Black History, Black Church, & the Socioeconomic Call

by Tonya Phillips

Lift Every Voice and Sing, the Black national anthem, is a resounding cry for us to celebrate Black history and answer the call to continue fighting for a just society. 

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us…

The Black church was the fire that fueled the movement for hundreds of years to free Black people from slavery and segregation to the freedoms we moderately enjoy today. 

"The church fueled slave rebellions, nurtured and sustained the Underground Railroad, and was the training ground for the orators of the abolitionist movement, and for ministers such as Richard Harvey Cain who emerged as powerful and effective political leaders during Reconstruction. It powered antilynching campaigns and economic boycotts, and formed the backbone of and meeting place for the civil rights movement."

Black people and Black faith leaders led one of U.S. history's most successful economic boycotts. Starting on December 1, 1955, with the arrest of Rosa Parks, the boycott lasted for thirteen difficult months; Black people stood together in solidarity for 381 days and refused to patronize Montgomery's segregated bus system until its segregation ended. On November 13, 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Browder v. Gayle that segregation in public transportation was unconstitutional. Black churches offered sanctuary and incubation for the movement, holding mass meetings to organize, care for, and encourage the people to endure and fight on.  

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us…

Take a moment to reflect on the parable in Matthew 25:14-30 where three servants were given different amounts of talents. Two of the servants doubled what they were initially given. The third one stuck his talent in the ground. He didn't add to the foundation he was given.  

We must continue to honor the accomplishments of Black people and continue in the traditions of the Black church and leaders such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, Rev. Andrew Young, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Diane Nash, Dorothy Height, and countless others. We cannot put our talent in the ground and only return back to God the work of our ancestors. We must be like the servants whom the boss said, "Well done," and use our talents to advance social and economic justice. 

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,

Let us march on till victory is won.

1.https://time.com/5939921/henry-lous-gates-american-history-black-church/

2. To learn more about the history of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” go to https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/LiftEveryVoiceAndSing.pdf

The counter

By Dahime Gordon

When I was a little girl, I had a neighbor whose name was Ms. Ella. Back then, she was an anomaly because she was a single elderly woman who went about the Brooklyn streets on her own. This isn’t the new Brooklyn of today; I’m talking about the mean streets of Brooklyn that you didn’t want to be caught on at night. We lived in a four-story walk-up, Ms. Ella on the 2nd floor and my grandmother and I on the 4th floor. 

Oftentimes, most African Americans that lived in New York, migrated from the South. Ms. Ella was no different. Looking back, I realized that she was a woman of faith before I knew what that meant. I never recalled her going to church because I would only see her during the week or on Saturdays, but she would speak of Jesus. 

I spent most Saturdays with Ms. Ella. We were an odd couple; I would imagine many who may have seen us together might’ve thought she was my grandmother. We really had nothing in common. She was in her 70s and I hadn’t hit double digits yet. I used to love sitting with Ms. Ella because she would share her life stories. I was fascinated that she was like a walking history book because she would share things I read about in my school books. 

I loved to come down and listen to her stories. She was an avid baseball fan and loved the New York Yankees, especially the player Reggie Jackson. Oh, how she loved Reggie. She would watch him on her black-and-white television and talk to the screen every time he came up to bat. When the Yankees won the back-to-back World Series, you couldn’t tell her anything! It was a proud moment for her. Every once in a while, her niece would come around and check on her to see if she was okay. Looking back at it now, it seemed like she had a lonely life because no one was around her. What I thought was loneliness was peace to her. 

Every Saturday she would make a trek to downtown Brooklyn to sit at the Woolworth counter and drink her a cup of coffee and a corn muffin with butter and jelly. I eventually became her travel buddy. She would tell me on Friday, “I’m leaving tomorrow morning at 9:00 am to catch the B26 bus; you’re welcome to come, but if you’re not down here before I leave, I’m getting on that bus. I’ll admit that giving up my Saturdays of sleep-ins, morning cartoons, and cereal was a sacrifice, but I enjoyed my time spent with Ms. Ella. 

I was too young to understand the significance of our weekly trek, but I enjoyed going with her. We NEVER sat at a booth, even if one was available. We would sit at the counter, put in our order of corn muffins and coffee (yes, at nine years old, I was drinking coffee,) and wait. She would tell me how blessed we were to be there sitting at the counter. For the most part, she would have my undivided attention, as much as a nine-year-old attention span would hold. 

I didn’t realize how important it was to her, and the sacrifice of others that allowed me the opportunity to sit without incident. You see there was no bloodshed for me, all I had to do was ride along and sit at the counter. No cost to count, just sit. When I think about it, Ms. Ella might’ve been my first window into a view of Jesus. The Woolworth sit-ins happened when she was 60, some 18 years prior, but she took joy in sitting at the counter. She never missed the opportunity to sit because there was a time when she wasn’t allowed. I don’t remember when she said she came up to New York, but I would never have had that experience without her. 

This brings to life, “They ran so you could walk.” I work in the education field, and every year around this time the same question comes up as to why the school should teach black history. Many don’t want to talk about it because it makes them uncomfortable. We learn about MLK, Rosa Parks, maybe Malcolm X, and a handful of others, but black history is so much more. Every day we see the positive impact that black history has made. We are surrounded by black history, and because of the pain, many don’t want to relive those memories, but if you have the opportunity to talk to someone who will share, I urge you to sit, listen, and glean from those who are willing to share a counter with you.. Ms. Ella has left an impact on my life over 40 years later, and I will always remember her for that imprint. Often times, she was an outlet for me, and I don’t know if she knew that. Black history is a rich heritage of love, triumph, and perseverance. And it’s necessary. Thank you, Ms. Ella; you will always be remembered.

To read about the story; 

https://www.npr.org/2008/02/01/18615556/the-woolworth-sit-in-that-launched-a-movement