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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 2000)
4 Page 8 February 2,2000________________________ FOCUS B H M In 1899, when a black minister stepped into the pulpit, he had to be ready to pass a test. Was his sermon helping to uplift the members ofhis congregation and the black race in general? If not, he was in for a serious rebuke. “T h ere w as a critiq u e o f th e programs o f the church: Does this contribute to racial uplift?” said the Rev. David Daniels, a historian at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. “The church needed to have more than either a consoling ro le, a th e ra p e u tic ro le or inspirational role... What the church life was about had to contribute practically to people’s lives and in the engagement o f uplifting the race.” As blacks faced adjusting to life b e y o n d sla v e ry , e n d u rin g a ritualistic culture o f lynching and racist terrorism, the black church was a shelter in often-stormy times. A century later, fighting social ills and in s tillin g th e o v e ra ll e m p o w e rm e n t of A fric a n Americans still proves a challenge for many religious leaders and is often at the top o f the priority list, experts say. <£lje ÇwrUani» © b se tw r The message must remain the same, scholars say In his critically acclaimed book, “Race Matters,” Harvard University professor and scholar, Comel West, says the black church continues to be the bridge over troubled waters in th e A fric a n -A m e ric a n community. “At present, the major institutional bulw arks against the pervasive meaninglessness and despair in A fro-A m erica are interm ediate in stitu tio n s such as C h ristian churches, Muslim mosques, and character-building schools,” West writes. “They all are fighting an u p h ill b a ttle ... Y et those intermediate institutions that affirm the humanity ofblack people, accent their capacities and potentialities, and fo ste r the c h a ra c te r and excellence requisite for productive citizenship, are beacons o f hope in the midst o f the cultural and moral crisis.” A century ago, churches band together “to prevent lynching o f our people,” said Sherry DuPree, a Gainesville, Fla.-based author and researcher on African-American religious issues. “They knew ifthey didn’t come together, they wouldn’t survive.” This quest to “come together” and lead the com m unity links the churches o f the early 20th and 21 st centuries. Throughout the past 100 years, the issues have not really c h a n g e d m uch fo r A fric a n Americans. While others might see the new millennium in mystical apocalyptic terms, today’s black church must continue to find ways to combat racism, educate children, spur economic development and feed the poor and disenfranchised. “It seems like it’s more survival skills than worrying about w hat’s going to happen in 2000,” DuPree said. Although spiritual development has always been the church’s emphasis, eco n o m ic and e d u c a tio n a l empowerment has often followed closely behind. “I think the contemporary African- American church is recognizing that it is very much so an economic as well as a religious institution,” said the Rev. Kenneth Henry, associate professor o f church history at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. “Many black churches are beginning to realize that they do have clout w ith the num bers o f p ersons immediately under their guidance and I think many o f the churches are clearly entering into areas o f p ro v id in g h o u sin g and employment agencies and credit unions.” T he R ev. Jam es S h o p sh ire , professor o f sociology o f religion and urban m inistry at W esley T h e o lo g ic a l S em in ary in Washington, said the black churches at the close o f the 20th century still have far more to do on the economic development scene. “O ften we have not m ade the d istin ctio n betw een providing services and helping with economic development,” he said. “We have n o t used o u r c o rp o ra te and institutional power to make sure that we establish things that help the community grow and expand rather th an g iv e h a n d o u ts to the community.” When the 20th century was at its m idpoint and suburban “w hite flight” was the reaction to black migration to northern cities, many black churches stayed put amid the urban decay that followed. “The liberal mainline churches were the ab a n d o n in g c h u rc h e s, abandoning the inner urban core, leaving the cities,” said Shopshire. “At the same time, many o f the other churches, especially among A fric a n -A m e ric a n p eo p le, remained.” Drawing on the legacy o f early 20th century black churches, which offered schools forchildren, literacy programs for adults and aid to m ig ra n ts, m any black “megachurches”— located both in the suburbs and the cities— have been offering vast educational opportunities to members and the community at large. There will be more o f this in the new millennium. “T hey have th e ir ow n school systems from K to 12,” Daniels said. “Someofthem are even starting college programs.” Shopshire said medium-sized and sm a lle r c h u rc h e s a lso are contributing to the educational development o f African-American children. Some o f their schools operate from a desire to help children who “need to know our culture” in a multiracial world, he said. O ne h u n d re d y e a rs a g o , the provision o f services for African Americans was a necessity because the black church, which for the most part was solely Christian, was often th e only p illa r o f th e b la c k community President marks Black History Month President Clinton on Monday marked Black History Month by noting the 40th anniversary o f the Greensboro, N.C. sit-ins that “galvanized young men and women o f conscience across America” to push Jim Crow segregation into its grave. Clinton said four freshmen from North Carolina A&T College actually performed a service to their country by sitting quietly at a whites-only lunch counter on Feb. 1,1960. He said their action touched o ff dramatic sit-ins in nine states that wore down segregation in restaurants, theaters and concert halls, and led to a broader call for equality in housing, health care and education. ”The extraordinary bravery and determination o f Ezell Blair Jr., Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond galvanized young men and women o f conscience across America,” Clinton said. “Their story o f conscience and conviction and their ultimate triumph continue to inspire us today.” Clinton said all Americans should view Black History Month as a chance to “discover anew a treasure o f stories about the triumph of the human spirit.... These stories are not only an important part o f African American history, but an essential part o f American history.” As he did last year, the president issued a proclamation declaring February as “National African American History M onth,” using the increasingly popular reference to black Americans. He set “Heritage and Horizons: The African American Legacy and the Challenges of the 21 st Century” as the theme for this year’s observances. ”It is a reminder that the new century on which we have just embarked offers us a unique opportunity to write our own chapter in the history o f African Americans and o f our nation," Clinton said. “We can teach our children that America’s story has been written by men and women of every race and creed and ethnic background. We can ensure that our laws, our actions, and our words honor the rights and dignity o f every human being.” The observance, honoring the contributions ofblack Am ericans, was started by historian C arter G. Woodson in 1926 as Negro History Week. It became Black History Week in the early 1970s, and expanded to a month in 1976. Saturday, February 19, 2000 9:00 pm - 2:00 am Sheraton - Airport 8235 N.E. Airportway Tickets Available at: Cannon's Rib Express - 503/288-3836 Hair Creations - 503/281-1185 Fred Meyer - 503/224-8499 E-Z Nail -288-3110 Fastixx - 224-8499 One Stop Music, Inc. - 284-2435
