Dolphus Weary
Racial reconciliation leader Dolphus Weary will be speaking in chapel Monday, Oct. 26, and Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Weary was born in 1947 in rural Mississippi. He experienced a life of poverty from the time he was a child, abandoned by his father. As a boy, his goal was to leave Mississippi and get as far away as he could.
“My heart’s desire was to leave Mississippi and never come back,” Weary said. He set off to California, where he attended Piney Woods Junior College and Los Angeles Baptist Theological Seminary. Although Weary loved what California had brought to him, he felt God telling him to go back to his roots.
When Weary set off to California, one of the biggest things he was trying to escape was the issue of racism. Although California was different, Weary found some of the same issues there. “I found I was running away from the problem, he said. “God wanted me not to run away from the problems of poverty, racism and injustice but to stay and be a part of the solution.”
Weary headed back to Mississippi where he became the leader of Mission Mississippi, a group focused on healing racial hurt and addressing the issue of racism today. The group uses themes such as “Grace is Greater than Race” and tours the country with Weary as one of its main speakers.
The group is also the host of interracial rallies against racism as well as the separation of Christian believers. Weary explained, “There is a racial, political and denominational gap. We’re telling people they don’t have to change their denomination, but change their attitude of separation.”
Besides touring the country, Weary has also authored the book “I Ain’t Comin Back,” which has been featured in several education classes at NW. The book talks about his journey and how different events in his life have brought him to where he is today.
Weary is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountablity, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Wheaton College Board of Visitors, World Vision and Belhaven College.