Today, African-Americans are making great strides in every field imaginable. From breakthroughs in medicine and technology to advances in politics, religion and space exploration, we are walking a path paved by our forefathers.

That’s why I believe Black History Month is important. We must never forget the contributions of abolitionists, inventors, and ordinary men and women who made it possible for our children and our children’s children to live and thrive in America.

This month, Bishop George McKinney is featured in Charisma. He appears on the cover flanked by former gang members whose lives have been changed by the gospel. His work in the crime-infested San Diego community of Encanto is a living testament to God’s faithfulness to those who have no hope.

Like countless others, Bishop McKinney is making African-American history.

George Dallas McKinney was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, in 1933, an era characterized by segregation, lynchings and a myriad of other racial injustices. But as a boy growing up in the South, McKinney wanted an education as much as he wanted to breathe.

He spent the first six months of each year toiling the fields with his father, a sharecropper, and spent the remainder of the year in school. After graduating high school, he earned several degrees and later followed in his father’s footsteps to become a pastor in the Church of God in Christ.

Today, Bishop McKinney is fulfilling a call to lead unbelievers to Christ. And though his contributions are lesser known than those of other black people whose accomplishments are written on the pages of history, he is evangelizing gangsters, drug addicts, single moms and others. 

McKinney’s legacy continues to be one of higher education, nonviolence, community development and more. His church, St. Stephen’s Cathedral COGIC is proof of his commitment to the inner city. 

Imperial Drive is lined with facilities that cater to the Encanto community. In 2005, McKinney spearheaded a project to give senior citizens a safe place to call home. The $7 million, 50-unit retirement facility was built with contributions from the San Diego Housing Authority, private donors and members of the church.

And when addicts have nowhere to go, they turn to Phoebe House, a residential facility for people hooked on drugs and alcohol. 

McKinney’s efforts to make a difference in one of the toughest neighborhoods in the city has earned him the respect of well-known ministers such as Billy Graham as well as civic leaders and politicians in California. 

But it is McKinney’s love for people and his desire to win them to Christ that will no doubt etch his name in history. In fact, we all can leave a legacy if we fulfill God’s plans and purposes for our lives.