The Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood Inc. Honors Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts

On behalf of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood Inc., the Board of Directors honors Harlem’s late and beloved brother, leader, and pastor Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III. He consistently extended love and respect to Harlem’s Muslim community, in the spirit of the historic and reciprocal bond of faith between Christians and Muslims in 7th century Abyssinia, East Africa. May Almighty God bless him.—Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid

The Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood Inc.

130 West 113th Street

New York, N.Y. 10026

Phone: (212) 662-4100

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“Ignorance is the biggest impediment to the improvement of our society,” he says. “So I am encouraging, pressing every day that people strive to get a good education—that’s why we work so hard to provide access and accountability.” There’s no doubt he works hard. He’s done so all of his life. Inspired at the age of 12 by a speech by Morehouse College Alum Rev. Dr. William E. Gardner, Butts set his sights on a Morehouse education and after attaining his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy there, went on to earn a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and a Doctorate of Ministry in Church and Public Policy from Drew University. His experience as an Urban Affairs instructor, professor of African American Studies at City College, and teaching Black Church History at Fordham University in addition to his ministerial acumen made him a logical choice to helm Old Westbury back in 1999; or perhaps that was divine intervention. His personal mantra states: “Education and faith are the Tigress and the Euphrates of our liberation; twin rivers at the source of our redemption. Without a trained mind and an inspired heart, you will go nowhere.”

Twenty years later as he prepares to retire, Butts reflects fondly on his time and accomplishments at Old Westbury. “Our diversity has brought more opportunity to young men and women,” he said fondly.

“Now we have a legacy… in some families three generations have attended our school.” That’s no small feat considering Old Westbury was once one of New York’s best kept secrets. “We were sequestered; people didn’t know we were here. But as a result of the cabinet I serve with and the activities I was involved in before I got here, we are now better known across Long Island, the state of New York, and the country… we have a much broader reach.”

Butts combined his leadership skills with the school’s increased visibility to boost enrollment and diversity. He used those numbers to make a case for more and better facilities and followed through to make incredible improvements to the campus. “We’ve built a new academic building, new dormitories, a new student union building, and a new police headquarters,” he explained. But wait, there’s more. “We continue to build; and we’re looking now at building a large, $130 million STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) center for our students.” Butts stressed the importance of access for these students especially. “Our students are smart enough to go to Harvard and those other schools, but they can’t afford it. So we aim to provide these students with the best opportunities, the best faculty, and the best facilities.” He takes education seriously and his passion is fed by the knowledge that education beyond high school is a pathway to better employment and better standards of living. “We need to come together as poor people in this nation,” he said, “and begin to DEMAND that our government provide for us equal opportunities in terms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Perhaps one of the major benefits of Butts’ leadership at Old Westbury is his religious calling in the church and how he is able to seamlessly combine the two without overstepping the boundaries be- cont’d on page 37