On November 21, 1918, Henry Beard Delany was consecrated as the Suffragan Bishop for Colored Work in the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, becoming the first African American bishop in North Carolina and only the second in the United States. ?

Born into slavery on February 5, 1858, in St. Marys, Georgia, Delany pursued education after emancipation, attending St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina. After graduating in 1885, he joined the faculty, teaching carpentry and masonry, and later served as vice-principal, chaplain, and musician. He was ordained a deacon in 1889 and a priest in 1892. ?

As Suffragan Bishop, Delany oversaw African American congregations not only in North Carolina but also in the dioceses of East and Western North Carolina, South Carolina, and Upper South Carolina. His role was pivotal in advocating for the inclusion and unity of African American Episcopalians within the church during a period marked by segregationist practices. ?

Delany’s legacy extends beyond his ecclesiastical contributions; two of his daughters, Sarah Louise Delany and Annie Elizabeth Delany, gained national recognition for their memoir, Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years, which chronicles their experiences as African American women navigating the 20th century.