Chaplain of the U.S. Senate - Speaking Of People - Brief Article

Ebony, Oct, 2003

BARRY C. BLACK, a Seventh-Day Adventist minister who served 27 years in the U.S. Navy, is the first Black chaplain of the U.S. Senate. His duties include opening Senate sessions with a prayer and officiating at weddings and memorials. The new chaplain, a former rear admiral, was named the first Black chief of Navy chaplains in 2000.

His naval assignments included serving as fleet chaplain of the 156 ships and nearly 1,200 aircraft of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. The Baltimore native has a bachelor's degree from Oakwood College, three master's degrees and doctorate degrees in ministry and psychology. Chaplain Black and his wife, Brenda, live in the Washington, D.C., area. They have three children, Barry II, Brendan and Bradford.