WAER is marking Black History Month by spotlighting Central New York luminaries both past and present. One man making history of his own is the Reverend H. Bernard Alex, who has led Victory Temple Fellowship Church on the city’s north side since 2001. The church serves as the physical and spiritual foundation for numerous community outreach efforts, including a weekly meal preparation and distribution site. WAER News caught up with the Syracuse native in the church’s kitchen on a recent Wednesday where exhaust fans were humming, and a giant pot of chicken was cooking on the industrial-grade stove.
"Today is stewed chicken with vegetables over biscuits," Alex said. "We are one of the only church kitchens that cooks from scratch. It's like mom's kitchen. It's heartwarming to hear a man say, wow, it reminds me of my mom, or when I was a little kid. A lot of people are really struggling, and for them to have a good recollection, along with a good meal, is a good thing."
Rev. Alex says he wouldn't prepare or serve anything that he wouldn't serve to his own family. He says his church kitchen is supported by donations and some community partners, and receives no assistance from the government or the food bank.
Victory Temple, he says, has grown steadily in its 24 years, and fits his social justice, advocacy, liberation theology mindset as a community-based congregation, or CBC. Aside from the obvious spiritual role, he says the church serves as a center for information aimed at supporting young people, families, and seniors.
Outside the the church, Rev. Alex is making some present-day Black History. In 2023, he became the first African American elected to the DeWitt Town Board in the town's 187 year history. He's baffled how it took almost 200 years, despite DeWitt's proximity to Syracuse.
"And they're probably like, "we had to get him?" he says, laughing. "Because I go in there raising a ruckus."
He sees it as an opportunity to improve the of lives of residents by gathering and breaking down complicated information on housing, education, and social justice issues to is most basic form.
Rev. Alex also serves as a Board Trustee on the Everson Museum of Art, chairs the city/county human rights commission, and is President of the National Action Network. He says every role is about being an authentic community servant to the people.
"They may never be in the at meeting or in that room or in that space, " he said. "But if I'm there, you're there, because I'm able to get all that information, come back, and provide it to them."
Rev. Alex says he doesn't think of himself as a politician. He's always wanted to teach or be an attorney, and says his town board role allows him to do a little of both.
