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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.
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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