Albaner C. Eugene Jr.’s “What’s The Word” Tour Will Leave You at Peace

Albaner C. Eugene Jr. is a new breed of spiritual leader who inspires audiences globally through social media. He has taken his message on the road with the “What’s The Word” tour, a night of faith, spirituality and healing, which makes its Apollo Theater debut in New York City on December 16.

“The entire tour is built around that one question,” Eugene shares with EBONY. “My goal is that everybody in the crowd can see we’re all going through some of the same, and we can find inspiration in the word to help people move forward and have something to stand on.”

Here, Eugene Jr. reveals more about the tour and how we can all find faith in the word.

EBONY: The “What’s the Word” tour is traveling the nation. What’s it all about?

Albaner C. Eugene Jr.: I have people in my life and if you put us all in a room, we really can talk, and it’s always exciting. They inspire me, and I hope I inspire them. I had this phrase that I would say to them: “What’s the word,” meaning, “How are you? What’s going on?” There’s a scripture in the Bible that I love. It talks about how we don’t live by simply bread alone but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. I challenged some of our leaders to have a word every day to stand on that gives some inspiration and hope and keeps them going. Right before the pandemic, I was sitting in my car, and I believe God put it on my heart to start an event around that phrase and to give other people that same encouragement.

What do guests experience during the show?

People can see the relevancy, the power, the truth and the inspiration behind the word of God in our generation. It starts with a cool short film that I created, which captures the essence of the culture and the times we’re living in. The point of the video is to show that even though it may feel like life can sometimes get crazy and tough, it’s important to have people and community in your life. There’s a second piece because the “What the Word” question only works when you have people in your life that you can talk to. So I chill and talk with the guests that come and make it a safe environment. We laugh together. We get their crowd engaged. And then there’s this Q&A portion that people love.

When did you get your calling to spread the word?

It was my senior year…I had so many ideas, dreams and visions of seeing myself gather people together. My mom says that I was always encouraging as a kid. She said there were times when I was a baby, I’d walk up to her and say, “Mom, why are you sad,” so I think I’ve always loved encouraging people and seeing people smile and keep going. I love encouraging myself to keep going. But with all the ideas that I had in my senior year, that was probably the moment when I realized I should take it seriously.

Who attends your shows and what are some common themes you discuss?

You have young people, parents, married couples and singles, so many different types of people wherever they are in their lives. I would say the common themes are delivering words that help people get unstuck, help in times of transition and help people either be more patient or know when it’s time to move. There are words for people who need help with their children and words for people who need help in their relationships.

What’s one encounter that’s touched you in particular?

There was a question that a mother had, and I didn’t even know she was a mom just yet. We had her come sit on the couch. She was asking about someone in her life who didn’t feel loved by God, didn’t feel loved at all and was looking for help with the thoughts they get when they feel unloved. I sat down with this mom to talk about the truth of the word and the distance God goes for us to prove that love. We ended up praying for her person. After, at the meet and greet, the woman comes up, points to this little girl and tells me, “This is my daughter, who the question was for.” And I told the girl, who was in her early teens, “Listen, whenever you need help, understand how loved you are. Your mom did not have to get up in front of everybody; she was shy, nervous, scared. But she did that because she loves and cares about you. That is the essence and sacrifice of what God did for all of us. He sacrificed everything to prove his love. Remember what your mother did for you today.” Those are special moments.

Not only do you connect with people in person, you use social media as a platform.

It started for me in person. I was asked to be a part of the youth ministry at my church, and I brought one of my friends. One day, we filmed me, and we posted it. Those were my first speaking engagements, on YouTube. In the beginning, I didn’t have a set message or notes. It started with just me sharing my heart.  My content, or whatever I’m sharing, comes from my every day walking with people in real life. So many things are birthed from those conversations and things that I’ve learned. I always say that if I find myself talking about a common theme, I might as well share it with the world.

What are some of the biggest issues Black people face today for which the word could provide solace? 

I’ve always felt, when it came to faith, that there were not a lot of voices that looked like us. And I always felt they didn’t get it. Our struggles and things we need to bring to God are bigger than someone else may think because we’ve historically been through so much as a people. My responsibility as a Black voice has always been not to shy away from hard questions or things but to bring the goblet, to prove historically how God has shown up for people who have been oppressed, who have been enslaved and who have been ostracized, marginalized, rejected and put down. Whether it be by a government, a system or some evil, there’s always been proof of how God responds to oppression. The challenge for me is always to remind and encourage people of the famous Black voices he used to accomplish it. To this day, if they had not moved, if they had not decided to stand up and be a voice or be an agent of change, where would we be? Harriet Tubman had so much against her life statistically and biologically, but she was a giant in her five feet. All those people she freed, and she could have freed so much more if they only knew. There are people throughout history who have decided to stand up and be a voice in spite of what was going on in front of them. I see God in people who decide to stand up and do the things that may seem impossible. If that’s not a manifestation of the power of God, I don’t know what else will be.

 What can people walk away with after experiencing your live show?

It sounds crazy, but it’s almost a guarantee people will walk away feeling inspired. Without vision, the people perish. If you don’t have any inspiration, any hope, any dream or any motivation to keep moving forward, you just won’t. And so people will leave filled with hope for a better future for tomorrow, full of purpose and excitement. But my favorite feeling is of peace. The experience provides people with a level of peace that you can’t buy, you can’t. There’s a scripture that I love: the world gives you peace, but you can lose it. But then God gives us peace that the world can’t touch or can’t take it away. It’s not me, it’s not any of the panelists, it’s not the movies we create or the lights and all the fun. It’s the presence of God.

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