Black History Month 2025 Spotlight: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II
During Black History Month and throughout the year, we honor the leaders, advocates, and everyday heroes whose contributions shape our society. The 2025 theme is “African Americans and Labor.” All kinds of work impact health, from physical well-being to income and employer-provided insurance. The two have always been and remain inextricably connected.
This year, we’re spotlighting Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, a highly influential national organizer, community advocate, and political activist with strong roots in North Carolina. Rev. Dr. Barber embodies a legacy of Black leadership, and his organizations create history every day, building on the remarkable achievements of those who came before.
Reviving & Co-Chairing the Poor People’s Campaign
Rev. Dr. Barber is best known for co-chairing the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival and leading the Moral Monday protests at the North Carolina General Assembly, which began in 2013. The campaign is a revival of the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign organized by the civil rights group the Southern Christian Leadership Conference while under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today, the campaign lays out demands and a policy agenda to address “the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy, and our distorted moral narrative,” all of which impact health and well-being.
Although these efforts began long ago, the work remains unfinished. The movement continues to unite a broad coalition of people across lines of difference to build a better future where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
Living a Legacy of Service & Advocating for Justice
Rev. Dr. Barber was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, just two days after the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where over 200,000 demonstrators gathered and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.
He and his family later moved from Indianapolis, Indiana, to Washington County, North Carolina, his father’s hometown. There, his father served as the first African American teacher, and his mother served as the first African American office manager at the county’s white high school.
Currently, Rev. Dr. Barber serves as president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach and bishop with The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries. He is a professor in the practice of public theology and public policy and the founding director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School.
He also served as the pastor of the Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Goldsboro, North Carolina, for 30 years. In all his work, Rev. Dr. Barber continues to build on a legacy of service and commitment to justice.
Building on the Past to Create a Better Future
At FHLI, we celebrate leaders like Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, who drive solutions that address the root causes of our most pressing challenges, from structural racism to social drivers of health. We must remember the past and let it inform us moving forward to create a future that supports whole-person, whole-community health across our state.