The Rev. William Barber II walks with a cane in this photo taken last March at Greenleaf Christian Church, his home congregation in Goldsboro, N.C. Rev. Barber has spoken publicly about his battle with a form of arthritis known as ankylosing spondylitis that can lead to, among other things, inflammation and fusion of the spine. Once a burgeoning football star, he moves slowly, aided by his cane and sometimes several assistants.
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‘You wear out’: How chronic illness grounds and inspires William Barber’s activism
Standing outside a church in rural North Carolina this spring, the Rev. William Barber II leaned on his dented and scuffed wooden cane. With one powerful hand he pushed himself up and into the seat of a long black Chevrolet Suburban, then swung his legs in, using the cane, wedged against the door, as a fulcrum. The effort left him out of breath, his expansive chest heaving as he lay back in the seat, reclined to afford him space. No sooner had an aide closed the door before a man from the church rapped gently on the window. “Rev. Barber,” he said, “you’ve been a role model, an inspiration.”
