Eric Jackson is the Senior Minister of Plymouth Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Syracuse, New York. His area of study is focused on the 20th Century Civil Rights Movement—a time that marked a significant turning point in African American preaching. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is the celebrated figure of that time, but so many other preachers were preaching and active in the Civil Rights Movement alongside King.
For his dissertation, he’s focusing on Rev. Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker, who was the chief of staff to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the height of the 20th Century Civil Rights Movement. Walker is known for his homiletical and oratorical abilities, but his preaching legacy has not been studied. Eric plans to explore the preaching of Walker in conversation with the fields of homiletics, rhetoric, and theology.
He chose the PhD program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric because this course of study is something he has always dreamed of. Homiletics was a favorite of his in Seminary, but there were little to no opportunities available to solely study African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric.
Recent accomplishments include:
- Publication of a Book Review in the Academy of Homiletics
- Awardee of the NAACP
