Kim Queen Boyd Leathers

Born a Queen, Destined for Greatness
On July 31, 1962, after much anticipation and on her parents' seventh wedding
anniversary, Kim Queen Boyd was born to the late Henry Thomas Boyd and Queen Agnes
Palmer Boyd. Her loving parents doted on her. It seemed as though her father always carried
Bactine and Band-Aids in his pants pockets to treat any cut or scratch.
Kim was reared and baptized in Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington, DC. She
was an active member of the youth usher board, Pastor's Aid ministry, Union Missionary
Society, Board of Christian Education and Metropolitan's Young People's Choir. Her home
was the spot of many parties for the usher board and choir.
A product of the DC Public School System, Kim attended Shepherd Elementary School
and Alice Deal Jr. High School. During her formative years and while attending those schools,
she honed her skills for serving others. Kim often ran for school council seats and participated
in other extracurricular activities.
Through the years, she excelled in her academics. In June 1979, she graduated from The
School without Walls, her mind focused on becoming a Howard University Bison in the Fall.
In typical fashion, Kim immersed herself in school and extracurricular activities,
including Campus Pals and student government. As Kim matriculated through Howard,
everyone expected her to pledge Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), especially her
mother. The question was when. In spring 1981, she pledged her beloved sorority, joining 45
other women on the line "Pretentious Twist of 46." She later served as the graduate advisor for
Alpha Chapter of AKA Sorority, Inc.
In May, 1983, Kim graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Arts in
Sociology, with an emphasis in criminal justice. A lover of learning, while assisting Dr.
Gertrude W. Marlowe in researching the life and contributions of Maggie Lena Walker and
serving as a Teacher's Assistant, she earned her Master's Degree in Sociology in 1987. Kim
continued her doctoral studies at Howard University earning her Ph.D. in Sociology in 1999.
She was a true "Bison." Her areas of expertise included the sociology of the Black Church,
sociology of aging, race relations, and Black women's history.
Professionally Kim continued to excel. She became the associate editor of the first
edition of the Directory of African American Religious Bodies: A Compendium by the Howard
University School of Divinity published in 1991. She went on to become the associate
director of the International Faith Community Information and Services Clearinghouse and
Training Center (ISC), a repository of information and technical assistance on social ministry
development for African American churches and the faith community globally. She was also
instrumental in the program development for HUSD's pioneering leap into distance learning,
which creatively interfaced the local church with the seminary, government, non-profit and
faith-based institutions around the world.
Dr. Leathers was also director of the School of Divinity's continuing education program
that grew into a thriving initiative serving 300+ students annually across the Washington
metropolitan region, and an adjunct professor, teaching research methods and writing to
doctoral students. She also conducted research on "The African American Potential in
Advanced Theological Training and Vocation" for Auburn Theological Seminary's Center for
the Study of Theological Education in New York City, New York and was a member of the
HIV and Substance Abuse Prevention Curriculum, Inter-Seminary Writing Team, at the
Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
However, it was not all work and no play for Kim. While earning her Master's degree,
she rekindled her friendship with a young, handsome man named Terence K. Leathers. Love
blossomed over a course of several months. The young man was so smitten that he proposed
to her on bended knee in a garage. On June 4, 1988, during a candlelight, evening ceremony,
The Reverend Dr. H. Beecher Hicks Jr., united the couple in holy matrimony at Metropolitan
Baptist Church.
They were a dynamic duo. She helped him with his graduate studies and he, in turn,
helped her with her studies. Going to school, working, and building a life together melded into
a rhythm until 2002. On October 8, 2002, their long awaited princess, Kimille Queen Leathers
was born. Like her parents, many loved her even before she graced the world on that day.
Kim excelled as a mother and managed seamlessly to juggle career, home, and
relationships with her friends, godchildren and extended family. From 1988 until 2004, Kim
served on the staff of Howard University's School of Divinity (HUSD).
A change came in 2004, Kim, Terence and Kimille made North Carolina their new
home. That year, Kim became the Dean of the Honors College and Assistant Professor of
Sociology at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
At Shaw, she excelled at shaping and directing some of today's brightest minds through
curriculum development and academic and social activities, including participation in the
National Association of African American Honors Programs and coaching the Honda Campus
All-Star Challenge team (a national tournament among the nation's top historically black
colleges and universities). Through her efforts, many deserving youth received scholarships
that might not otherwise have been able to attend Shaw University to expand their minds and
realize their dreams.
She was a recognized expert on the sociology of the Black Church, and regularly sought
after by media outlets, government personnel, students and educators for information
concerning the myriad religious experiences of African Americans. In September 2002, she
was a speaker at the "Conference on African-African American Cooperation in the Global
Fight Against HIV/AIDS," a part of the Secretary of State's Open Forum, cosponsored by the
Constituency for Africa and held during the Ronald H. Brown African Affairs Series. She
appeared on National Public Radio, the Bev Smith Show, WUSA Channel 9 and for the Afro-
American History Society of the National Archives and Records Administration to talk about
the 2003 biography of Maggie L. Walker (A Right Worthy Grand Mission: Maggie Lena
Walker and the Quest for Black Economic Empowerment by Gertrude W. Marlowe). Kim's
research and ultimate Master's thesis formed the basis for the book.
Her love for public service flourished and expanded throughout her years to include:
membership on the Nellie M. Quander Memorial Scholarship Fund committee (an endowed
scholarship fund at Howard University) and in Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority, Inc. She was also on the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice's "National
Black Religious Summit on Sexuality: Breaking the Silence" advisory board, and served on
the Regional Alcohol and Drug Awareness Resource (RADAR) Network National/
International Steering Committee for a number of years. She was a member of the National
Association of African American Honors Programs. She was the chairperson of the nationally
renowned H. Beecher Hicks, Sr. Institute of Great Preaching held annually at Metropolitan
Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. from 1997 to 2001.
Kim was also First Lady at Mt. Vernon Christian Church in Clayton, North Carolina,
where her husband serves as pastor. She served on the technology committee and conducted
various training efforts within the church and community. Kim was a member of the
Association for the Study of African American Life and History and the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People.
Her life is cherished by her devoted husband of 28 years, Reverend Dr. Terence K.
Leathers; her precious daughter, Kimille Queen Leathers; a loving mother-in-law, Carrie F.
Leathers; two aunts: Maude B. Shelton, Philadelphia, PA and Flora Boyd Maclin (Murry),
Teaneck, NJ; cousins: Patricia S. Hudgins, Philadelphia, PA, Warren Benbow Jr., New York
City, NY, Paula D. Boyd Dell (Tyrone), Cameron, NC, Denise B Capria (Al), Boyton Beach,
FL, Peggy Palmer, Albany NY, Lorraine Palmer, Coxsackie, NY, Frances Turner, Catskill, NY,
Tracy Palmer, Washington, D.C., Mary Jones and Nannie Irving, Washington, D.C., Joyce
Syres, Philadelphia, PA and Frances Ragsdale, Roanoke, VA and a host of other relatives,
godchildren and friends that will miss her dearly.

So let my life like the Ivy be,
A help to man and a wreath for Thee.
Dedicated To My Beautiful and Loving Wife
"I Carry Your Heart With Me"
I carry your heart with me.
I carry it in my heart.
I am never without it.
Anywhere I go you go, my dear, and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling.
I fear no fate for you are my fate, my sweet
I want no world for beautiful you are my world, my true
And it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
And whatever a sun will always sing is you
Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
And the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can
hope or mind an hide.
And this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
I carry your heart
I carry it in my heart
E.E. Cummings


Dedicated to My Best Friend and Mom
"One More Day"
I wish for nothing more
Than just one more day,
For I would give it all,
Just to hear her say.
It's funny how
In life it seems
You take for granted
The most important things
To feel her close,
And be safe again,
Safe from my own self,
Back with my best friend.
Yes, she was the best,
And at other times the only,
My Friend, you left me here,
And now my heart is lonely.
If you could just come back,
If only for one day,
I'd make sure that I'd listen
To all you had to say.
And now that it's too late,
You cannot speak anymore.
I finally realized,
I should have heard you before.
And if I could do it over,
I'd only change one thing,
I'd tell you that I love you,
And how much joy to me you bring.
No one will ever know
Quite how I feel inside,
And on that day you left,
You weren't the only one who died.
You have always been there, Mom.
And you loved me 'til the end,
So with all my heart and soul,
I love you too, My Friend
Written by Mistique M. Hart

Dedicated To Our Dear Friend
"A Tribute to Kim"
You left us too soon,
Our dear incomparable friend.
Your friendship was a rarity
Our precious Queen.
So many things left unsaid,
So many dreams unseen,
Our grieving hearts ache
But, we know you are in a better place.
Until we see you again
Rest in peace Kim, our dear friend.
Written with love by your friends

Visitation:
Sunday, September 04
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Poplar Springs Christian Church
6115 Old Stage Road
Raleigh, NC 27603





Funeral Service:
Sunday, September 04
2:00 PM
Poplar Springs Christian Church
6115 Old Stage Road
Raleigh, NC 27603





Interment:
Sunday September 04
Montlawn Memorial Park
2911 S Wilmington St,
Raleigh, NC 27603