78 TH LAUREL WREATH LAUREATE
R ev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley is the senior pastor of Alfred Street Baptist Church (ASBC) in Alexandria, VA. He is only the eighth pastor to be installed in the 216th year history of ASBC. A native of Chicago, Dr. Wesley graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a bachelor of science in biomedical and electrical engineering. While in medical school at Duke, he yielded to the call of God and walked away from a path to a medical career to attend seminary at Boston University School of Theology. He was also a Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholar and a summa cum laude graduate in biblical studies and African American religious history. He received his doctor of ministry in preaching from Northern Baptist Seminary. Currently, Dr. Wesley is part of the inaugural cohort of the Ph.D. in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric at Christian Theological Seminary in Indiana. Under his leadership, ASBC has grown from 2,500 to 10,000 members, 50,000 monthly online viewers and 100 million you tube views. The July 2013 Time magazine, acknowledged his sermon, “When the Verdict Hurts,” as one of the best in the nation addressing the “Not Guilty” verdict of George Zimmerman. President Obama worshipped at ASBC on several Easter Sundays just to hear Dr. Wesley. His radio show, “Faith Forward”, on the Radio One network, is one of the most listened to religious broadcasts in the Washington, DC, area. With his guidance, ASBC became the only faith-based institution to donate $1 million to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Dr. Wesley was twice recognized by The Root as one of the most influential African Americans in the nation. In 2016, he received the Chairman’s NAACP Image Award for his social justice work. In 2017, he was the recipient of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition Trombone Award. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Virginia Union University and the Board of Visitors of the Duke Divinity School, just to name a few. He is the son of the late Rev. Dr. Alvin J. Wesley and Dr. Helene J. Wesley. A Life Member of the Fraternity, Inc., Dr. Wesley is a 1991 initiate of the Duke University Chapter, the Iota Xi of Kappa Alpha Psi, and is a current member of the Alexandria-Fairfax (VA) Chapter. His also a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
He is the proud father of two sons, Howard-John, II (Deuce) and Cooper Reece.
"...I am humbled beyond words to share gratitude and thanksgiving for this honor....my vocabulary is insufficient to express the humility and gratitude I have to be bestowed with the honor of wearing the Laurel Wreath. Clearly being a father, being a pastor, and being a member of Kappa Alpha Psi are some of the greatest things that God has ever privileged me to do. And, all of them motivate me to be one of the best I can be as a father, a pastor and a member of this Great Clan. My father once said 'Be humble, because a lot was done before you got here.' And I want to acknowledge those who have done a lot before I got here. My journey to be a preacher was inspired by men of this Great Fraternity, like Calvin Butts and James Perkins...wanting to mimic Gardner Taylor and it was Sam Proctor who convinced me to drop out of medical school and go to seminary. Today, I am indebted to so many brothers...Brothers thank you for the greatest honor of my life."
36 | SUMMER 2021 ♦ THE JOURNAL
VIRTUAL 85 TH GRAND CHAPTER MEETING
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