Dorinda G. Henry

Dorinda G. Henry "is the newly appointed Interim Executive Director of The National Center for Human Rights Education, (NCHRE). Prior to accepting the Interim Executive Director position, Ms. Henry served as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for NCHRE. She is a writer, public speaker and strategic planning and political consultant. A former Chaplain for the Atlanta VA Medical Center, she is a long-time human rights activist/organizer whose voice on human rights, LGBT rights, women, children, low-wealth and other marginalized communities and justice has been relentless and unwavering. She is also the author of a novel loosely based on her life (publication pending).

"Ms. Henry earned a Masters of Theological Studies from Emory University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology/Religious Studies from Seattle University, cum Laude. Academic, religious and community-based circles have praised her Masters Thesis entitled, “I, Too, Sing Songs of Freedom: A Theo-Sociological Praxis Toward an Emancipatory Ethic for the Black Church and Its Lesbian, Gay and Bi-Sexual Members” (publication pending). Her work inspired the “Dear Martin Letter” that ran in the January 17, 2005 issue of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Atlanta Daily World and since has been reprinted widely among internet and other resources. The thesis was also selected by the American Academy of Religion & The Society of Biblical Literature for presentation at its 2006 National Conference in Washington, DC.

"Dorinda is well-known for her op-eds challenging racism within the LBGT community and homophobia within the African-American community. Yet, she effectively fosters coalitions and collaborations between diverse constituencies, policy makers and community-based organizations. Most expressive of this was her organizing to protect communities from Predatory Mortgage Lending with the Georgia Rural Urban Summit. She has been most sought after for her presentations on human rights and the inhumanity of Africa’s Indebtedness, which debuted in Akron Ohio as a part of the American Friends Service Committee’s “December Days of Action Against the Debt.” She is a passionate advocate whose experience as a social, cultural and political organizer demonstrates her personal and professional diligence, tenacity and resilience."