And, with a global vision for justice, grounded in the prophetic tradition of the Christian church, we come with hope and determination to engage the challenging work ahead, poised to uniquely contribute to the human rights movement for people of African descent and other groups subject to related injustices.
Samuel DeWitt
Proctor Conference, Inc.
Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. (SDPC) is a nonprofit organization and United Nations NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) sharply focused on advancing the mission to nurture, support, and mobilize African American faith, civic, corporate, and philanthropic leaders to address critical needs of human and social justice within local, national and global communities. Named to honor the late Rev. Dr. Samuel DeWitt Proctor — a global 20th-century educator, theologian, and civic leader — the overarching organization’s goals are to strengthen the individual and collective capacity of thought leaders and activists in the academy, church, and community through education, advocacy, and activism. Founded in 2003, it is a respected network of ecumenical congregations, clergy, and lay leaders that embodies the values of academic excellence, transgenerational engagement, and community outreach as evidence of faith and Christian witness.
McCormick Theological Seminary
McCormick Theological Seminary is one of twelve theological institutions associated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It is a member of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS) and an integral part of one of the world’s great centers of theological education and research. Accredited by both the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), McCormick seeks to embody and create a more just and compassionate world through rigorous academic study, practical experience, spiritual formation and an active, engaged learning community. Founded in 1829 and a leader in the Chicago faith community since 1860, it is a seminary with a long history of high academic standards and a commitment to social justice. McCormick’s student body represents a wide variety of Christian traditions including Baptist, UCC, AME, Pentecostal, non-denominational students, and more. Common to all our students is a desire to live in a racially, ethnically, linguistically, and theologically diverse community rooted in our faith and in a shared commitment to service for the common good.
