For the Rev. Joseph A. Darby, there wasn’t a lot of gray when it came to right and wrong.
A voice of Charleston’s conscience, Darby died Friday just one day after his 74th birthday. A presiding elder of the African Methodist Episcopal church and most recently senior pastor of Nichols Chapel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, many believe he should have been a bishop for his intelligence and moral rectitude.
But his roars like a raspy lion about injustices, indignities and the immoral words and deeds in a South Carolina grappling with its racist past seemed to keep the purple cloth just out of reach – particularly in a Black church with a leadership more conservative than many realize.
Senior South Carolina Democratic leader and U.S. Rep. James Clyburn said Saturday that he was deeply saddened to learn of his friend Darby, whom he described as a pillar to South Carolina.
“Reverend Darby was an extraordinary and gifted man — a community leader, servant and a faithful man of God,” Clyburn said. “His career has been marked by selfless service to others that comes not only from his dedication to the ministry, but his innate passion and compassion.
“He leaves behind a legacy of vision, integrity and excellence that will continue to shape South Carolina’s future for generations to come. He will be dearly missed.”
Others remembered Darby’s leadership in public affairs, such as a long stint as an officer in the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP.
“Reverend Darby, a well-known voice of fairness and all things just, was also for me and other elected officials, a private counsel, lending his wisdom and rationale of love and justice in times of need,” said former Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg. “I was blessed to be a beneficiary.”
Former Charleston County Council member Colleen Condon recalled that Darby said what needed to be said to power.
“Reverend Darby led the NAACP for decades and told it like it was,” she said. “He led Charleston to where we needed to go. He didn’t mince words. He told me what I needed to know and what I needed to do as a council member. I appreciated his counsel. Rest in peace good and faithful servant, and thanks to your family for giving of your time.”
A consequential leader
People often turned to Darby when they wanted to better understand South Carolina history or moral character, particularly in times of inflamed public discussions over any issue, from the Confederate flag to the ongoing economic repercussions of slavery and Jim Crow.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kevin Sack turned to Darby as a key source for facts and context in his highly touted 2025 book “Mother Emanuel,” the story of a world-renowned Black church and the rise of the A.M.E. denomination.
“During the decade I spent researching and writing ‘Mother Emanuel,’ there was no one I more enjoyed interviewing,” Sack said Saturday. “We had several long conversations and numerous other exchanges, and he was always immensely generous with his time and his wisdom. He’d talk, and I’d nod, soaking it up.
“He also was hilarious, with an acerbic wit that was always on target. We last communicated in early June, when he texted to compliment my newly-released book, a seal of approval that I coveted and cherished. His loss leaves this city without a pillar of its moral foundation.”
Constitutional lawyer John L.S. Simpkins, a South Carolina native with ties to the Obama administration, recalled that his great aunt found Darby to be her favorite preacher.
“Reverend Darby compelled people of all faiths and no faith to see the humanity in each other. He was a truth-teller in a time sorely needing one.
“He’s irreplaceable, but he leaves behind many of us who have been inspired and enlightened by his example.”
Added former Palmetto Project leader Steve Skardon, “Joe believed that God put him on this earth to be a voice for compassion and justice, and he leaves a legacy of just that.”
Former state Rep. Jimmy Bailey of Charleston noted, “I was lucky to have known a few giants whose impact was so powerful. Joe Darby was one of those individuals.”
Charleston activist Charlie Smith added Darby spoke truth to power: “He understood that our systems of government and society were designed to keep the straight, white, male power-structure in power at all cost. He found his voice early and he was not afraid to use it for the benefit of all who were oppressed by that power. Whether he was speaking at the Statehouse, at Wheeler Hill, at an Alliance for Full Acceptance meeting or in the pulpit, he was a giant in the cause of justice and he will be missed.”
A South Carolinian, through and through
Darby, born in Columbia, was class president of his high school, Booker T. Washington High School. He attended S.C. State College, but transferred to the University of South Carolina, where he received a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1973. Later he studied for the ministry at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Hickory, N.C. He also worked as a juvenile probation counselor for several years.
Darby and his wife Mary, a Walterboro native and teacher who died in 2020, had two sons. They moved to Charleston in 1998 to lead historic Morris Brown A.M.E. Church.
His sons, Jason and Jeremy, announced their father’s death in a Saturday social media post, saying:
“Dad’s ministry was not confined to the pulpit. He carried it into every room he entered, every cause he championed, and every life he touched. His sermons stirred hearts and souls, but his actions stirred change. He taught us that faith without works is hollow, and that love (especially for the marginalized) is the highest calling.”
They said his extended family and congregations he served were his joy and mission.
“He prayed for you, fought for you, and celebrated you. We thank you for loving him in return. As a leader, he wasn’t just a figurehead but also a guide, a mentor, and a friend to so many. His wisdom and kindness touched countless lives, and his legacy will continue to inspire all of us who were blessed to be part of his journey. We take comfort in knowing that his life’s work will continue through the seeds he planted in the hearts of those he served and loved.”
His sons noted he was a 15-year survivor of colorectal cancer and encouraged anyone with a family history or symptoms to get screened. They said a celebration of his life would be announced soon.
In his words
Here are some commentaries and thoughts by Darby over the years:
Brack: Justice delayed in S.C. district is justice denied (3/29/24): “It’s a ridiculous decision to say, on one hand, that the maps were drawn for racial purposes and, on the other hand, to say we’re going to use them anyway. That’s as strangely American as things get.”
No Labels ticket is a bad idea (5/28/23): “We need a major party president who will preserve the republic and give life to the American pledge of ‘liberty and justice for all.’”
Darby: On the words we use (2/24/22): “When a university hospital system — with past racial problems –talks about buying ‘trailers’ and ‘handing them over’ to a network founded 50 years ago to benefit underserved communities, it gives the impression of arrogance — or worse.”
Brack: To move forward, learn the history you may not know (8/30/19): “The 1619 Project is an invaluable tool for everything from community dialogue to academic research to public policy. The Project has done something rare by showing how slavery and its still lingering residue shaped and still hinders progress and equity in America.”
Brack: Churches can lead the way to racial healing (6/21/19): “There’s great benefit in acknowledging our past so that we can make progress in the present. We’ve never done that, because the former Confederate States of America were welcomed back into the Union with no strings attached, allowed to create the ‘Lost Cause’ narrative, and never compelled to reckon with the horrors of slavery and of the racism needed to fuel slavery.”
Southern strategy, now 50, is still churning politics (9/7/18): “[President Donald] Trump is not a GOP anomaly. He’s the next step in the evolution of a GOP that’s blown coded and subtle racial ‘dog whistles’ for 50 years – dog whistles that increased in volume with the rise of Sarah Palin to the national stage and with the advent of the Tea Party as a reaction to President Obama’s election.”
Darby: Responds to Jack Hunter (4/23/08): “I’m frustrated by open-mouthed and narrow-minded callers to ‘talk radio’ shows like the one that features the Southern Avenger — people who avoid facing their own faults and failings by ranting and raving about what they see as the faults and failings of others.”
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
