File This Under: Hat's Off to Jacqueline Huggins-Bible Translator!

AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN SPENDS MORE THAN 20 YEARS TRANSLATING BIBLE: Jacqueline Huggins is first Black woman to complete a New Testament translation.
source

This year, Jacqueline Huggins, through her involvement in translating the New Testament into the Filipino Kagayanen language, will become the:

* World's first African-American female to ever complete a New Testament translation.

* First African-American to complete a New Testament translation since the early 1900s (Efrain Alphonse completed the Valiente New Testament).

* First African-American with Wycliffe bible translators to ever complete a New Testament translation.

In 1986, 36-year-old Huggins, a Philadelphia-born linguistics and Bible translation specialist, headed off to the Philippines on assignment with Wycliffe Bible Translators. She would spend more than 20 years translating the New Testament into the Kagayanen language, which is spoken by some 25,000. Now, with the Kagayanen translation complete, the first copies of the New Testament are expected to be delivered in February 2008.

According to Huggins the work was accomplished through the combined efforts of a team of three translators and three support staff. It is a diverse team-Asian, African- American and Caucasian-made up of Americans, Malaysian Chinese and Singaporean Chinese.

"I knew God was calling me to Scripture translation. Incredibly, one church leader attempted to discourage me from pursuing that call, saying 'You won't be accepted by Wycliffe because you are black. And you are a female,'" Huggins recounts. "It became clear that divine intervention brought this diverse team together - with our distinct gifts and abilities - to complete the translation project and serve those who speak the Kagayanen language."

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Well there's good, bad and good in this article:

Good: Jacqueline is part of amazing history!

Bad: Biblical translators are prejudiced?! excuse me???

Good: She didn't let it slow her roll

I applaud your perseverence, Jackie!!