When the Rev. Canon Eugene T. Sutton was elected the 14th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, the first person he called was his 94-year-old grandmother, a devout Baptist who lives in a Washington nursing home. "Her prayers for me have made all the difference in the world," Sutton said.
But more than that, he knew she could appreciate the twists of history that led to his election. Sutton, who will be consecrated tomorrow as the state's first African-American bishop, is the great-great-grandson of slaves. Maryland's first bishop, the Right Rev. Thomas John Claggett, was a slaveowner.
"I'm immensely proud and humbled," Sutton said as he prepared for tomorrow's ceremony at Washington's National Cathedral, which will be attended by his grandmother, parents, wife, four children and stepchildren and thousands of others. "I'm proud because of the work of my ancestors of African heritage, who by the work of the hands and the sweat of their brows made it possible for me to be here today."
Sutton, whose denomination has an overwhelmingly white membership and only six other active African-American bishops, said that while it's important for black constituencies to have black leaders, it's also important to have people of color leading others who don't look like them. In a city - and a state - with a large black population, his race carries weight.
"Even when I walk around the black community, one of the things young people can see is, 'There's a leader of people. We're proud of him, and if he can achieve that, maybe it's possible,'" he said in an interview at the National Cathedral. "In some ways, all I have to do is show up. Being who I am in the position I'm in helps heal wounds."
His son, Kyle Sutton, 28, a slam poetry performer and teacher who lives in Brooklyn, reiterated that "it's huge for the African-American community in general. ... It does fantastic things for the hopes and spirits of black people and humanity as a whole to see that we've come to this point."
Eugene Sutton said he hopes to have a conspicuous presence in the city of Baltimore, where he is moving, and the entire state.
"I want to make sure that people know that the Episcopal Church is concerned about the welfare of people in Maryland - not just Episcopalians," he said. "I want to be visible in the streets, in political institutions, in organizations that foster positive social change.
