Our Media Justice Fellow, the Rev. Dr. D. Amina B. Butts, mourns the passing of her friend and mentor, Bishop Yao K.R. Cheeks, D.D. Putting her thoughts into the context of media justice, she honors his memory by searching the pages of queer history for his name, finding other figures who fought similar fights but not finding him there. Dr. Butts illustrates the personal and community impact when important figures go unrecognized.
A life well-lived was celebrated on August 29, 2026, at First Congregational UCC, WDC. Bishop Yao K.R. Cheeks, retired UCC founder/pastor, Inner Light Ministries UCC, and founder of Us Helping US, was showered with love, passion, music, and dance.
Tributes came from throughout the city, country, and around the globe. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser officially declared August 28, 2026, as Bishop Rainey Cheeks Day in the District of Columbia.
August 28, 2026. Bishop Rainey Cheeks Day. But of course. For it was on this day, in 1963, that a quarter of a million people marched on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Bishop Cheeks, the Clubhouse owner, turned motivational speaker, preacher, activist, and so much more, would on this day be remembered for his life of protest and transformation.
It was this march, organized by A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that is now memorialized by this lightning-rod trailblazer.
In the book, A Queer History of the United States for Young People by Michael Bronski, I looked for Rainey Cheeks. I searched to find him in Section V on “Revolutionary Changes – The Seeds of Protest Begin to Bloom: 1966 – 1977.” There I found Pauli Murray, who said, “You must remember that truth is our only sword,” and Bayard Rustin: “A Life of Activism” was there. But no Rainey Cheeks.
In Section VI, “Backlash – Years of Struggle and Resistance: 1977 – 1990, Sylvester and Anita Bryant: Marching to Two Very Different Drummers,” both were there; Essex Hemphill: The Power of Blackness was there, but I didn’t find Rainey Cheeks.
Finally, I looked for Bishop Cheeks in Section VII, “Moving Closer to Liberation – The Future Is In Sight: 1990 – Present.” There I found Sylvia Rivera: A Life in The Streets and a Guiding STAR, but I still didn’t find Rainey Cheeks. Like Sylvia Rivera, Bishop Cheeks transformed himself into a model of fabulousness and militancy.
Cheeks literally learned how to fight, becoming a champion martial artist. This fighting spirit was channeled into fighting for the rights of women, persons living with HIV, the LGBTQ community, the homeless, substance abusers, and marginalized and dispossessed persons around the globe.
“History is a novel whose author is the people.” (Alfred DeVigny (nineteenth century French poet and novelist). Bishop Yao K.R. Cheeks, D.D. is a living testament, a novel of devotion to the people and their struggles. Faithful and queer? Without question. This drum major for justice spoke, and mountains moved. “…Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, “Go jump in the lake’ – no shuffling or hemming and hawing —and it’s as good as done…(Mark 11:23 a-d, The Message Bible). Well done, beloved warrior. Rest in power!