At its peak, the Shrine — renamed in 1978 as the Shrine of the Black Madonna of the Pan-African Orthodox Christian Church — had eight churches in Michigan, five of them in Detroit.

Walker has been a part of the Shrine of the Black Madonna since 1990 and serves as an associate pastor, sharing the church’s teachings in Houston, Atlanta, and throughout South Carolina.

Through the Shrine of the Black Madonna, they’ve created the grocery program with Race For Unity, in which food they’ve grown or purchased is provided for families. Since July 2020, they’ve ...