Talbert W. Swan II facts for kids
Quick facts for kids His Grace The Right Reverend Talbert Wesley Swan II |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Archdiocese | Vermont |
| Diocese | Greater Vermont Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, United States of America |
| Appointed | January 2022 |
| Enthroned | April 2022 |
| Predecessor | Bishop Loran Mann |
| Other posts | Assistant General Secretary, Director of Social Justice Ministry |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | August 15, 1991 |
| Consecration | November 9, 2014 by Charles Edward Blake, Sr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 24, 1965 Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Denomination | Church of God in Christ |
| Spouse | Cynthia Ann Davis Swan |
| Children | 10 |
| Previous post | Auxiliary Bishop of Greater Massachusetts (2014–2016), Bishop of Nova Scotia (2016–2022) |
| Education |
|
| Motto | Bless His Name |
| Styles of Talbert Wesley Swan II |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Reference style |
|
| Spoken style | Your Grace |
| Religious style | Bishop |
Talbert Wesley Swan II (born April 24, 1965) is an American religious leader. He is a prelate in the Church of God in Christ serving as the bishop of the Vermont Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction in the United States. Swan is the fifth leader of the Jurisdiction and oversees COGIC congregations in Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New York. Swan serves the Church of God in Christ as Assistant General Secretary and Director of Social Justice Ministry. Swan is also the National Chaplain of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. and the host of a radio talk show, The Spoken Word.
Contents
Early life
Talbert Swan was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and is the son of Fred Allen Swan, Sr. and DeLois Fason Swan. He attended Van Sickle Junior High School and Classical High School in Springfield, and the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA. He earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Western New England University and an Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science in Religious Studies from Charter Oak State College, before attending the Hartford Seminary where he earned a Master of Arts in Theology. Swan earned graduate certificates in Faith Based Community and Economic Development from Harvard Divinity School and attended Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Master of Divinity in Urban Ministry.
Lifelong Learning
He earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Western New England University and an Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science in Religious Studies from Charter Oak State College, before attending the Hartford Seminary where he earned a Master of Arts in theology. Swan earned graduate certificates in Faith Based Community and Economic Development from Harvard Divinity School and attended Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Master of Divinity in Urban Ministry.
Career
Ordination and early ministry
Swan was ordained as an Elder by Bishop Louis C. Young on August 15, 1991. Swan served as youth minister at the Spring of Hope Church of God in Christ before founding the Solid Rock Church of God in Christ in 1994. In January 2009, the Solid Rock and Spring of Hope Churches merged and Swan was installed as pastor on May 31, 2009.
Swan has served the Church of God in Christ in the Office of the General Secretary since 2001. During that time he served as: Special Assistant to the General Secretary, Assistant General Secretary for Statistics, and currently as the Assistant General Secretary/Administration. Swan also serves the denomination as Clerk of the General Board. He previously served as Associate White House Liaison, and Senior Advisor to Presiding Bishop Charles Edward Blake, Sr.
Ministry as bishop
On April 3, 2014, Swan was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Greater Massachusetts Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction by Charles Edward Blake, Sr., Presiding bishop, and the General Board of the Church of God in Christ. His appointment was ratified by the General Assembly and he was consecrated bishop on November 9, 2014, during the 107th Annual Holy Convocation.
On June 6, 2016, Blake named Swan the third bishop of the Nova Scotia Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction. Swan oversaw all member churches in the Nova Scotia province as well as congregations in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. He officially received his episcopal assignment during the 109th Annual Holy Convocation on November 13, 2016. He served in that post until January 2022.
In January 2022, Swan was appointed prelate of the Greater Vermont Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction by Presiding Bishop John Drew Sheard Sr. Swan succeeded Bishop Loran Mann, who passed away in May 2021. Bishop Mann also served as a member of the denomination's General Board, the Executive Branch of government. As prelate, Swan oversees member churches in Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York.
Advocacy
Swan is the President of the Greater Springfield NAACP. In 2022 he was reelected to his seventh 2 year. He has advocated for police reform, voting rights, and community responsibility. Defeating his rival by a three-to-one margin in the 2011 election for president of the Greater Springfield NAACP, Swan's election reportedly created anticipation of a resurgence of social activism in the region. The Valley Advocate noted that this led to a revitalization of the organization and its voice on critical community issues. Swan outlined the priorities of the branch as taking a renewed focus on education, health, economic empowerment, political action and social justice advocacy.
Police reform
Swan is a longtime advocate for police reform.
He weighed in on several high-profile cases involving police shootings. Swan met with Massachusetts legislators to rally opposition to 'Stand Your Ground' legislation in the House of Representatives. Swan noted that we "should be encouraging non-violence and the de-escalation of conflicts when a safe retreat can be made." The legislation was not passed.
Swan is a former police chaplain for the Springfield Police Department. In 2005 he organized the Rev. Theodore N. Brown Anti Gang Initiative.
Swan was appointed by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey to her Advisory Council on Racial Justice and Equity and by Springfield City Council President Orlando Ramos to the Committee on Police and Community Relations. Swan was appointed to a three-year term beginning in 2021 as a member of the Commission on the Status of African Americans, a commission created by the landmark Massachusetts Police Reform law.
In 2021, Swan called for the dismissal of Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Claprood after the results of a Department of Justice investigation revealed systemic abuse by police toward Black residents. Swan pushed for the federal government to force the police department to be accountable for its actions by calling for a consent decree from the U.S. Department of Justice. In 2022, the DOJ announced a consent decree mandating a series of reforms.
Voting rights
Swan was the lead plaintiff in a 1996 federal lawsuit against the city of Springfield, MA seeking to declare the at large representation system unconstitutional on the grounds that it diluted the votes of African Americans, Latinos, and other communities of color. The lawsuit sought to change the all at-large election of the city council to one including ward representatives. It also sought an injunction against the current voting scheme. Referring to Springfield's at-large city council as a "bastion of privilege that systematically excludes residents from Springfield's poor and non-white neighborhoods," the Boston Globe brought national attention to Swan's efforts to replace the voting system in a featured article picturing Swan in front of his church.
A successful signature drive placed the question for ward representation on the November 1997 ballot. On election day, 58 percent of the voters were in favor of the question, which called for eight ward seats and three at-large seats. Although the ballot question received a majority vote, it fell short by 15,000 votes of the required number to become law. Swan, on behalf of the plaintiffs, offered to drop the lawsuit if city councilors agree to honor the will of the electorate and implement the ward system.
In January 1998 Mayor Michael Albano again filed legislation with the city council to change to a ward system but it twice rejected the proposal. Swan then contacted the U.S. Department of Justice who assigned an investigator to consider if voting rights laws were being violated.
Eventually, Mayor Charles V. Ryan and City Councilor Jose Tosado proposed a home-rule amendment that would expand the council to thirteen members including eight ward and five at large seats. The home-rule petition was adopted by the City Council 7–2, and was later passed by the State Senate and House and signed by the Governor. On election day, November 6, 2007, city residents voted 72% in favor of changing the all at large election of the City Council and School Committee to one including ward representation. On November 3, 2009, Springfield held its first ward elections in 50 years.
In October 2011, Swan joined with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, the ACLU and City Councilor Zaida Luna to send an urgent request to the US Department of Justice for intervention in the City of Springfield regarding widespread voter rights violations. The group cited multiple incidents and areas of noncompliance with the Federal Voting Rights Act and the Department of Justice's 2006 settlement order with the City of Springfield. Teams from the US Department of Justice and the US Attorney General's office arrived in Springfield on November 8, 2011.
Political activity
In 2006, Swan was one of several clergy that endorsed Deval Patrick for Governor of Massachusetts. After his victory as the first African-American governor in the history of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Patrick selected Swan as one of the speakers at the Interfaith Prayer Service preceding his Inaugural. Swan again endorsed Patrick in his 2010 bid for reelection and hosted Patrick at an Urban Town Hall Meeting at his church in Springfield. Swan was again selected to speak during the Interfaith Prayer Service preceding Patrick's second Inaugural.
In August 2012, Swan met with Elizabeth Warren in a closed session with other clergy hosted at his church. Swan noted that clergy had a responsibility to meet with candidates to "ascertain their veracity, political competence, ability to effectively manage crises and inspire confidence through outstanding leadership and their ability to produce tangible results that serve the needs of our constituents." Taking issue with her opponent Scott Brown's heavy focus on calling her Native American heritage into question, Swan announced his support for Warren. Swan's meeting with Warren also garnered support for her by other prominent clergy.
Upon U.S. Senator John Kerry's confirmation as Secretary of State under the administration of President Barack Obama, Ed Markey sought Swan's support in his bid to win the vacated senate seat. Swan organized a meeting between Markey and area clergy and noted that the meeting was "substantive and informative." Swan played a similar role in vetting the positions of candidates for Hampden County District Attorney and Hampden County Sheriff. During the 2016 presidential election, Swan reportedly joined more than two dozen national black leaders in challenging Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's stance on issues related to so-called "religious freedom."
Swan was a speaker at the Massachusetts sister march to the People's Climate Movement march held in Washington DC in 2017. He said that climate justice and racial justice are closely related and that the most vulnerable and maligned populations get hit hardest by climate change. He was a speaker at the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington
Swan was appointed to the Massachusetts Hate Crimes Task Force by Governor Charlie Baker in 2022. The task force focuses on hate crimes and has a wide-ranging mission including tracking the prevalence of the crimes, examining ways to prevent them and supporting victims of hate crimes. It also works with law enforcement to improve the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes.
Bishop Swan was elected chair of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of African American, which is charged with making policy recommendations based on research and analysis to the general court and executive agencies to ensure African Americans equitably benefit from and have access to government services and amend policies that have excluded African Americans.
Honors/Awards/Recognitions
Bishop Swan has received numerous awards lauding him for his work civil rights advocacy and race relations. For example, he was awarded the Social Justice Award for Race Relations by Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Services. He is the recipient of the prestigious Civil Rights Advocacy Award by the National Action Network, a civil rights organization founded by Rev. Al Sharpton He received the NAACP James F. Hennessey Award for his work in civil rights advocacy. Bishop Swan is also a recipient of the Ruth B. Loving Social Justice Activist Legacy Award.
On September 7, 2024, the city of Springfield, MA, Swan's hometown, held a street naming ceremony in his honor, designating Alden Street, where his church, Spring of Hope Church of God in Christ, is located, as "Bishop Talbert Swan Way." Speakers at the event included: Springfield mayor Domenic Sarno, State Representative Bud L. Williams, City Councilor Lavar Click Bruce, and State Senator Adam Gomez. Swan noted that he was honored to be recognized by the city of his birth on the street that has been the headquarters of his family's activism for over four decades.
Twitter suspension
Swan's Twitter account was suspended in August 2018 for what Twitter termed "hateful conduct." Swan believes the suspension was for a May tweet in which he used the term "coon" in reference to Black conservative Candace Owens. After two weeks, Swan's account was reinstated by Twitter.
