Elections have been on the mind of Pastor Boise Kimber, who leads First Calvary Baptist Church in New Haven. That’s true for both our national elections in November and for his own election on Sept. 5 as president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, one of the biggest and oldest Black denominations in the country.
“We won by 69% of the vote,” Kimber said.
Kimber won by 1,744 to 794 count on ballots that were marked with the choice of either his name or “no.” The NBCUSA says while there were others who wanted to oppose Kimber on the ballot, he was the only one to get 100 endorsements from member churches, who could afford to pay their annual registration fees.
Kimber says he’s not going to worry much about those 794 “no” votes.
“I have some concerns about those who did not vote, but that is not going to be my major plan … to go after those who did not vote," Kimber said. “I've got to cultivate those that did vote.”
National Baptist Convention’s political agenda
Kimber knows politicians hope to cultivate votes from NBCUSA members in November, which estimates its ranks to number around 7.5 million.
Kimber says one of his priorities in his new role will be to make sure National Baptist Convention members stay invested in the political process.
“We will be actively engaged in the political arena,” Kimber said. “We will be actively involved in telling people that if you do not vote, then you will not be a part of a change.”
And while Kimber said “there are some politicians that we need to change,” he also promised not to use his position to directly influence who NBCUSA members vote for.
“As a pastor, I cannot tell my congregation who to vote for,” Kimber said. “But as an individual, I can talk to people and share my feelings towards who will be the best person to lead the country and Congress and [the] Senate. We will have a way of telling people ‘this is where we are.’”
Despite criticizing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the past, Kimber said he supports her in the upcoming election.
“I had some concerns when she came to Connecticut and did not meet with Black leaders,” Kimber said, “but her office got in touch with me. We had a conversation, and so we move on from there. I think that Kamala Harris will be a fine president.”
History of activism and controversies
Kimber has a long history of trying to effect change through his activism and partnerships.
The 64-year old indicates he believes that history will be important in influencing the NBCUSA’s political direction going forward.
“I think right now it's important that I direct people to deal with the right issues that we should be dealing with,” Kimber said. “And so, who's best to talk about that than me, who has been at the frontline and has been involved in the political spectrum.”
Kimber has faced criticism in his history, as well. Kimber stepped down as chairman of The New Haven Fire Commission after he received blowback from Italian-Americans for saying that the NHFD wouldn’t be hiring recruits with “too many vowels” in their names.
Years later, Latinos in New Haven pushed back after Kimber claimed too many Latinos were being appointed to leadership positions in New Haven schools.
In addressing how these episodes have informed his approach going forward, Kimber said, “I am president of the largest black Protestant convention in the world, and my first concern is that the people that I serve are in a position to serve others. I am not focusing upon the fact of what some other community [has] or what some other community is doing, as long as it is not an injustice to the people ... I serve.”
