I am examining how the Black Baptist church aided in the construction of the New Negro identity. The Great Migration afforded the Black churches of the North a challenge because they had to accommodate and help the influx of Southerners. In Bound For the Promised Land, Milton Sernett, observes the church as the most central institute in the African American experience. The Reverend Lacey Kirk Williams of Olivet Baptist Church was mentioned as a church that quickly responded to the migrants needs. Reverend Williams sent church members to the train stations to direct migrants and he soon transformed the church into a social service center. The church became an agent of self-help and economic self-determination. These two elements represented the New Negro movement. Because there were few entities that catered to the needs of the Black community the Black church was expected to help themselves. The Black church was an independent institute that had the ability and finances to be self-sufficient. The Olivet Baptist Church was able to feed, clothe, and assist migrants in finding housing and employment. Furthermore, they hosted educational, social, and recreational activities. They were financially independent and able to use their money in ways that empowered and helped the Black community. Olivet’s reputation as an important social center rapidly spread and increased the church numbers. The bigger the church grew the more influential the church became in the community. The church was transforming from the “old tradition” to a New Negro church that was exhibiting social and economic power while also producing intellectual leaders and productive workers for the community. The Northerner churches began to make it a priority to teach migrants how to obtain industrial jobs. This was part of the attempt to remove the “seasonal rhythms of farm work” ingrained in the South. The churches goal was to focus not only on the spiritual but the “Gospel of Efficiency” in order to begin to transform Blacks into productive workers who can become financially stable and contribute back to the Black community to continue to grow the church and the social services started.
I really like your topic and agree with the Sernett text on the influence of the Church within the African American experience. Far more than on a spiritual level I see that the Black Church provided the support and strength vital for the transition of Black Southerns to the North. You do a good job of analyzing both the Northern churches and the Southern churches, but what I really find interesting is this give and take relationship I see within your blog. While the Church as an institution was able to provide numerous resources and spiritual guidance for the Black community, it was also a place that the community could invest their time and energy in as a positive outlet. Great Job!!
ReplyDeleteI remembered talking to you about your thesis topic a couple of weeks ago so I had to read your blog! I think your paper topic is great! I specifically like how you framed the church as self-sufficient in its need to address the demands and needs of the Black community. It reminds me of Baldwin's argument about the Entrepreneurial aspect of the New Negro, in the sense that they used legislatively implemented segregationist policies to their advantage, creating Black enterprises for their communities, and fostering some level of upward mobility. The methods the church adopted in addressing basic necessities, such as clothing, food, and shelter, reminds me of the ways in which Fannie Lou Hamer created programs to uplift and empower the community. The ways in which the Black community transformed racially restrictive enclaves and social spaces into areas used for dialogue and community transformation is such an important aspect of the New Negro!
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