Cheryllyn Dudley

Cheryllyn Dudley is a South African politician who has served as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since the first democratic elections in 1999, representing the African Christian Democratic Party. Quotes I was a PK (preacher’s kid) or MK (missionary’s kid). My father was assigned in those years as a home missionary in Phoenix, Arizona, where he served as the executive Director of Valley Christian Centers. He was the first African American missionary sent to that context, although serving primarily among impoverished Spanish speaking (Mexican American) and Black persons in the urban center of Phoenix. We were given a parsonage in which to live, but the neighbors resisted a Black family moving in, so we were hosted by a family until safe housing could be secured for us. We became the first Black family to live in another neighborhood and the home where we ended living is where I was raised through high school graduation. My sister and I were the first Black children to attend the elementary school nearby. I recall seeing a vintage newspaper article recently that my mother had saved from the Phoenix newspaper when my sister (one year older) became the first Black child to attend our school. My father became quite well known in the Phoenix community, as minister, organizer, civil rights advocate. My mother, keeper of hearth and home, and a nurse, has a gentle magnetic personality, and so our home became a refuge, in many ways, for persons needing comfort, friend and extended family. Ironically, persons of all hues, races, socio-economic realities, even religion and generations were in our African American home. As a result, my understanding of who friend and extended family members were was formulated early in life. I am grateful for that. I think both my parents influenced me deeply. My father was so active in the external world, or the public square, and the definition of his work, and the ministry was not confined to a few walls and a few folks. He was always casting the net to other side of the boat or in different waters. A stranger to none–intellectually and socially. My mom, opened the door to our home and was present to us and to those who needed her. Because she was an RN, I am sure that the spirit of nursing and care giving filtered out to people in need. I hope that both parents’ expressions of leadership have influenced me. As a gospel-motivated activist in various areas of ministry and injustice, I have been cognizant that we have to be present and available in heart, not just principle. I hope those qualities are manifest in my leadership and ministry, at least much of the time. I can be in my head quite a bit, but I do the best I can to be present, and to lead with heart. External links Category:Living people Category:Politicians from South Africa