Wellington Boone Basic Black Journal Confederate History Singles

Transcription

IN THIS ISSUE:
CONFEDERATE
HISTORY MONTH
Challenging the glorification of that
sad era and
calling for
genuine
apologies and
actions to
heal our land
and restore America’s greatness
Film Birth of a Nation
(1915) revived the
terrorist organization Ku
Klux Klan to deny Black
Americans their rights .
Frederick Douglass
escaped from slavery and
became a presidential
advisor and international
leader of abolition.
Unified by Truth
Christians unified by the
Bible and truth about the
past can give the world a
new spiritual awakening.
Hiram Revels
became the first Black U.S.
Senator after an inspiring
prayer in the Mississippi
legislature.
Tulsa Race Riot
of 1921 destroyed the
entire Black business
district and hundreds of
lives were lost.
From the dawn of America,
we have dealt with racial issues in ways that
have dishonored God. Our future success
requires that we address them now.
Basic Black Journal
© 2014 Wellington Boone
Vol. 1. No. 1
“Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1872 by Currier & Ives in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
[back row] Robert C. De Large, M.C. [Member of Congress] of S. Carolina Jefferson H. Long, M.C. of
Georgia U.S. Senator H. R. Revels, of Mississippi Benj. S. Turner, M.C. of Alabama Josiah T. Walls,
M.C. of Florida Joseph H. Rainy, M.C. of S. Carolina r. Brown Elliot, M.C. of S. Carolina
THE FIRST COLORED SENATOR AND REPRESENTATIVES.
In the 41st and 42nd Congress of the United States” [1869-1873]
Source of picture and caption: Library of Congress: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/17500/17564v.jpg
Sen. Hiram Revels (1827-1901) was a Black legislator from Mississippi
known for his public prayers. We need examples like him today.
The first Black American to
serve in the U.S. Congress (either
House or Senate) was a minister,
Hiram Rhodes Revels [left lower
row in picture above]. He was born
free in North Carolina and became a
minister in the African Methodist
Episcopal Church. He established a
school for freedmen in St. Louis.
After the outbreak of the Civil
War, Revels assisted in recruiting
Blacks into the military and served
as a chaplain. After the war ended,
Mississippi was restored to the
Union under conditions set by the
victors, such as granting voting
rights to Black citizens.
Revels was serving as a state
senator from Mississippi when he
was chosen to serve as a U.S.
Senator from Mississippi (he served
from 1870-1871). Jefferson Davis,
president of the Confederacy (18611865), once held the other U.S.
Senate seat.
One of Revel’s colleagues, John
Roy Lynch (the first Black Speaker of
the House in Mississippi and U.S.
Congressman from 1873-1877 and
1882-1883) wrote of Revel’s inspiring
prayer that opened the Mississippi
legislature in January 1870:
“That prayer,—one of the most
impressive and eloquent
prayers that had ever been
delivered in the Senate
Chamber,—made Revels a
United States Senator. He
made a profound impression
upon all who heard him. It
impressed those who heard it
that Revels was not only a man
of great natural ability but that
he was also a man of superior
attainments.”1
1
John Roy Lynch, The Facts of Reconstruction (The
Neale Company, 1913). Online at http://
www.gutenberg.org/files/16158/16158-h/16158h.htm.
During Reconstruction (1865
-1877) the one consistent
theme in Black politicians
was exemplary leadership
and statesmen-like qualities
based on the Bible.
Historians unfortunately
have often distorted those
facts. Most Americans are
ignorant of the full story
about why Blacks are in their
current condition today.
How did slavery begin in a
Christian country? Why did
Blacks have to suffer even
after they were freed by the
Civil War and Amendments
to the Constitution? How did
they keep their Christian
faith alive? A Biblical
perspective on Black history
will help tell the story.
Basic Black Journal will seek
to provide Biblical answers to
why with more civil-rights
laws on the books than ever
before almost everyone
acknowledges that deeply
entrenched racial problems
still exist. Black Americans
remain a troubled people
group. We believe that the
answers will come now and
God will get the glory.
‘We are in a battle with evil but we will win
through the power of the Holy Ghost.’
In 2007, something miraculous happened that I saw as a prophetic
declaration that God is on the move on behalf of Black Americans. On
By Wellington Boone
February 24, both houses of the Virginia state legislature, meeting in
Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy, passed unanimously a profound apology
for slavery and its impact on Black Americans. Other state legislatures followed suit:
Maryland, North Carolina, Alabama, New Jersey, and Florida. It was an apology landslide!
In 2005, the U.S. Senate had apologized for never passing anti-lynching legislation.
Corporations have apologized for
getting rich by exploiting slaves. This
movement is so significant that I believe
Evidence Presented in Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
it could launch a spiritual revolution,
“In the ‘doll test,’ psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark used four
winds of change blowing life and hope.
plastic, diaper-clad dolls, identical except for color. They showed the
dolls to black children between the ages of three and seven and asked
them questions to determine racial perception and preference. Almost
all of the children readily identified the race of the dolls. However, when
asked which they preferred, the majority selected the white doll and
attributed positive characteristics to it. The Clarks also gave the children
outline drawings of a boy and girl and asked them to color the figures
the same color as themselves. Many of the children with dark
complexions colored the figures with a white or yellow crayon. The
Clarks concluded that ‘prejudice, discrimination, and segregation’
caused black children to develop a sense of inferiority and self-hatred.”1
“You shall raise up the foundations of
many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer
of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.”
(Isaiah 58:12 NKJV)
Although the apology momentum has
slowed, it must be resumed. Somewhere
inside many Black Americans is a deep
Evidence Presented in Reel Works Film Project (2005)
In a 2005 high school project created by Kiri Davis, she was shocked to sorrow that should have ended with
Emancipation but continued with Jim
discover that 15 of 21 Black children still favored White dolls. A Black
girl asked to choose the “bad doll” chose the Black one.2
Crow laws, lynchings, the Ku Klux
1Library of Congress exhibit on the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of
Klan, and segregation. Blacks were
Education. Online at http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html.
targeted for death by eugenics and
2Kiri Davis, “A Girl Like Me” (Reel Works, 2005). Online at http://
Planned Parenthood. Sadly, Blacks now
www.reelworks.org/news_reels/winter_2007.php.
kill themselves.
Genocide is usually one race’s deliberate plan to destroy aother race. In this case, Black
are eliminating their own race themselves. I call that “Black self-genocide.” It is seen early
in Black children who dislike their own race as “cultural self-hatred.”
The level of family breakdown, disease, and death that plague Black Americans shows
that the devil’s wrath is increasing because he knows that he has a short time (Revelation
12:12). Blacks are in a battle with evil but they will win by the power of the Holy Ghost!
In the face of profound state apologies, some Blacks have scoffed bitterly at apologies
as too little, too late. Well then, maybe God should
have said to mankind after thousands of years of sin:
“Too little, too late!” Instead, He sent Jesus to save us.
Black Americans need to respond with the love of 94 percent of Blacks are killed by other Blacks. 16 times
more Blacks than Whites are homicide victims.
Jesus. He forgave them while they were still sinners
Most Black fathers abandon their own children.
(Romans 5:8) and it is their sacred duty to forgive
Nearly 70 percent of Black children are born to single
others. They should embrace biblical principles to (1)
mothers—at all socioeconomic levels.2
value unborn children, (2) maintain sexual purity, and Blacks had the highest abortion rates of all races—33.5
abortions per 1,000 women aged 15--44 years)—and
(3) honor the biblical standard of marriage.
ratios (472 abortions per 1,000 live births).3
Psalm 85:6 says, “Wilt thou not revive us again:
Blacks have 2.4 times the sudden infant death syndrome
that thy people may rejoice in thee?”
mortality rate of Whites.4
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) U.S. Department of
These circumstances could possibly cause an
Bureau of Justice Statistics (http://www.bjs.gov),
awakening in both family life and politics. Either Black Justice
2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Americans will call on Jesus to save them or they will 3
Abortion Surveillance 2008” (CDC) Online at http://www.cdc.gov/
give up and let the devil destroy them. They have a
mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6015a1.htm?s_cid=ss6015a1_w.
choice, and I believe Black Americans will get it right. 4http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=3021.
Through the Black American Christian Embassy
(BACE), instead of being a mission field, they are about to become God’s missionaries to
the world. Contact us for more information on BA CE.. BasicBlack@W ellingtonBoone.com.
1
Wellington Boone Ministries
5875 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Ste 300, Norcross, GA 30092
Phone: 404-840-8443
http://WellingtonBoone.com
[email protected]
Basic Black Journal © 2013 Wellington Boone (Vol. 1, No. 1), page 2
Basic Black Journal explores the roots of
current issues in the United States from a
Biblical perspective to discover ways to
restore our country’s greatness in the eyes of
God and the world. Specifically, it examines
root causes of problems in Black America
that undermine the health of our nation.
It is evident from several social indicators that the people
group of Black Americans—12 to 14 percent of our country’s
population—is struggling in ways that affect not only our
national economy but also our image before the world.
This issue marks the 150th anniversary of Fort Sumter
(April 1861), the opening battle of the Civil War. We will
examine how 150 years of celebrations of the Confederacy and
Confederate History have promoted lingering negative attitudes
toward Blacks and, in fact, caused them to devalue themselves
and their race and even try to destroy the race. Throughout this
publication, we will seek to maintain a spirit of grace, not race.
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
be with your spirit” (Philemon 1:25 NLT).
Since this graphic was created in April 2008 Connecticut has apologized for slavery.
Sources: Stateline.org. U. S. Census of 1860. University of Virginia Library, “State Level Results for 1860.” Online at
http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/index.html.
Confederate History Month. Ever y year
certain days and even the entire month of
April in Georgia are set aside in Southern
states to honor Confederate History. Black
school children have to celebrate the “Lost
Cause” that kept their ancestors in slavery.
January 19—Texas (Confederate Heroes)
April 23—Alabama
April 26—Florida
April 30—Mississippi
May 10—North Carolina, South Carolina
Cornerstone of Confederacy was belief in
Blacks as an inferior race. Confeder ate
President Jefferson Davis said that “equal” in
the Declaration of Independence meant that
political men were equal. Slaves were
property. (See page 4.) Vice President
Alexander Stephens said of the Confederate
Constitution, its “foundations are laid, its
corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that
the negro is not equal to the white man.”
Confederate states seceded to protect
slavery. The states who for med the
Confederacy seceded when Abraham Lincoln
was elected President. He had campaigned on
a Republican platform opposing slavery.
All Northern states once allowed slavery.
When the U. S. Constitution was signed in
1789, slavery was still legal in most states,
both North and South.
Connecticut became the seventh state and
the first New England state to apologize for
slavery in 2009. Vir ginia was the fir st in
2007. Other states include Alabama, Florida,
Maryland, North Carolina, and New Jersey.
Free blacks in the South in the 1860 census
numbered 261,988. Of 10,689 free Blacks in
New Orleans, 3,000 owned slaves. The
Louisiana Black state treasurer Antoine
Dubuclet owned 100 slaves.
WHEN ABRAHAM LINCOLN
WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES on
November 6, 1860, South
Carolina began preparations to
secede from the United States
(“the Union”), which was final
on December 20. Six other
states followed in January and
February, signing a Constitution
on March 11, 1861.
“. . . that men were created equal—
meaning the men of the political
community . . . When our
Constitution was formed, the same
idea was rendered more palpable, for
there we find provision made for that
very class of persons as property;
they were not put upon the footing of
equality with white men—not even
upon that of paupers and convicts;
but, so far as representation was
concerned, were discriminated
against as a lower caste, only to be
JEFFERSON DAVIS, President of the represented in the numerical
Confederacy
proportion of three-fifths.”
Senator Jefferson Davis. Farewell speech in the U.S. Senate on
January 21, 1861, after his home state of Mississippi had
seceded from the Union to join the Confederacy.
Online http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=491.
“. . . its foundations are laid, its
cornerstone rests, upon the great
truth that the negro is not equal to
the white man;
that slavery—subordination to the
superior race—is his natural and
normal condition.
This, our new government, is the
first, in the history of the world,
based upon this great physical,
philosophical, and moral truth.”
ALEXANDER STEPHENS, VICE
President of the Confederacy
Alexander Stephens, Cornerstone
Speech (March 21, 1861)
Online at http://teachingamericanhistory.org.
CONFEDERATE SECESSION DATES
South Carolina (December 20, 1860)
Mississippi (January 9, 1861)
Florida (January 10, 1861)
Alabama (January 11, 1861)
Georgia (January 19, 1861)
Louisiana (January 26, 1861)
Texas (February 1, 1861)
Virginia (April 17, 1861)
Arkansas (May 6, 1861)
North Carolina (May 20, 1861)
Tennessee (June 8, 1861)
Battle of Fort Sumter (Currier and Ives Lithograph).
National Park Service Battle description, Battle of Fort Sumter.
Online at http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/sc001.htm.
When South Carolina and six Southern states seceded from the
United States to form the Confederacy, the garrison of Fort
Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, belonged to the
Union. On April 10, 1861, Brig. Gen P.G.T. Beauregard, who
commanded the provisional Confederate forces that had been
established at Charleston, demanded immediate surrender. U.S.
Maj. Robert Anderson refused. On April 12, Confederate forces
opened fire. On April 13, Major Anderson surrendered to the
Confederacy and evacuated the fort on April 14.
Fort Sumter remained in Confederate
hands. However, other war activities in
Charleston Harbor brought great
advantages to the Union. A year later, a
brilliant slave named Robert Smalls, a
ship’s pilot on the Planter, a Confederate
transport, sailed the ship out of
Charleston Harbor while the captain and
crew were ashore, freeing himself and his
family from slavery. His intelligence
U.S. Congressman Robert information about Charleston Harbor
Smalls (Served 1875–1879, gave the Union a tremendous advantage.
1882–1883, 1884–1887)
The Union also placed the ship into
service. Smalls later became the first
Black ship captain and a U.S. Congressman from South Carolina.
AS EACH SOUTHERN STATE SECEDED FROM THE UNION, its U.S.
senators and Congressmen resigned from office. This included Jefferson
Davis, a U.S. Senator from Mississippi who became President of the
Confederacy. On March 11, 1861, representatives of the first seven states
to join the Confederacy met in Montgomery, Alabama, to sign a
Constitution of the Confederate States under President Davis. This official
document repeatedly used the words “negro,” “slave,” “slavery,” and
“property,” leaving no doubt that they intended to protect their right to own
“property” in slaves. (See below.) After the war, Davis amazingly claimed
in his memoirs that slavery was not a major issue (see p. 9). However, his
statements, proclamations, and the Constitution would seem to indicate
otherwise. Ironically, the Civil Rights Movement began in the same city of
Montgomery, Alabama, with a young pastor named Martin Luther King Jr.
Three-fifths
clause using
word ‘slaves’
DATE
November 6,
1860
Martin Luther King,
Jr., Dexter Avenue
Baptist Church,
Montgomery, AL
“Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned . . . three-fifths
of all slaves.” Article 1, Sec. 1 (3)
Much of the phrasing in the Constitution of the Confederate States is
similar to the U. S. Constitution but the wording is changed from
“persons” to “slaves.” 3/5 clause in U.S. Constitution says “persons.”
CIVIL WAR EVENT
Lincoln elected President of
the United States
December 20, South Carolina adopted an
1860
ordinance of secession,
seceding from the United
States.
January 9-26,
1861
States of Mississippi,
Florida, Alabama, Georgia,
and Louisiana seceded
January 21,
1861
Jefferson Davis gave his
farewell address to the U.S.
Senate, where he had
represented Mississippi
February 1,
1861
Texas seceded. Seven
states that had seceded
formed the Confederate
States of America
February 9,
1861
Jefferson Davis selected
provisional president of the
Confederate States
Prohibiting
introduction of
slaves from
outside the
Confederacy
“Congress shall also have power to prohibit the introduction of slaves
from any State not a member of, or Territory not belonging to, this
Confederacy.” Article 1, Sec. 9. (2)
March 4, 1861 Lincoln inaugurated
This provision allowed the Confederacy to enslave or kill captured
Black Union soldiers instead of treating them as prisoners of war. It
also prevented outside competition with internal Southern slave trade..
March 11,
1861
Seven states of the
Confederacy signed their
Constitution.
No law can be
passed against
slaves as
property
“No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law denying or impairing the
right of property in negro slaves shall be passed.” Article 1, Sec. 9. (4)
April 12, 1861
Confederate forces fired on
Union installation at Fort
Sumter, South Carolina,
launching the Civil War.
April 17, 1861
Virginia seceded. Capital of
Confederacy moved from
Montgomery, Alabama, to
Richmond, Virginia, for the
duration of the war.
May 6-20,
1861
Arkansas and North Carolina
seceded and joined the
Confederacy.
June 8, 1861
Tennessee seceded and
joined the Confederacy.
April 9, 1865
General Robert E. Lee
surrendered to Union
General Ulysses S. Grant at
Appomattox Court House,
VA, to end the Civil War four
years after it began. 620,000
people had died from
combat and disease, the
greatest loss of life in any
war in American history.
Maintaining
right of
property in
slaves while
traveling
Note the use of the words “property in negro slaves”
“The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all the privileges and
immunities of citizens in the several States; and shall have the right of
transit and sojourn in any State of this Confederacy, with their slaves
and other property; and the right of property in said slaves shall not be
thereby impaired.” Article IV. Sec. 2. (I)
Note again the use of the word “property” regarding slaves.
Fugitive slaves
must be
returned to
their owners
“No slave or other person held to service or labor in any State or
Territory of the Confederate States, under the laws thereof, escaping or
lawfully carried into another, shall, in consequence of any law or
regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor; but shall
be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such slave belongs, or to
whom such service or labor may be due.” Article IV. Sec. 2. (3)
Fugitive slaves must be returned. Northerners had opposed this.
Recognition
and protection
of slavery in
every state
“In all such territory the institution of negro slavery, as it now exists in
the Confederate States, shall be recognized and protected by Congress
and by the Territorial government; and the inhabitants of the several
Confederate States and Territories shall have the right to take to such
Territory any slaves lawfully held by them in any of the States or
Territories of the Confederate States.” Article IV. Sec. 3. (3)
Constitution of the Confederate States in Journal of the Confederate Congress, Volume 1. Online at Library of Congress, http://
memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(cc001182)).
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matt. 24:14).
THE REV. WILLIAM SEYMOUR was a
humble Black pastor with a hunger for God
and an impact on nations that continues to
grow today. He learned from Charles Parham
about the baptism in the Holy Ghost even
though in segregation he had to sit outside
the door. He caught the fire and went on to
launch the greatest Christian revival in
history from a simple warehouse on Azusa
Street in Los Angeles. Frank Bartleman
(1871-1936), unofficial historian of the
Azusa Street revival, wrote of the impact:
William Seymour (1870“ ‘We belong to the whole body of Christ’ is 1922), leader of Azusa
Street revival
a phrase that might well be applied to the
band of worshipers who gathered together in
the Azusa Street Mission in April of 1906. . . . Seymour cannot
be claimed only by the blacks, or the Pentecostals; he belongs
to the whole body of Christ—of all nations, races, and peoples.
And the baptism in the Holy Spirit, with the accompanying gifts
and graces does not belong only to the Pentecostals, but to the
whole body of Christ—indeed unto ‘as many as the Lord our
God shall call’ (Acts 2:39).”
Historian Vinson Synan (used by permission)
Vinson Synan, “The Lasting Legacies of the Azusa Street Revival. Enrichment Journal.
Online http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200602/200602_142_Legacies.cfm.
“Every classical Pentecostal movement around the world can
trace its spiritual roots, directly or indirectly, to the humble
mission on Azusa Street. In 1960, the Pentecostal movement
entered the mainline Protestant churches led by Los Angeles
Episcopal pastor, Dennis Bennett. Afterward, the Movement
made rapid headway in major Protestant traditions under the
name charismatic renewal. By 1967, Pentecostalism made
major inroads into the Roman Catholic Church, growing to
more than 100 million participants by the year 2000.
“By 2005, statistician David Barrett estimated the
number of Pentecostals and charismatics in the world
at about 600 million. This massive movement is the
major legacy of Azusa Street.”
THE REV. JOHN JASPER (1812-1901)was the
most famous Black preacher in 19th century
Richmond, Virginia, even while a slave. He
was converted at the age of 25 after another
slave taught him to read the Bible. When
Emancipation came, he was 50 years old.
Until his death at 89 he drew thousands
weekly to Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church.
Hundreds were baptized weekly at the nearby
John Jasper, Sixth
James River. Whites as well as Blacks would
Mount Zion Baptist
flock to hear him. He was best known for a
message called “De Sun Do Move.”
Online at http://www.library.vcu.edu/jbc/speccoll/vbha/6th4.html. Sixth Mount Zion
church website and picture. Online at http://www.library.vcu.edu/jbc/speccoll/
vbha/6th1.html.
Slavery, segregation, and brutal lynchings of innocent Blacks and Jews
were carried out by people who went to church every Sunday. In recent
years, some Christian groups have accepted responsibility for the evil
impact of institutionalized racism in American denominations.
Founded to Perpetuate Slavery in the Church
The name “Southern Baptist” was chosen by that
denomination’s founders in 1845 to separate from their
brethren and proclaim their commitment to slavery. As late as
1990 only 5 percent of its members were Black. In 1995 they
issued a sincere apology to Blacks for systemic racism.
“Be it further RESOLVED, that we apologize to all AfricanAmericans for condoning and/or perpetuating individual and
systemic racism in our lifetime; and we genuinely repent of
racism of which we have been guilty, whether consciously
(Psalm 19:13) or unconsciously (Leviticus 4:27).” Resolution on
Racial Reconciliation on the 150th Anniversary of the Southern
Baptist Convention (1995)
Founded by separation from Blacks
Many White ministers who founded the
Assemblies of God were first licensed by
the Black founder of the Church of God in
Christ, the Rev. C.H. Mason. When they
left him to be White only, Bishop Mason, a
E. N. Bell (1866- C. H. Mason (1866- man of godly character and a true spiritual
1923), First
1961), Founder of father, continued to bless and encourage
Superintendent of Church of God in
them and speak at their conferences.
Assemblies of God
Christ
“It is right that we repent of racism and ask our black brothers
and sisters for forgiveness for failing to keep and treasure the
shining ideal of Jesus and the 20th-century Azusa Revival. . . .
We are committed to removing every last vestige of racism.”
Resolution 25, Use of Black Ministries, Assemblies of God (1995)
Many of the major denominations in America were founded
by Christians who opposed human bondage. However, during the
time of slavery large groups within those denominations were
willing to rebel against their founders and divide their
denominations by claiming White superiority over Africans.
Those who have recognized their sin have begun to repent.
When Zaccheus came to Jesus, he offered to give a fourfold
return for his extortion of taxes. That was biblical restitution.
When the White community understands how much of America’s
wealth was developed on the backs of slaves and voluntarily
attempts to provide recompense by acts of compassion and
restitution—those actions and the spirit behind them will help
heal Black America. God looks for repentant hearts and requires
sincere efforts that demonstrate the fruit of true repentance.
John the Baptist said, “Bring forth fruit that is consistent
with repentance [let your lives prove your change of
heart] (Matthew 3:9 Amplified Bible).
Proclamation 97 - Appointing a Day of
National Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer
March 30, 1863
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (19291968), with President Lyndon Johnson at
the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., was pastor of the Dexter Avenue
Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, from 1954 to 1960.
Montgomery was the first capital of the Confederacy. The
church is literally a few steps from the Alabama State House.
From his church office, King was an early leader in the historic
Civil Rights Movement beginning with the Montgomery Bus
Boycott (1955-1956) and reaching around the world.
BY WELLINGTON BOONE
“They will rebuild the ancient ruins,
repairing cities destroyed long ago. They
will revive them, though they have been
deserted for many generations”
(Isaiah 61:4 NLT).
Revival must come to Black America. That
statement does not come from the
perspective of race. It comes from the
perspective of God.
Jesus was launched into public ministry by
reading the first verses of Isaiah 61: “The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he
hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the
Park Street Church,
poor; he hath sent me to heal the
brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the Boston, Massachusetts
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty
them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18 KJV).
Black Americans came from Africa in chains and sat as slaves
in churches on Sunday with people who whipped or sold them
on Monday. It is amazing that they have been the people with
the strongest, simplest faith in Jesus Christ and trust in the Word
of God. They have followed Jesus’ example of humility.
If we don’t fix American history now, we will continue to
repeat it. As the people of God we have the ability to preach
deliverance to people who love Jesus but are bound and bruised
by a society that devalues them. By God’s grace, we can make
things better so that their youth will have a desire to live, go to
school, start businesses, and raise families in a better world.
The first step is to admit that something is wrong, but that is not
the final step. Repentance must be followed by the fruit of
repentance, which is action. Jesus can fix things spiritually, but
He expects human beings to fix them practically.
As you read this journal, ask God what He expects you to do.
Whereas the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing
the supreme authority and just government of Almighty God in
all the affairs of men and of nations, has by a resolution
requested the President to designate and set apart a day for
national prayer and humiliation; and
Whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their
dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their
sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured
hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon,
and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy
Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only
are blessed whose God is the Lord;
And, insomuch as we know that by His divine law nations, like
individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in
this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil
war which now desolates the land may be but a punishment
inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful
end of our national reformation as a whole people? We have
been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have
been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we
have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation
has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten
the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied
and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly
imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these
blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of
our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become
too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and
preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.
It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the
offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray
for clemency and forgiveness.
Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully
concurring in the views of the Senate, I do by this my
proclamation designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th day of
April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and
prayer. And I do hereby request all the people to abstain on
that day from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite at their
several places of public worship and their respective homes in
keeping the day holy to the Lord and devoted to the humble
discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.
Done at the city of Washington, this 30th day of March, A. D.
1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eightyseventh.
By the President: [Abraham Lincoln]
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State
American Presidency Project: Abraham Lincoln: Proclamation 97 - Appointing a Day of
National Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?
pid=69891#ixzz1sLTyNBK6.
Abraham Lincoln freed three million
slaves in the “states in rebellion”
against the United States effective
January 1, 1863.
Throughout the United States,
church bells rang and Blacks and
Whites alike cried and cheered.
John Hope Franklin wrote,
“A veritable galaxy of
leading literary figures
gathered in the Music Hall in
ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1809-1865),
Boston to take notice of
President of U.S., Emancipator
the climax of the fight that
New England
abolitionists had led for more than a
generation. Among those present were
John Greenleaf Whittier, Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes,
Harriet Beecher Stowe, Francis Parkman,
and Josiah Quincy. Toward the close of the
meeting, Ralph Waldo Emerson read his
‘Boston Hymn’ to the audience. In the
evening, a large crowd gathered at
Excerpt from the
Emancipation
Proclamation
“That on the first day of January, in the year
of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within
any State or designated part of a State, the
people whereof shall then be in rebellion
against the United States, shall be then,
thenceforward, and forever free; and the
Executive Government of the United States,
including the military and naval authority
thereof, will recognize and maintain the
freedom of such persons, and will do no act
or acts to repress such persons, or any of
them, in any efforts they may make for their
actual freedom. . . .
Tremont Temple to await the news that the President had signed
the Proclamation. Among the speakers were Judge Thomas
Russell, Anna Dickinson, Leonard Grimes, William Wells
Brown, and Frederick Douglass. Finally, it was announced that
‘It is coming over the wire,’ and pandemonium broke out! At
midnight, the group had to vacate Tremont Temple, and from
there they went to the Twelfth Baptist Church at the invitation
of its pastor, Leonard Grimes. Soon the church was packed, and
it was almost dawn when the assemblage dispersed.”
Stories about Emancipation Day from the National Archives. http://www.archives.gov/
publications/prologue/1993/summer/emancipation-proclamation.html.
Celebrations continue in annual “Watch Night”
services in Black churches
Since that day, Black churches have continued
“Watch Night” on New Year’s Eve and on New
Year’s Day have celebrated with brass bands,
readings of the proclamation, and speeches. Some
have urged Blacks to remember to forgive
Whites. It was a “worthy celebration of the
first step on the part of the nation in its
departure from the thraldom of the ages,”
Freed Slaves Built Monument to
Lincoln. Emancipated slaves
raised all of the funds for
Freedom’s Memorial located on
Capitol Hill at Lincoln Park. One of
Lincoln's hands rests on the
Emancipation Proclamation and
with the other he reaches out to
bless a slave rising from his
chains. The monument also
includes symbols of the diabolical
system of American slavery—
chains, fetters, a whip with frayed
edges, and a whipping post. On
the post is a climbing rose
symbolizing that the evil time of
slavery has past.
The statue was designed by Major
O. E. Babcock, sculpted by
Thomas Ball, and erected in 1876.
Frederick Douglass delivered the
keynote speech at the dedication,
which was attended by President
Ulysses Grant. As a Civil War
General, he accepted the
surrender of Confederate General
Robert E. Lee to end the war.
“Now, therefore I, Abraham Lincoln,
President of the United States, by virtue of
the power in me vested as Commander-inChief, of the Army and Navy of the United
States in time of actual armed rebellion
against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and
necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion.
“. . . And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted
by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate
judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.”
Emancipation Proclamation. Online at http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/index.html.
What Emancipation
accomplished
3 million slaves were freed in “states in
rebellion against the United States.”
Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Texas
Virginia
Total
435,080
111,115
61,745
462,198
436,631
331,059
402,406
182,566
490,865
2,913,665
The Confederacy was immediately
weakened. Slaves escaped because
their freedom was now recognized and
protected by advancing Union armies.
Colonization and compensation to slave
owners were abandoned
as remedies to end slavery.
Blacks were welcomed into the military.
By the end of the war, 185,000 freed
slaves and free Blacks had joined the
Union Army and participated in a
monumental Union victory.
Lincoln called for a Constitutional
Amendment to free all other slaves.
A plank was included in the
Republican Party Platform of 1864.
This became the 13th Amendment.
Battle of Fort Wagner, depicted in movie Glory
PROVISIONS OF PRESIDENT JEFFERSON DAVIS’S GENERAL ORDERS, NO. 111,
issued on December 24, 1862 (Christmas Eve), were in retaliation for the
Emancipation Proclamation that freed slaves in the Confederacy on January 1:
Black Union soldiers when captured were not to be treated as POWs but
slaves. They could be executed, tor tur ed, or other wise mistr eated as fugitive
slaves.
“That all negro slaves captured in arms be at once delivered over to the
executive authorities of the respective States to which they belong to be dealt
with according to the laws of said States.”
Provision of Confederate Congressional Resolution, 1 May 1863. White Union
commanders of Black soldiers could be executed as inciting slave insurrection:
“That every white person .. . .who . . .shall command negroes or mulattoes in
arms against the Confederate states . . .shall, if captured, be put to death or be
MORE ON CONFEDERATE PRESIDENT
JEFFERSON DAVIS’S GENERAL ORDERS,
NO. 111 (DECEMBER 24, 1862)
Source: May 1, 1863, Journal of the Confederate
Congress. Includes resolve against negroes and their
white commanders. Library of Congress. Online at http://
memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(cc00693)).
Wrath against General Butler
In his orders Davis singled out for special
wrath Union General Benjamin Butler
who was one of the first Northern generals
to free runaway slaves flooding the Union
lines. Butler called them “contraband” and
refused to return them to slavery. Instead,
he put them to work against the South.
President Davis said about General Butler
that “in the event of his capture the officer
in command of the capturing force do
cause him to be immediately executed by
hanging.”
Lincoln offers his soldiers a way out
In the movie Glory about the Colored
Troops of the Massachusetts 54th
Infantry, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw
reads aloud a message from President
Abraham Lincoln to the assembled Black
soldiers. Lincoln’s letter warned the
Blacks of this retaliatory policy of the
Confederacy and offered them an
opportunity to be discharged because of
the danger. However, because the Black
soldiers were men of exceptional bravery,
they stayed.
When President Lincoln
demanded that his Black soldiers
be treated respectfully as
prisoners of war, the Confederacy
refused to agree, so Lincoln ended
all future prisoner exchanges with
the South.
In 1864 at Fort Pillow, north of Memphis, a Confederate force under the command
of Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest massacred Union Colored Troops as they
surrendered. Forrest later became the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. In the
North, “Remember Fort Pillow!” became a rallying cry of Union soldiers. Later
investigation confirmed the accuracy of the charges of brutality against Forrest.
Amazing Deception! Jefferson Davis Said Cause of War
Was Not Slavery but Sectional Controversies
Davis said the moral right or wrong of slavery was “in no wise involved”
“This brief retrospect may have sufficed to show that the question of the right or
wrong of the institution of slavery was in no wise involved in the earlier sectional
controversies. Nor was it otherwise in those of a later period, in which it was the
lot of the author of these memoirs to bear a part. They were essentially struggles
for sectional equality or ascendancy—for the maintenance or the destruction of
that balance of power or equipoise between North and South, which was early
recognized as a cardinal principle in our Federal system. It does not follow that
both parties to this contest were wholly right or wholly wrong in their claims. The
determination of the question of right or wrong must be left to the candid inquirer
after examination of the evidence. The object of these preliminary investigations
has been to clear the subject of the obscurity produced by irrelevant issues and the
glamour of ethical illusions.”
These memoirs of Jefferson Davis are available online at: http://www.Gutenberg.org.
Jesus said, “I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent” (Revelation 2:5 NLT).
BY WELLINGTON BOONE
If you had lived in Richmond,
Virginia, as I did for many years, you
would know how unbelievable it was
when the Virginia Senate and House of
Delegates apologized for slavery in
Virginia. They said on February 24,
2007, that they were “Acknowledging
with profound regret the involuntary
servitude of Africans and the exploitation
of Native Americans, and calling for
reconciliation among all Virginians.”
Richmond was the former capital of
the Confederacy. The state led the way in
Massive Resistance to school integration.
And yet they were the first state to issue a
formal apology. They wanted to clear the
record before that year’s celebration of
the 400th anniversary of Jamestown.
When I first read the words of that
resolution, I felt like a winner. I didn’t
personally have anything to do with
motivating their actions, but God did. I
could feel the winds of change blowing.
Black destruction can be reversed. Life
and hope can return to Black America.
We can defeat fear and death, and the
nation and the world will reap the
benefits with us, because this is big!
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln,
with the urging of the Senate,
proclaimed a day of fasting and
repentance during the Civil War. (See
Page 7.) He said “it is the duty of nations
as well as of men to own their
dependence upon the overruling power
of God, to confess their sins and
transgressions in humble sorrow.” He
understood from the Bible that sin and
guilt are not only personal in nature but
affect families, nations, and generations.
“The Almighty has his own
purposes. ‘Woe unto the world
because of offenses! for it must
needs be that offenses come; but
woe to that man by whom the
offense cometh.’”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1865)
SECOND INAUGURAL ADDRESS
It was not only an apology for
slavery but also an apology for
saying that one race was
superior to another.
State Capitol at Richmond, Virginia, where the first state
apology for slavery was issued in February 2007.
Slave Market in Richmond, Virginia, Capital of the
Confederacy, where slaves were bought and sold until
the last day of the Civil War in 1865
American slavery was not only
evil because it kept people in
bondage. It also degraded Blacks
as an inferior race to Whites—
and that label stuck. That is one
reason that Black America
suffers today from a lack of
identity and self-worth.
Slave owners recognized that their
slaves had abilities when they used them
to manage their plantations, create
intricate carvings, develop inventions,
raise the master’s children, and do any
number of deeds requiring intelligence
and excellence. Yet they stayed in denial
to serve their purposes.
Under the authority of state and
federal laws, slaves were considered
property with no basic human rights.
They could legally be raped or
beaten to death by their masters and their
children torn away to be sold. When
slavery ended, Southern Whites were
Continued on Page 12.
WHY SHOULD A STATE APOLOGIZE? IT’S PERSONAL
ARGUMENT. People make apologies, not governments. Repentance comes from the
heart of an individual, not a state government.
ANSWER. Our nation has many historical precedents for state apologies. Elected
officials represent governments—past and present. They identify with the state in
public affairs and even on trade missions to foreign nations. Therefore, they can repent
as a representative of the state. If a state can pass unjust laws, it can also apologize
for them. In 1789, President George Washington, with the concurrence of the House
and Senate, declared a day of Thanksgiving to God and called the nation to “beseech
him to pardon our national and other transgressions . . . to render our national
government a blessing to all the People.”
CAN’T WE JUST MOVE FORWARD AND NOT LOOK BACK?
ARGUMENT. Everyone regrets that people once owned one another, but let’s just live
our lives so that our children and grandchildren have nothing to apologize for.
ANSWER. It is true that we live our lives with the end in view, but the end we are
striving for does not just relate to how our grandchildren will see us in the future. We
will be judged by how history sees us and ultimately by how God sees and judges us .
When we stand willing to repent and don’t hold back when apologies are required,
future generations will look back on us with approval because we did what was right.
The Constitution of the United States never
mentioned slavery by name. It was legal in most
states when compromises with slavery were ratified
at the Constitutional Convention. Many Northern
states had abolished it before the Civil War .
Lincoln chose a Constitutionally legal move to free
the slaves in the “states in rebellion” when he
issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
This was followed after his death by the 13th, 14th,
and 15th Amendments.
Historical cartoon of the fight to achieve the vote
Slavery was allowed in the U.S. Constitution
PREAMBLE. “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty
to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for
the United States of America.”
Three-fifths
clause
Slaves counted as
3/5 person, but
could not cast a
vote
Electoral
advantage
Extra representation for slave states in Congress.
“Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the
several States . . . according to their respective Numbers, which
shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons,
including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding
Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.” Article I.
Section 2.
Because the three-fifths clause allowed the South to have
more representatives, they also had more electoral votes.
More clout for
slave states in
electing
presidents
“Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature
thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole
Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be
entitled in the Congress. Article II. Section 1.
Prohibition on
export taxes
Added value to products of slave labor like cotton that had a
large international market.
“No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.”
Article 1. Section 8.
Slave trade
clause
Expired in 1808,
ending the
international but
not the domestic
slave trade.
Fugitive slave
clause
Escapees and
free Blacks
enslaved by
invaders
Domestic
violence clause
Perpetuating
oppression
Freedom to import slaves for at least 20 years
“The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States
now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by
the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and
eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not
exceeding ten dollars for each Person.” Article I. Section 9.
Ability to invade free states to pursue slaves
“No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws
thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or
Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but
shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or
Labour may be due.” Article IV. Section 2.
Free states paying to suppress slave rebellions, even if they
might consider the cause of the uprising to be justified.
“and shall protect each of them . . . against domestic Violence.”
Article IV. Section 4.
U.S. Constitution online at http://www.ourdocuments.gov.
After the Civil War, the 11 Southern
states that had seceded were required
to rewrite their state Constitutions and
ratify the 13th, 14th, and 15th
Amendments.
Amendment 13. Slaver y Abolished.
Ratified 12/6/1865. “Neither slavery
nor involuntary servitude, except as a
punishment for crime whereof the
party shall have been duly convicted,
shall exist within the United States, or
any place subject to their
jurisdiction.”
Amendment 14. Citizenship Rights.
Ratified 7/9/1868.
“. . . nor shall any State deprive any
person of life, liberty, or property,
without due process of law; nor deny
to any person within its jurisdiction
the equal protection of the laws.”
Amendment 15. Race No Bar to
Vote. Ratified 2/3/1870.
“The right of citizens of the United
States to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or by
any State on account of race, color, or
previous condition of servitude.”
Amendment 15. Right to Vote.
Ratified 2/ 27/1869. Section 1. The
right of citizens of the United States to
vote shall not be denied or abridged
by the United States or by any State
on account of race, color, or previous
condition of servitude.
Section 2. The Congress shall have
power to enforce this article by
appropriate legislation.
Continued from Page 10.
driven by irrational fears and probably a
sense of guilt for how they had treated
these people who were now free. At the
first opportunity, they passed oppressive
state and local codes and laws to control
them. They unleashed agents of terrorism
like the Ku Klux Klan covered by
“scientific” doctrines about superior races
based on evolution and eugenics.
The U. S. Senate apology for
lynching in 2005 stated it well
when it said that “only by coming
to terms with history can the
United States effectively
champion human rights abroad.”
They admitted that developing
nations reject America’s attempts to
interfere in their internal disputes. We are
ineffective globally with conflict
resolution because we have not dealt with
the sins of our ancestors. This issue
should be confronted by the Church,
beginning with the sins of the city and
then encompassing the sins of the nation.
The apologies for slavery are not just
for the victims. Repentance benefits those
who repent. When you say “I’m sorry,”
your heart changes. It is the Lord’s
release for you and those you have
wronged. In giving value to others you
receive greater value within yourself.
Virginia Senate Joint Resolution 332, “Acknowledging with
profound regret the involuntary servitude of Africans and
the exploitation of Native Americans, and calling for
reconciliation among all Virginians.” Online: http://
leg1.state.
U.S. Senate: SCON 26 RFH. 111th CONGRESS. 1st
Session. S. CON. RES. 26. IN THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES. June 18, 2009. CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION.
President George W. Bush and Laura Bush at Slave House
“Then Peter came to him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone
who sins against me? Seven times?’ “ No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but
seventy times seven!’” (Matthew 18:21-22 NLT).
BY WELLINGTON BOONE
The godliest response that anyone can
give to someone who says “I’m sorry” is
to respectfully listen, and then say, “I
forgive you.” Listening without a
negative attitude of suspicion comes from
a Christ-like posture of humility. Blacks
diminish themselves when they snarl at
these apologies instead of being
respectful and grateful.
The Maryland apology included these
words acknowledging that the people of
that state had sinned.
1. Respectfully listen to the apologies
for slavery.
2. Replace politics of hate and
unforgiveness with Christian love.
3. Unconditionally say, “I forgive you.”
4. Show mercy because you know
you need God’s mercy.
5. Be willing to repent yourself and
ask forgiveness of them.
“WHEREAS, To meet the needs of its economy, Maryland prior to 1808 imported
men, women, and children, torn from their homes in Africa and subjected to the
brutality of the Middle Passage; . . .
“WHEREAS, Slavery subjected its victims to unspeakable cruelties, including
beatings, rape, and the forcible separation of family members from one another.”
We should listen and appreciate their willingness to go low, saying, “Thank you for
your willingness to make this move to help us.” Our response as Black Americans is
“We forgive you.”
When the slavery apologies began to spread from Virginia to other states, some Blacks
struck back like predators lying in wait to attack anyone who came by talking about
race. Some Blacks say apologies are not enough. They demand reparations. Some
refuse to forgive or scoff at the apologies as too little, too late.
Blacks need to respond with the love of Jesus. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us” (Romans 5:8). He forgave us before we did anything to deserve it. As
Christians, we are called to be just like Him.
Slavery in Maryland. HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 4. JOINT RESOLUTION NUMBER: 2 . Signed by the President [of
the Senate] and the Speaker [of the House], May 8, 2007. Online at http://mlis.sstate.md.us/2007RS/chapters_noln/
Jr_2_hj0004T.pdf.
Excerpt of a message by President Bush at Goree Island, July 8, 2003
“. . . Yet, in every time, there were men and women who clearly saw this sin and
called it by name. We can fairly judge the past by the standards of President John
Adams, who called slavery ‘an evil of colossal magnitude.’ We can discern eternal
standards in the deeds of William Wilberforce and John Quincy Adams, and Harriet
Beecher Stowe, and Abraham Lincoln. These men and women, black and white,
burned with a zeal for freedom, and they left behind a different and better nation.
Their moral vision caused Americans to examine our hearts, to correct our
Constitution, and to teach our children the dignity and equality of every person of
every race. By a plan known only to Providence, the stolen sons and daughters of
Africa helped to awaken the conscience of America. The very people traded into
slavery helped to set America free.”
President Bush at Goree Island in Senegal July 8, 2003. Image: http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/07/images/20030708-1_6a5bu0283senegal-250h.jpg.
“In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by” and “in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2 NLT, KJV).
Azusa Street Apostolic Faith mission was a converted warehouse but
thousands came to seek God and left healed, empowered, and convicted of
the need to reach the world for Jesus Christ.
In spite of ridicule, people of other races came to hear Black preacher William Seymour, who taught
them by example how to seek the Lord until He came. The meetings were characterized by
miraculous signs like the book of Acts, but Seymour emphasized Jesus and unity.
WILLIAM SEYMOUR (1870-1922), son of
former slaves, blind in one eye, was
inspired to seek more of God regardless of
the humiliation, including the racial
prejudice of his day.
CHARLES HARRISON MASON (1866-1961),
founder of the Church of God in Christ, went
to Azusa Street to find out about the baptism
of the Holy Spirit. He said, “The first day in
the meeting I sat to myself, away from those
Seymour said, “Don’t go that went with me. I began to
Seymour heard about the
out of here talking about thank God in my heart for all
teaching of Charles F. Parham
things, for when I heard some
tongues: talk about
on the baptism in the Holy
speak in tongues, I knew it was
Jesus.” Frank
Spirit at his Houston Bible school. Seymour
Bartleman, a minister right, though I did not understand it. Nevertheless,
decided to attend, even though meetings were
it was sweet to me.”
and historian of the
segregated and he had to sit outside the door.
movement, said, “The
Many of those who came, hungry for God, were
color line has been
Seymour was profoundly changed and after a series
White. Mason ordained many of them into the
washed away in the
of events he went to Los Angeles and began holding
Church of God in Christ since they did not have
Blood.”
revival meetings in a simple warehouse at Azusa
their own organization that would accept pastors
Street. The Holy Ghost fell on them as at Pentecost and they
who believed in these supernatural signs. Some of these men
began to speak in tongues. Eventually as many as 600 people of
founded Pentecostal denominations like the Assemblies of God
all races crowded into a space only 40 by 60 feet, with hundreds
that have reached millions worldwide.
more outside. The walls were lined with crutches and
wheelchairs no longer needed after people were healed.
“. . . those who turn many to righteousness will shine
The word spread around the world.
like stars forever” (Daniel 12:3 NLT).
Typical Confederate celebrations
What churches can do instead
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Some say that celebrations are not about
slavery but tourism and honoring heroes
of all races.
Visit Civil war sites and museums.
Reenact Civil War battles in uniform.
Display the Constitution of the
Confederate States.
Lay wreaths on the graves of soldiers
who fought for the South.
Hold church services to honor
Confederate dead.
“There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave
or free, male and female. For you are all
one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28 NLT ).
Meet to pray, honestly evaluate the past,
and commit to change the future.
• Repent for slavery, segregation, and the
destructive impact on Blacks.
• Admit sins of lynching, Jim Crow, Ku
Klux Klan, disenfranchisement, and
legalized illiteracy of slaves.
• Hold interracial prayer meetings to
affirm the God-given value of Blacks
and heal the soul of Black America.
• Say we are one human race in the image
of God and bring the Kingdom to earth.
In 1979, Black historian
John Hope Franklin
(1915-2009), then
president of the
American Historical
Association, gave a
speech to that
Association. He
addressed accounts of
historians like James
Pike and William
John Hope Franklin
Dunning whom he said
had painted a one-sided picture of
Reconstruction favoring Whites. Here are
some excerpts from his message:
James Pike (1811-1882). “James S. Pike,
the Maine journalist, wrote an account of
misrule in South Carolina, appropriately
called The Prostrate State, and painted a
lurid picture of the conduct of Negro
legislators and the general lack of decorum
in the management of public affairs. . . . By
picking and choosing from his notes those
events and incidents that supported his
argument, he sought to place responsibility for
the failure of Reconstruction on the Grant
administration and on the freedmen, whom he
despised with equal passion.”
William Dunning (1857-1922). “William
Archibald Dunning . . . was as unequivocal as
the most rabid opponent of Reconstruction in
placing upon Scalawags, Negroes, and
Northern radicals the responsibility for making
the unworthy and unsuccessful attempt to
reorder society and politics in the South. His
‘scientific and scholarly’ investigations led him
to conclude that at the close of Reconstruction
the planters were ruined and the freedmen
were living from hand to mouth—whites on
the poor lands and ‘thriftless blacks on the
fertile lands.’ No economic, geographic, or
demographic data were offered to support this
sweeping generalization.”
Page 14. John Hope Franklin, AHA Presidential Addresses (President of the Association, 1979), “Mirror for Americans:
A Century of Reconstruction History.” Online at http://www.historians.org/info/AHA_History/jhfranklin.htm.
For a brief time after the Civil War, Black Americans were given an
opportunity to vote and run for office. They proved to be exemplary public
servants. Almost all were Republicans, the party of Lincoln. After racism
triumphed, they were disenfranchised for nearly 100 years.
1869 South Carolina. Joseph H. Rainey (1832-1887) (successful businessman, first
Black in U.S. House, re-elected four times; longest-serving black Congressmen
until William L. Dawson in the 1950s)
1869 Mississippi. Hiram Rhodes Revels (1827-1901) (first Black U.S. Senator, filled
term for seat once held by Confederate President Jefferson Davis, preacher
known for prayers and godly character)
1870 Georgia. Jefferson Franklin Long (1836-1901) (businessman, former slave, self
-educated, first Black from Georgia elected to U.S. House)
1871 South Carolina. Robert Brown Elliott (1842-1884) (from England, served in
U.S. House, lawyer, made famous speech endorsing Civil Rights Act of 1875,
resigned to fight corruption in South Carolina)
1873 South Carolina. Robert Smalls (1839-1915), U.S. House (as a slave he bravely
piloted a Confederate ship into Union hands, then served as the ship’s pilot
during the Civil War)
1873 Mississippi. John Roy Lynch (1847-1939) (U.S. Congressman, wrote a
Confederate history disputing Whites’ inaccurate accounts)
1875 Mississippi. Blanche Kelso Bruce (1841-1898) (first Black to serve a full term
in Senate; 1881, appointed by Republican President James A. Garfield as
Registrar of the U.S. Treasury)
1889 North Carolina. Henry Plummer Cheatham (1857-1935) (only Black
Congressman in 52nd Congress, respected by his opponents, started a successful
orphanage for Black children)
1890 Virginia. John Mercer Langston (1829-1897) (enrolled in Oberlin College at
age 14, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, lawyer, member of U.S. House
of Representatives from Virginia, participated in Underground Railroad,
inspector general of Freedmen’s Bureau)
Several Blacks were also delegates to the Republican National Conventions.
As soon as
they were
able to vote
and run for
office, the
freedmen
became
involved in
public
service.
Drawing
Published in
1867. Source:
Library of
Congress.
Registered and elected in Reconstruction
735,000 Blacks registered in the South
100,000 more Blacks registered than Whites
One third of delegates to state constitutional
conventions of 1867 & 1868 were black
Progress made in society
Universal public education
Care for disadvantaged
Suffrage for Black males—15th Amendment
to U. S. Constitution (1870)
Elimination of property ownership as
requirement for right to vote
Public offices held by Blacks
Sheriffs, mayors, prosecuting attorneys,
justices of the peace, superintendents of
education
State legislature of South Carolina: 87 of 127
seats in lower house
Judge of state supreme court, secretary
of state, treasurer
Lieutenant governorships (Mississippi,
Louisiana, South Carolina)
Speaker of the House (Mississippi) who later
became U.S. Congressman
22 Black Congressmen and Senators to
Washington from 1869 to 1901
First Black elected to the U. S. Senate, Hiram
R. Revels of Mississippi (1870)
First Black elected to U.S. Senate for a full
term—Blanche Bruce, Mississippi (1874)
The great promise of Emancipation was killed
by the 1877 Compromise, Jim Crow Laws,
and disenfranchisement. (See next page.)
“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says
the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for
disaster, to give you a future and a hope’ ”
(Jeremiah 29:11 NLT).
Source: “Political Participation: A Report of the United
States Commission on Civil Rights 1968.” Online http://
www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/usccr/documents/
cr12p753.pdf.
Anti-Black Southern governors. President
Andrew Johnson (Democrat), who took office
after the assassination of the Republican
Lincoln, had the responsibility of replacing
state governors in the defeated South. He
primarily chose proslavery men who opposed
rights for Blacks.
Black codes and sharecropping. Black
codes restricted civil rights and civil liberties .
Codes prevented Blacks from buying land
and forced them to rent land for farming and
become sharecroppers, usually creating
perpetual indebtedness to land owners. If
they found work, they were required to sign
year-long labor contracts at unfair wages.
Convict leasing. Blacks were fined or
imprisoned for minor offenses such as
unemployment (work was hard to find as a
former slave) or preaching without a license.
Convicts were leased to businesses in
conditions like slave labor, earning income for
the states at the expense of freedom.
Mob violence and lynchings. The Ku Klux
Klan and other terrorist mobs went after
Blacks in attacks like these:
Massacres. In the Memphis Massacre of
1866, White civilians and police killed 46
Blacks, burning 90 homes, 12 schools, and 4
churches. Also in 1866, St. Louis police killed
40 Blacks and Whites at a Republican
meeting. In 1868 a massacre in Louisiana
killed 200 to 300 Blacks.
Lynchings. Mob violence in all but four
states resulted in grisly hangings and victims
burned alive.
Poll taxes and grandfather clauses to
block the Black vote. Beginning in 1879,
Southern states rewrote constitutions with
poll taxes that must be paid before voting and
a “grandfather clause” that allowed only those
who had voted prior to 1861 and their
descendants to vote.
Jim Crow laws. These laws segregated
accommodations, transportation, schools,
etc. In 1881, Tennessee required separate
railroad cars. In 1890, Louisiana required
separate accommodations for Whites and
Blacks. Jim Crow laws were not limited to the
Southern states.
Literacy tests for voter registration. In
1890, Mississippi approved literacy tests to
prevent Blacks from voting. Similar statutes
were adopted by South Carolina (1895),
Louisiana (1898), North Carolina (1900),
Alabama (1901), Virginia (1901), Georgia
(1908), and Oklahoma (1910).
IN 1876, RUTHERFORD B. HAYES (Republican) ran for
President but could not achieve a majority of electoral
votes. In a back room deal, he agreed to remove from the
South the federal troops that had been protecting the lives
and liberties of the newly enfranchised Black Freedmen. In
exchange, the three Southern states of Florida, Louisiana,
and South Carolina gave him their disputed votes so that he
could become President. The Republican Party had been
the biggest advocate of Black enfranchisement since the
time of Lincoln, but after this compromise Union troops
left and the Southern slaveocracy rose again. Black elected
officials could no longer win elections and were soon even
unable to vote in the hostile environment of the Southern
Democrats in power who considered themselves
“Redeemers” of the former South.
“A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax
shall he not quench; he shall bring forth judgment unto
truth. . . . To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners
from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the
prison house” (Isaiah 42:3,7 KJV).
Congress had chartered
the Freedman’s bank,
but depositors were not
told that the federal
government had never
guaranteed their funds
until the bank failed
and they lost everything.
U.S. President
Rutherford B.
Hayes (18221923)
The Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company
opened in 1868 as a place where newly freed
slaves were encouraged to deposit their first hardearned savings after slavery. Agents were there
when soldiers received their bonuses and
persuaded them to deposit funds in the bank.
People from all walks of life opened accounts
to save for a bright future ahead. Many had never
been paid wages in their lives, and this was a great
breakthrough for them. Or so they thought.
Frederick Douglass was recruited as president
and deposited $10,000. However, what they did
not tell him in advance was that the bank was
failing. The collapse resulted from the national
recession of 1873, the incompetence of bank
officials, and outright fraud.
After it failed, some wealthy depositors
successfully fought for a percentage of their funds
but most did not know how to challenge the
system. Many never applied and those who did
were taken through so much red tape that they
eventually gave up.
Many of the bank records still exist in the
National Archives. Depositors could have been
reached and restitution made.
Eventually some Blacks like Maggie Walker
of Richmond started their own banks. However,
many generations still carry a sense of betrayal
and distrust that still affects them today.
For detailed information on the Freedman’s Bank, see “The Freedman's Savings and Trust Company and African
American Genealogical Research” by Reginald Washington. Online at http://www.archives.gov/publications/
prologue/1997/summer/freedmans-savings-and-trust.html.
THE WIDOW OF A CONFEDERATE
SOLDIER told author Thomas Dixon
(1864-1946) that a Black man had
raped her daughter. That accusation
influenced him to write his novel The
Clansman promoting his belief that
the Ku Klux Klan was necessary to
maintain order in the South.
Thomas Dixon, Jr.
Author of book The
Clansman, basis of film
The Birth of a Nation
CONFEDERATE CHAPLAIN’S SON
WOODROW WILSON (1856-1924)
became President of the United
States in 1913 and moved quickly to
fire or segregate Black federal
employees. Some had held jobs since
the time of Abraham Lincoln and
Reconstruction. He also arranged for
a private White House screening of
the pro-KKK film Birth of a Nation
that was based on The Clansman, a
book by his friend Thomas Dixon.
The silent film contains quotes by
Wilson, some based on his book A
Woodrow Wilson
History of the American People that
justified extreme measures to control U. S. President 1913-1921
Black men in the South after the
Segregated federal
Civil War.
employees
CONFEDERATE MAJOR GENERAL
NATHAN BEDFORD FORREST (18211877) was notorious for the Fort
Pillow Massacre in the Civil War (see
Page 9), where Confederate troops
massacred helpless Black Union
soldiers as soon as they surrendered.
He was the first Grand Wizard of the
Ku Klux Klan, a terrorist organization
formed after the Civil War to
intimidate Blacks, Northerners who
moved South to assist them,
Southerners who supported the Union,
and Republicans.
Confederate Major General
Nathan Bedford Forrest
First Grand Wizard of the
Ku Klux Klan
CONFEDERATE COLONEL’S SON
D. W. GRIFFITH (1875-1948)
adapted the pro-Ku Klux Klan
novel The Clansman for a
pioneering film called Birth of a
Nation that was released in 1915.
The NAACP launched protests but
the wildly popular film became a
lightning rod for the revival of the
Ku Klux Klan beginning in Stone
Mountain, Georgia, in 1915.
Filmmaker
D. W. Griffith
Produced pro-KKK film
Birth of a Nation
NEARLY A CENTURY AGO, ON FEBRUARY 8, 1915, a silent film
was released that became an overnight success. It was so highly
advanced technologically for its day that film students today still
study it. You can even watch it on YouTube.
The film was The Birth of a Nation, produced and directed by
David Llewelyn Wark “D. W.” Griffith, son of a former
Confederate army colonel, who became a millionaire overnight.
However, the film had a dark side. Like the book on which it was
based (and the film’s original title), The Clansman by Rev. Thomas
Dixon, it glorified the role of the Ku Klux Klan in suppressing
Blacks and supposedly restoring order in the South after the Civil
War.
The author of The Clansman was a Southern Baptist minister and a
friend and former classmate of President Woodrow Wilson when
they were students at Johns Hopkins University. Wilson, a
Democrat and segregationist from the South, gave a private
screening in the White House while in office.
Although the Ku Klux Klan had been suppressed since the early
1870s following aggressive action by President Ulysses Grant,
“radical Republicans,” and others, the film caused a resurgence of
the “Invisible Empire,” beginning in Stone Mountain, Georgia, in
1915. William Joseph Simmons decided to restore the Klan after
watching The Birth of a Nation. He obtained official KKK
documents and wrote his own version. When Atlanta newspapers
provoked the lynching of Leo Frank, a Jewish businessman accused
of murdering Mary Phagan, he used this incident to gather likeminded men on Stone Mountain, Georgia, where they burned a
cross and launched a new KKK movement.
AMC Networks website has more information on the film The Birth of a Nation at this
link: http://www.filmsite.org/birt.html. It is available to watch on YouTube.com.
“Let freedom
ring from
Stone Mountain
of Georgia!”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I Have a Dream”
AT STONE MOUNTAIN a bas relief is carved into the granite face of the mountain in Georgia that
honors Confederate heroes Robert E. Lee, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and Jefferson Davis.
Funding sources included the Ku Klux Klan and the state of Georgia. It was completed in 1972.
During slavery, although marriages of slaves were not legally recognized to the best of their ability many
husbands and wives made and kept commitments. After the Civil War started and Union troops began
advancing in the South, slaves escaped to them in droves. Union General Benjamin Butler pioneered the
concept of calling slaves “contraband” so that he would not have to return them to their masters.
Testimony by the Superintendent of Contrabands at Fortress Monroe, Virginia, before the American
Freedmen's Inquiry Commission, Freedmen & Southern Society Project, University of Maryland. Online
source: http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/wilder.htm.
“I FOUND HUNDREDS WHO HAD LEFT THEIR WIVES AND FAMILIES BEHIND. I asked them
‘Why did you come away and leave them there?’ and I found they had heard these stories, and
wanted to come and see how it was.
‘I am going back again after my wife’ some of them have said ‘When I have earned a little
money’ ‘What as far as that?’ ‘Yes’ and I have had them come to me to borrow money, or to
get their pay, if they had earned a months wages, and to get passes. ‘I am going for my family”
Slave family in bondage for five generations
they say.
“‘Are you not afraid to risk it?’ ‘No I know the Way.’
“Colored men will help colored men and they will work along the by paths and get through. In that way I have known quite a
number who have gone up from time to time in the neighborhood of Richmond and several have brought back their families.”
HARRIET TUBMAN (1820-1913) escaped from slavery in
Maryland in1849 and then returned for her family as soon as
she could earn the money. Then she spent the next six years of
her life returning to rescue her family and many others. Before
the Civil War ended, Harriet had personally escorted an
estimated 300 slaves to freedom, crediting God for guiding her
miraculously every stop of the way.
Harriet always traveled by night, guided by God,
watching for the North Star, and using the
“Underground Railroad” of secret contacts.
Harriet learned from her mother the reward of courage in the
face of slave masters. She lost three of her sisters when they
were sold and never seen again, but when her mother found out
that they were about to sell her youngest son Moses she saved
him by threatening to split the head open of anyone who came
after him!
Harriet served as a Union spy, guided an armed expedition, and
helped John Brown recruit men for his raid on Harpers Ferry.
After the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, she led slaves to Canada.
William Lloyd Garrison gave her the name “Moses” after the
prophet who lead Israel out of Egypt.
Harriet’s secret weapons—faith in Jesus and humility
While Harriet was still a slave she learned a lesson in humility
that later gave her the ability to sacrifice herself for others
countless times throughout her adventurous lifetime:
“And so, . . . as I lay so sick on my bed, from Christmas till
March, I was always praying for poor ole master. ‘Pears
like I didn’t do nothing but pray for ole master. ‘Oh, Lord,
convert ole master; Oh, dear Lord, change dat man’s heart,
and make him a Christian.’ And all the time he was bringing
men to look at me, and dey stood there saying what dey
Harriet Tubman (left) humbly standing with some of the hundreds she rescued from slavery
would give, and what dey would take, and all I could say
was, ‘Oh, Lord, convert ole master.’ Den I heard dat as soon
as I was able to move I was to be sent with my brudders, in
the chain-gang to de far South. Then I changed my prayer,
and I said, ‘Lord, if you ain’t never going to change dat
man’s heart, kill him, Lord, and take him out of de way, so
he won’t do no more mischief.’ Next ting I heard ole master
was dead; and he died just as he lived, a wicked, bad man.
Oh, den it ‘peared like I would give de world full of silver
and gold, if I had it, to bring dat pore soul back. I would give
myself; I would give eberyting! But he was gone, I couldn’t
pray for him no more.”
Sarah H. Bradford. Harriet, The Moses of Her People (New York: J. J. Little & Co., 1901).
Pp. 23-24. Available through Library of Congress online at http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/
ampage
Granville Woods picture. Online at http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/simmons/ill3.html.
Inventor
Granville T. Woods
GRANVILLE T.
WOODS (1856-1910)
born in Columbus,
Ohio, became known
as “the Black Edison”
because of his patented
inventions. Thomas
Edison claimed certain
rights but Woods won
every case.
“Granville T. Woods, the greatest colored inventor in
the history of the race, and equal, if not superior, to any
inventor in the country, is destined to revolutionize the
mode of street car transit. The results of his
experiments are no longer a question of doubt. He has
excelled in every possible way in all his inventions. He
is master of the situation, and his name will be handed
down to coming generations as one of the greatest
inventors of his time. He has not only elevated himself
to the highest position among inventors, but he has
shown beyond doubt the possibility of a colored man
inventing as well as one of any other race.” (Catholic
Tribune, January 14, 1886).
GRANVILLE T. WOODS
• Known as the “Black Edison”
• Improved steam boiler for trains
• First electric railway powered from above the train
• Improvements to airbrakes on locomotives and other
large machines.
• Successfully fought suits brought against him by Thomas
Edison
• Railway telegraph that could be sent from a moving train
(patent no. 388,803) so dispatchers could warn engineers
of oncoming trains
• Improved air brakes on trains (patent no.701,981)
Granville Woods. Ohio Historical Society. “Granville T. Woods,” Ohio History
Central, July 1, 2005, http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=421.
GEORGE WASHINGTON
CARVER (1864-1943) was a
former slave who became not
only the world’s foremost expert
on peanuts and sweet potatoes
but also a man of faith in God
who sowed hope for progress
among struggling Southern
farmers after the Civil War.
Carver’s mother Mary was only
13 when she was purchased by a
slave master named Moses
Carver during the Civil War. She
died while George was still a
Inventor & Teacher child. Although he suffered from
poor health, he loved to learn
George Washington and educate himself. George had
Carver
a special love for botany and
was called “The Plant Doctor”
even as a boy. He said later, “My very soul thirsted for an education.
I literally lived in the woods. I wanted to know every strange stone,
flower, insect, bird, or beast.”
Carver became famous not only for his research but also for his
openness about crediting “Mr. Creator” for all of his discoveries. He
told a New York City
audience, “Without God
GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER
to draw aside the curtain • More than 300 products from peanuts
I would be helpless.” For • More than 100 uses for the sweet
47 years from his base at potato
Tuskegee he gave hope
• Free educational bulletins with advice
to children of slaves and on livestock, soil improvement,
cultivation, and nutritious recipes from
slave masters in the
crops
South that they could
grow new crops instead • The Jessup Wagon, a demonstration
laboratory on wheels that he used to
of cotton, which had
further educate farmers
depleted the soil and was
largely destroyed by the boll weevil in the early 20th century. He
focused on developing self-sufficiency in poor farmers struggling to
be independent and take care of their families. The George
Washington Carver National Monument was established by an act of
Congress in July 1943 after his death. It includes 210 acres of the
farm where he was a slave.
George Washington Carver National Monument. Online at http://www.nps.gov/archive/gwca/
expanded/quotes.htm
“It is recorded that a very distinguished preacher said: ‘If everything the Negro had invented was sunk at the
bottom of the sea, the world would not miss them, and would move on as before.’ This was not true then, is not true
now, and will be less so in the future. Hundreds of slaves invented instruments which have been taken by their
masters and patented, and many others for want of means to put their inventions through the patent office and
manufacture them, have sold their knowledge for almost a ‘mess of pottage.’ The future will bring forth men who
will yet astonish the world with inventions of labor-saving character, and add materially to the wealth of the nation,
by producing those instruments which will decrease manual labor, multiply articles more rapidly, facilitate
communication and benefit mankind.”
Rev. William J. Simmons (1849-1890), Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising (Cleveland, Ohio: Geo. M. Rewell & CO, 1887). Digital
version available online through Documenting the American South, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
On April 23, 2007, the U.S. Secretary
of the Department of the Interior,
Dirk Kempthorne, made a speech at
the reopening of the mansion that
was once home to Frederick
Douglass (c. 1818-1895)
in Washington, DC, as a National
Historic Site. He told this story about
the respect that U.S. Presidents had
for the brilliant intellectual and
former slave who disproved
prejudice against Black Americans:
Frederick
Douglass
“The year was 1864. President
Abraham Lincoln welcomed a
distinguished man into his
study at the White House.
“At the time, the country was engaged in a great Civil
War. Lincoln had freed the slaves throughout the
Confederacy the year before, but freedom by no means
meant equality even in the free states of the North.
Lincoln spoke at length with his visitor about the progress
of the war, about how to let all the slaves in the South
know they had been set free, and about the pay and
deployment of black soldiers serving in the Union Army.
“Suddenly an aide rushed into the room and
announced that the Governor of Connecticut had arrived
for an appointment with the president. The aide expected
President Lincoln to immediately dismiss his visitor. After
all, the governor was a powerful man.
“But Lincoln waved the aide off. ‘Tell Governor
Buckingham to wait,’ he said. ‘for I want to have a long
talk with my friend Frederick Douglass.’ ”
When Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, his widow, Mary Todd
Lincoln, gave Douglass her husband’s favorite walking stick. It is on
display now at the Douglass National Historic Site. Such was the
regard that even presidents and their families had for him. That is the
regard they will soon have for other Black Americans who put Jesus
Christ and the Bible first in their lives.
U.S. President
James Garfield
(served 1877-1881)
(served 1881)
President Rutherford B. Hayes (R)
(1822-1893) appointed Frederick
Douglass U.S. Marshal of the District
of Columbia. Sadly, Hayes had won
election by removing federal troops
protecting Blacks in the South.
Garfield said, “T he em ancipated
race has already made remarkable
progress. With unquestioning
devotion to the Union, with a
patience and gentleness not born of
fear, they have ‘followed the light as
God gave them to see the light.’ They
are rapidly laying the material
foundations of self-support, widening
their circle of intelligence, and
beginning to enjoy the blessings that
gather around the homes of the
industrious poor. They deserve the
generous encouragement of all good
men. So far as my authority can
lawfully extend they shall enjoy the
full and equal protection of the
Constitution and the laws.”
Presidential photos from the official White House website.
U.S. President
Rutherford B Hayes
President James Garfield (R) (1831
-1881) appointed Douglass as
recorder of deeds for the District of
Columbia. Garfield had served as a
major general for the Union in the
Civil War. He was also a minister and
a former member of the U.S. House
of Representatives, where he was
known as one of the “radical
Republicans.” He was assassinated
after 6.5 months in office.
Inaugural Address of James A. Garfield (1881)
U.S. President
Benjamin Harrison
(served 1889-1893)
President Benjamin Harrison (R)
(1833-1881) made some racial
compromises to gain Southern
White votes. However, in 1889 he
appointed Frederick Douglass as
minister resident and consul general
to Haiti, a nation that was founded
on the basis of a slave rebellion and
had tried for years to receive
international recognition.
Later that year, Harrison
appointed Douglass as chargés
d'affaires for Santo Domingo.
However, in 1891, Douglass
resigned to protest what he saw as
unfair practices by the State
Department and American business.
He said he valued his principles over
his position.
‘Who would be free, themselves
must strike the blow’*
Frederick Douglass’s challenge to Blacks to fight for their own freedom in
the Civil War still applies to Christians of all races today
In every American war, Black soldiers have
been brave and fearless. In the Civil War, they
knew that if they were captured the Confederate
troops might massacre or enslave them, yet they
volunteered and fought to win. Even Whites who
were prejudiced against them were astounded at
their courage, leadership, and perseverance.
Some Black leaders of the past have not
been the best examples of becoming like Christ,
but history documents that we still have that
potential. Before the foundation of the world,
When Abraham Lincoln wrote
the Emancipation Proclamation,
he not only freed the slaves in all
of the states of the Confederacy.
He also declared that Black
soldiers were to be welcomed into
the armed services of the United
States. It was a courageous move
that proved to
help the North
win the Civil
War.
Lincoln’s
decision to invite
Black soldiers to
enlist was a
courageous move in
the face of the
prejudice of the day
Sgt. Maj. Lewis H.
and a successful one.
Douglass
Black soldiers
(1840-1908)
were eager to fight.
They proved in battle that they were bold
and unafraid of torture or death at the
hands of the Confederate troops who had
been ordered to treat them as escaped
slaves, not soldiers. Frederick Douglass
had urged Lincoln to take this action and
personally recruited Blacks to fight,
including his own son Lewis who was
wounded at Fort Wagner (a battle
depicted in the movie Glory). Lewis
courageously wrote to his wife, “Should I
fall in the next fight killed or wounded I
hope to fall with my face to the foe.”
God saw our hearts as good ground. He
sent Jesus Christ to be our example so that
we could become like Him.
All Americans who have paid the price
to follow the Lord by the principles of His
Word are well positioned to lead this nation
in the political arena from a position of
Christ-like character.
*From Frederick Douglass’s speech (1875) “If There
Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress” (Quote above is
from the English poet Lord Byron.)
In the spring of 1863, soon after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation,
Governor John Andrew of Massachusetts
invited Black men to enlist in his groundbreaking 54th Infantry. A fictionalized version
of their story was told in the movie Glory.
However, the movie omitted many important
deeds such as the heroic actions of Sergeant
William Carney at Fort Wagner who bravely
took the American flag from a falling solder
and kept it aloft throughout the battle. Carney
Sgt. William Carney was awarded the Congressional Medal of
(1840-1908
Honor, the first Black in history to receive it.
Carney is depicted along with some of his
comrades and their Colonel Robert Shaw in the memorial to the Massachusetts 54th that
now stands across from the State House in Boston.
Carrying the Standard of the Bible
The flag embodies the cause that the soldiers are fighting for. It
is a visible rallying point that gives courage and purpose to the
troops. The Star Spangled Banner describes the morning after a
battle in the War of 1812 when “our flag was still there.”
During the Civil War battle for Fort Wagner, a Black
soldier and former slave named William Carney carried the
flag to safety even though he was wounded several times. Just
before he collapsed behind the lines he said to the cheers of the men, “Boys, the old
flag never touched the ground.”
The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:9 that Christians are a holy nation and royal
priesthood. He has called us out of darkness into His wonderful light. I have a vision
for Black Americans becoming so transformed by Jesus that the eyes of the world
are upon them as they boldly carry the standard of the Bible into every area of life.
People not only cheer them for taking a stand for truth. They want to become like
them. Twice in history, the eyes of the world have been on Black America:
(1) Slavery and the Civil War (2) The Civil Rights Movement
Now, I pray that the day is coming when their deliverance will be so dramatic
that the eyes of the world will be upon them once again. Blacks are famous for
sports and entertainment, but if they can be famous for holiness, they can lead a
spiritual revolution that everyone else will follow. —WELLINGTON BOONE
Rich and famous grieved his death
In 1915 when Booker T. Washington died, Julius
Rosenwald of Sears Roebuck and benefactor of
Tuskegee, noted, “In the death of Booker T. Washington
this country has lost one of its foremost educators. By
emphasizing the dignity of labor he has rendered a great
service not only to his own race but to the white race as
well. I know no nobler character than he possessed. The
injustices he was made to suffer never embittered him.
Those who knew him best were proudest of his friendship.
His life enriched not only this country but the entire world.”
Former President Theodor Roosevelt said, "He was one
of the distinguished citizens of the
United States, a man who rendered
greater service to his race than had
ever been rendered by any one else,
and who, in so doing, also rendered
great service to the whole country.
I mourn his loss, and feel that one of the
most useful citizens of our land has gone."
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), founding principal of
Tuskegee Institute, addresses a crowd on issues of the day
New York Times front page, November 15, 1915. Online at the National
Park Service http://www.nps.gov/. Photo: http://www.whitehouse.gov.
W.E.B. Du Bois,
Booker T. Washington was bor n a slave in Vir ginia. He later wr ote in his
stirring autobiography Up From Slavery about the moment when he stood as a
child beside his tearful mother and heard that they were free. Always a hard
worker, he earned money as a child not only for the family but also to travel to
Hampton Institute, where he had heard that Blacks could get an education. When
he ran out of funds along the way, he walked the remaining miles.
Washington made such an impression on the founder of Hampton, Union General
Samuel Armstrong, that Armstrong recommended him as the founding principal
of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. From this base, he taught young Blacks to
prosper not only mentally by obtaining an education but also practically by
learning skills to earn a living. In fact, the early students actually built the
campus, brick by brick.
Because of his success, he was noticed by wealthy White benefactors such as
Julius Rosenwald of Sears and Roebuck who gave generously to further the cause
of Black advancement. He became a man of great political power but he never
demonstrated it publicly or with pride. He took a clear public stance of humility
while behind the scenes he was using his resources for justice. He was criticized
by Black militants as an appeaser even while he was secretly making conditions
better for them and their descendants.
When the Southern Railway denied W. E. B. DuBois a sleeping berth because of
his color, Washington secretly contacted the president of the Pullman Company,
Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln. He also privately encouraged his
supporters to file other lawsuits.
He was so highly trusted by White donors that money flowed into Tuskegee, but
he did not use it for himself. He dispersed it to further the cause of Black
advancement. When Tuskegee researchers documented terrorism against Blacks
by lynching, those statistics became the standard of reference we use today.
first Black PhD from
Harvard, often criticized
Booker T. Washington
for his bold stands but
Washington never gave
in. He continued to
speak to the nation
about practical paths to
progress.
W.E.B. DuBois
(1868-1963)
Washington was not a
man who prospered by personal charisma
without substance. He did not take stands
that would please the crowds. He focused
his energies on building into a core of
Black Americans fresh from slavery the
faith, education, and practical skills they
needed to succeed against adversity.
While Washington maintained his dignity
and influence, even visiting the White
House at the invitation of President
Theodore Roosevelt, DuBois became bitter
and eventually left America disillusioned .
Most Black intellectuals today honor
DuBois, but Washington also remains a
role model we should respect. He was a
man of character. He didn’t change his
message . He privately supported
unpopular causes even while he was being
criticized for ignoring them.
MAINE SENATOR JAMES BLAINE (18301892) served alongside the first Black
legislators. He wrote this commendation
of his Black colleagues.
“The colored men who took seats in both
Senate and House did not appear ignorant
or helpless. They were as a rule studious,
earnest, ambitious men, whose public
conduct—as illustrated by Mr. Revels and
Mr. Bruce in the Senate, and by Mr.
Rapier, Mr. Lynch and Mr. Rainey in the
House—would be honorable to any race.
Coals of fire were heaped on the heads of
all their enemies when the colored men in
Congress heartily joined in removing the
disabilities of those who had before been
their oppressors, and who, with deep
regret be it said, have continued to treat
them with injustice and ignominy.”
U.S. Senator Blanche Bruce of
Mississippi (1841-1898), who had been
born a slave, arrived at the U.S. Capitol
in March 1875 to begin his term as the
first Black elected for a full term in the
U.S. Senate. He soon found that one of
the traditional courtesies given to
senators would not be shown to him by
the White senior senator from his home
state of Mississippi, James Alcorn.
According to tradition, any freshman
senator should be escorted down the
aisle to take his oath of office by the
senior senator from his state, but Alcorn
refused. Bruce, who had become a rich
U.S. Senator Blanche Bruce of Mississippi,
first Black to serve full term in the Senate and educated businessman, started down
the aisle alone like a lowly slave. Then
New York Senator Roscoe Conkling, a Republican like Bruce, stepped out
and escorted him to the rostrum. Bruce later named his only son Roscoe
Conkling Bruce after the senator who had treated him like a gentleman.
During Bruce’s term he fought for civil rights for Blacks, Native
Americans, Chinese immigrants, and even former Confederates. By the
time his term was over in 1881, Northern troops that had ensured the rights
of Blacks in the South had been withdrawn after the 1877 Compromise
perpetrated by members of his own Republican party. It was not possible to
be reelected. In 1881, President James Garfield appointed him as Register
of the Treasury, and he became the first Black whose signature appeared on
U.S. paper currency.
Biographer William Simmons wrote, “It was truly a step from slavery
to this elevation, to that place where his signature made worthless paper
money. A black hand to write his name across the face of paper and give
it credit, not only at home but in all the nations of the earth, the hand that
would have been cut off had it been found writing his name before the
war. Marvelous changes. ‘What’s in a name?’ There was money in his.”
Rev. William J. Simmons (1849-1890), Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising (Cleveland,
Ohio: Geo. M. Rewell & CO, 1887). Digital version available online through Documenting the
American South, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
John Roy Lynch (1847-1939), born a
slave, was the first Black Speaker of
the House in the Mississippi legislature and one of the first
Black members of the U.S House of Representatives during
Reconstruction. He was a man of character who challenged
the prejudice of his day—not only as a Congress but also as
an historian. In contrast to the inaccuracies of pro-
Confederacy historians of his day, he documented how
President Andrew Johnson, successor to Lincoln but much
unlike him, tried to usurp the power of Congress and deny
Blacks their newly won rights after the Civil War. Such was the
dominance of White Americans that Lynch’s historical work
was suppressed for the next century, but is now appreciated and
studied. It is available online in its entirety at Gutenberg.org.
At its best, the Black Church has demonstrated that
Christians make better leaders and public servants than
nonbelievers if their whole agenda is to honor God in every
way. They have a higher calling than personal power and
affluence. They have the integrity to never prosper at the
cost of compromise and deceit. All too often politicians are
now afraid to talk openly about Jesus instead of a “Higher Power,”
or they quote Jesus without mentioning His name. Government
lawyers complain, “What if a Muslim or atheist might be
offended? What if the ACLU filed a lawsuit?”
Just as in the days of Reconstruction and Civil Rights, these
times call for fearless biblical statesmanship, not neutral or
political leadership. This time, the future favor of God on America
is at stake. We must stand up for Jesus and build on that Rock.
Source: Library of Congress
Jesus said, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and
follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid
rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters
rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse
because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my
teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who
builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and
the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a
mighty crash” (Matthew 7:24-27 NLT ).
After slavery, every new Freedman’s community built
a church which became the center of everything they
did. The pastor led the people. The churches raised
money to build schools, started businesses, and took
care of the poor. They made sure everyone had a
proper burial. Sometimes in collaboration with
Northern donors and sometimes with the help of
compassionate Southerners they built a godly society.
Black Church Stands on the Bible Affirming Non-Negotiable Issues for All
During slavery and Reconstruction and continuing to modern times, the Black Church at its best has stood boldly for biblical
principles that applied not only to church members but also to all of society, because God created the whole world and gave
His Son Jesus to save it. The Bible is so clear on certain issues that every politician should decide that they are not political
issues but non-negotiable, biblical principles of creative order and refuse to compromise during his term in office, regardless
of public or personal pressure. Reelection is a far less priority than becoming like Christ.
Abortion. Until 1973, the laws of the United States protected innocent children in the womb. The Bible says in Psalm 139, “You
made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.”
Sodomy. The Bible calls unnatural intercourse, including oral and anal sex, an abomination, uncleanness, and corruption, as in
Sodom and Gomorrah, not an alternative lifestyle. Every society understood why sodomy should be declared illegal, not
enshrined in same-sex marriage laws. “Do not practice homosexuality; it is a detestable sin.” “Thou shalt not lie with mankind
as with womankind: it is abomination” (Leviticus 18:22 NLT and KJV).
Slavery. The Confederacy was established on the basis of slavery. Christians should repent for it, not celebrate Confederate history.
(See 1 Timothy 1:10.)
Adultery. By military law, a general can be relieved of command for committing adultery. In the Bible, adultery is forbidden in the
Ten Commandments, and Jesus said, “Y ou must not commit adultery” (Matthew 19:18 NLT).
Consensual sin. Consensus does not whitewash sin. Consenting adults cannot do what God forbids. The Bible does not excuse sin if
both parties agree. Ananias and Sapphira agreed to lie about their wealth, and God killed them both. (See A cts 5.)
Inequality. The Bible and the Declaration of Independence confirm that all races are created equal by God and are to be treated as
equals, with dignity. “A nd hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath
determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation” (Acts 17:26 KJV ).
Private sin. In order to justify pro-abortion and other rulings, the Supreme Court created a right of privacy to legitimize rights
previously illegal. Privacy is not a right according to the Bible or American historical law. Many crimes are committed in private,
such as murder and using illicit drugs, but that does not stop the law from prosecuting the perpetrator. King David sinned secretly
with Bathsheba, but God saw him and sent Nathan with news of God’s judgment. ”Then Nathan said to David, ‘Y ou are that
man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your
master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you
much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? (2 Samuel 12:7-9 NLT).
Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1909
People who wonder why Blacks remain at the poverty level would do well to understand how much
they have had to endure from the repeated destruction of their businesses and property by Whites.
Lloyd Jones. A few brave Black veterans
According to the historical record,
who had fought for their country armed
almost every time a community of Black
themselves and went to the jail to try to
Americans in the past developed a part of
prevent a lynching. However, they were
town where businesses prospered,
met by a crowd of Whites that soon
invariably some form of White boycott or
swelled to 1,000 and then 2,000 men.
tragic attack would shut them down. The
There was a struggle and a shot was
Ku Klux Klan was often involved.
fired. Then the rampage began.
Some areas that are Black slums
today, or that have been torn down for
urban renewal, hold the remains of a
Burned-out Greenwood district of Tulsa after race riot of 1921 ‘Worst race riot in American history’
golden age of Black businesses. They
It has been called the worst race riot in American history.
include Harlem in New York, Jackson Ward in Richmond, and
Most school children in Oklahoma and the rest of America have
the Greenwood area of Tulsa.
probably never read about what happened that day, because it
has been buried in history.
Tulsa race riot wipes out years of Black prosperity
A mob rounded up the Black men of the community and
locked them up in “protective detention,” then set fire to the
On May 31, 1921, a Black man was arrested for
Black business district and residential neighborhoods. The fire
supposedly molesting a White girl in a minor incident in an
gutted 35 city blocks of homes, churches, theaters, law offices,
elevator in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The charge was proved false and
and Black businesses. More than 1,000 homes were destroyed.
he was eventually acquitted, but in those days, it didn’t matter.
Up to 10,000 were left homeless in the burned out shell.
A segregated but prosperous area of Tulsa during those oil
boom years was called a “Negro Wall Street” or “Black Wall
“. . . there is little doubt but that some of the occupants
Street.” It was a thriving Black business district centered on
of the airplanes fired upon black Tulsans with pistols and
Greenwood Avenue. There were Black hotels, restaurants,
rifles. Moreover, there is evidence to suggest that men in
theaters, shops and offices. Ironically, some of these Black
at least one airplane dropped some form of explosives,
businessmen were the descendants of slaves of Native
probably sticks of dynamite, upon a group of African
Americans who had been forced to march in the “Trail of
American refugees as they were fleeing the city.”*
Tears” from the Southeast states to the Oklahoma Indian
territory in 1838. Other Blacks had flooded into Oklahoma after
Tulsa police and members of the National Guard were
the World War, believing that it was a land of promise.
apparently involved in the destruction themselves. Officials
North Tulsa before the Riot of 1921
reported only 30 deaths, including Whites, but according to the
Population—11,000 primarily Black Americans
Red Cross there were at least ten times that number of Blacks
Doctors, lawyers, PhDs, wealthy businessmen
alone—possibly as many as 1,000. Many lost everything. None
21 churches. 2 newspapers
were able to sue and receive damages because of the hostile
212 restaurants. 2 movie theaters. Hotel.
environment in the courts.
Approximately 400 businesses
Investigation delayed 76 years, still not resolved
After the Riot
More than 1,000 homes and businesses destroyed
In 2001, Oklahoma published the report of the Tulsa Race Riot
Many churches burned down
Commission that had belatedly investigated the riot 76 years
Up to 300 people killed, including a noted Black surgeon
earlier. The Oklahoma legislature passed the 1921 Riot
Brave attempts to rebuild but they never recovered.
Reconciliation Act of 2001 that was signed by the Governor. It
stated that the legislature “freely acknowledges its moral
responsibility.” However, they refused to pay any reparations,
After the accused Black man was arrested and jailed, the
even though the commission recommended it and the governor
city newspaper, the Tulsa Tribune, reportedly published a front
supported payments to survivors.
page headline and editorial saying, “To Lynch Negro Tonight,”
written by the paper’s publisher and senior editor, Richard
*Online at http://www.tulsareparations.org/TulsaRiot2Of3.htm.
Black Americans have
become great by following
Jesus in His humiliation.
Just as Jesus took the low
road, when we take the path
of genuine humility God
can make us great.
Low Road to New Heights by Wellington Boone
Hardcover: 208 pages Publisher: Doubleday; 1st
edition (July 16, 2002) ISBN-10: 0385500874
ISBN-13: 978-0385500876 Product Dimensions:
8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches Shipping Weight: 11.84
ounces Language: English
PRIMARY SOURCES IN THIS PUBLICATION include the actual
text of historical speeches or books from the most reliable
archives. Most of the text and photos are in the public
domain and freely available from libraries, government
sources, historical societies, and the Internet. Some
sources are noted within the articles or near the photos in
this publication.
Some major sources available to the public
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice
Statistics
Library of Congress. In this issue, Photo of
Richmond Slave Market.
National Archives
Learn How Black Americans of the Past Turned to
God to Restore Their Hope—and You Can, Too!
Dare to Hope calls Christians to return to God with humility and
sacrifice to rebuild their hope and restore hope to individuals,
families, and nations. In Lamentations 3:21, Jeremiah was troubled
but he said,
National Park Service
The White House (http://WhiteHouse.gov) for
photos of U.S. Presidents
Black Americans in Congress (http://
baic.house.gov)
Proclamations by Governors on state websites
State historical archives
University libraries and public libraries
Project Gutenberg (complete text of classic and out
-of-print works in the public domain) Online at http://
www.gutenberg.org.
Google Books
Wikimedia Commons
Wikipedia
This groundbreaking
book by Wellington
Boone was published
by the Southern
Baptist publishing
arm after their
apology to Black
Americans..
[Includes church
statements of
repentance on p. 6.]
Wellington Boone, Breaking Through (Nashville, TN:
Broadman and Holman, 1996).
“Yet I still dare to hope.”
Using a daily journal, Bishop Boone takes the reader on a 30-day
journey to hope. Each day, you read inspiring vignettes, study the Bible, pray, and document
your day. Pleasing God becomes your priority. Each night, you judge yourself, see where
you have been unlike Jesus, make changes, then go to sleep in peace. You feel good about
yourself because you know God feels good about you. You are preparing for that Great Day
when God will ask for an accounting before the Judgment Seat of Christ. You will be ready
to hear Him say “Well done” when you have sought His approval every day.
Francis Asbury
William Booth
Catherine Booth
David Brainerd
John Calvin
George Washington
Carver
Fanny Crosby
Frederick Douglass
Jonathan Edwards
Charles
Finney
George
Fox
Thomas Johnson
John Knox
James McGready
D.L. Moody
Father Daniel Nash
Puritans
Hiram
Revels
William
Seymour
Robert Smalls
Horatio Spafford
Charles Spurgeon
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Lewis Tappan
Corrie ten Boom
Toccoa Falls Flood
Harriet Tubman
Maggie Walker
John Wesley
Available online at http://shop.apptepublilshing.com.
These powerful Christian leaders of African nations met at a secret retreat in Kenya to receive a word from God through a Black American, Bishop Wellington Boone (right).
Anglican
Archbishop
Bernard
Ntahoturi
Burundi
Anglican
Archbishop
Henri K.K.
Isingoma
Congo
Anglican
Archbishop
Henry Luke
Orombi
Uganda
Anglican
Archbishop
Emmanuel
Kolini
Rwanda
NAIROBI, KENYA
Bishop Wellington Boone,
chief prelate of the
Fellowship of International
Churches, met in January
2010 with Kenya’s Anglican
Archbishop Eliud
Wabukala. Although Bishop
Archbishops and Bishop Boone in the Word
Boone is a Black American,
he did not travel to Africa to meet his need for identity. He went
to serve the Christian leaders of Africa as an ambassador of
reconciliation from the Black American Christian Embassy.
Kenyan Bishop Bill Atwood coordinated the trip. He is
general secretary of Ekklesia, an organization of former
American Episcopal bishops who found it necessary to leave
their denomination because of its non-biblical stands on issues.
Many of these predominantly White clergy have submitted to
Black Anglican archbishops from Africa because they find that
they are more committed to a strict interpretation of the Bible.
Initially Archbishop Wabukala asked Bishop Boone to
meet only with the Kenyan bishops under his authority, but
when he saw their response he
asked Bishop Boone to
participate in a private retreat
with archbishops—leaders of
six East African nations.
East Africa was the site of
a major revival 75 years ago.
Many hope to see it again. Since
about 40 percent of African
Christians are Anglican, they
Wellington Boone Ministries
pray it will come through them.
5875 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Ste 300, Norcross, GA 30092
“Lord, wilt thou not revive
Phone: 404-840-8443
us again that thy people may
http://WellingtonBoone.com
rejoice in thee?”
[email protected]
(Psalm 85:6).
Anglican
Archbishop
Valentine
Mokiwa
Tanzania
Anglican
Archbishop
Eliud
Wabukala
Kenya
Anglican
Bishop
Bill
Atwood
U.S., Kenya
Bishop
Wellington
Boone
United States
Letter from Ugandan Archbishop Henry Orombi
to Bishop Wellington Boone
“I see a ‘kingdom grace’ in a Black
American returning to the land of his
forefathers with a powerful message of
commitment to Christ and godly living.
There has been a very painful history of
racial exploitation in North America.
Your outreach to Africa is a clear
Archbishop Henry
demonstration that the grace of God
Orombi of Nigeria
can overwhelm even the
terrible evil of exploitation.
“Building links with you and with other Black
Americans is a very encouraging demonstration
that those who have been left behind in so many
ways can, in Christ, rise above circumstances to
extend Christ’s kingdom.”
HENRY OROMBI
Former Anglican Archbishop of Uganda
Mailing Label
CONTACT US if you want to be a part of an international
movement of prayer, evangelism, and reconciliation to heal the
nations.
[email protected]

Wellington Boone Basic Black Journal Confederate History Singles

Transcription

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