Black History Today: DaNell Daymon, a shining light to brighten the world

Black History Today, created by Marcus Harden in honor of Black History Month, pays tribute to the living legacy of Black history in our community and beyond and recognizes the people shaping the future.
Presented in collaboration with the South Seattle Emerald.

“He was able to understand one thing: making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”

— Paulo Coelho, "The Alchemist"

By Marcus Harden

Langston Hughes once famously asked, “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore—and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over—like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?”

I’ve always deeply respected those who dare to chase their dreams, because they are the ones who are often bold enough to catch them.

I remember a conversation with DaNell Daymon a few years back in a rainy parking lot as he agonized at a decision as he sat at a crossroads in his life and his purpose. At the end of one path was a dream he’d deferred for quite some time -- truly living in his passion and ministry of music, which would force him to move away from the thing he loved the most: his two sons. Or stay in Seattle and continue to serve where he was happy, but would maybe forever have his dream deferred.

That type of conversation is indicative of who DaNell is as a man and a leader: thoughtful in his words, always trying to cultivate not just conversation but transformative change through his ability to communicate with and to anyone.

DaNell currently calls Washington, DC home, where he serves as the director of choirs at Mt. Ennon Baptist Church. he originally hails from upstate New York but in many ways cut his teeth in Seattle.

DaNell’s service is a true ministry -- not purely in the dogmatic way we think of religion, but through his gifting of music and bringing it to life, amplifying the talents of those around him. DaNell, like most with a gift that transforms people, has never met a stranger, consistently challenging and uplifting anyone in his sphere to know better, to be better and to love better.

In that earlier conversation with DaNell I quickly learned a few things, one being that the fading myth of the uncaring Black father is just that indeed: a myth. The love that he has for his two sons is palpable, it truly is his “why.” It was evident in that conversation and it shows up even now as he shares vulnerably with the public his journey of being a father to a teenage and pre-teen son, his yearning to ensure that he’s close and doing enough even if there’s distance.

As we stood together, I listened to DaNell and just offered an encouraging nod, as like most of us, he just needed space to make a decision and have people lend an ear to hear. His fears of letting his sons down, disappointing his son’s mother and letting down the community pained him, but he knew his dreams could no longer be deferred.

That same encouraging nod came a couple of years later, as I watched with the rest of the country as DaNell led his incredibly talented gospel choir, DaNell Daymon and Greater Works, onto the stage of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” to become the first gospel choir to steal the nation’s heart, finishing one round away from the finals.

DaNell’s choice to chase his dreams helped propel the dreams of so many of the members of his choir and his family, as his son’s equally beamed with pride at their father taking the path less chosen, modeling the way for them to be bold enough to chase their own.

DaNell’s humility, vulnerability and his gifted ability to bring voices together to create harmonious change, whether in his professional life or in his personal life, truly are inspiring. He shines through his greatest works -- his dedication to family and his commitment to living his dreams — and because of this, DaNell Daymon is indeed Black History Today!