Found 44 collections related to African Americans -- Religion

The St. Mark's United Methodist Church Collection consist principally of printed matter consisting of anniversary journals and programs. The collection focuses on the years when Reverend John Hicks was pastor, and contains church programs, and programs from services and special events, such as the Annual Debutante Cotillion, and the Business and Professional Club, and church anniversaries. less

The Abyssinian Baptist Church Oral History Project consists of transcripts of interviews with ten African-American women -- all Abyssinian members -- about their recollections of Abyssinian Baptist Church as well as their Southern roots, their spiritual experiences and their political and Christian education. All of the women interviewed were more than seventy years old, and one was over ninety, at the time the interviews were conducted in 1992. The interviewees are: Helen Brown, Robbie Clarke, Susan Craig, Gwendolyn Jones, Esther McCall, Estelle Noble, Fannie Pennington, Olivia Pearl Stokes, Amy Terry, Grace Jones and Laura B. Thomas. Their remembrances date to the late 1920's, but the primary time period under discussion is from 1940 to1970. Located in Harlem, Abyssinian was the first black Baptist church established in New York State (1808) and the fifth in the United States. The interviewer was Martia G. Goodson, an assistant professor at Baruch College at the time of the project. less

B'nai Adath Kol Beth Yisroel, a black Hebrew congregation, was incorporated in New York City in 1954 under the leadership of Rabbi Yirmeyahu Ben Daniel Yisrael (formerly Rabbi Julius Wilkins), and maintains its synagogue in Brooklyn, New York. The B'nai Adath Kol Beth Yisroel collection consists of incorporation papers and by-laws, organizational activities programs, a membership questionnaire, a biographical sketch of Rabbi Julius Wilkins and other printed material. less

The records include files of the Board of Directors, 1980-84 (lists of board members, agendas, minutes, memoranda); administrative and programmatic files of former executive directors, Howard Dodson, Jualynne Dodson, and Yvonne Delk; correspondence, 1976-84; files for the Cuban Seminar on Black Theology, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Seminar, and other contacts with Cuban ecumenical organizations, 1984 and 1986; in addition to subject files and printed matter. less

In 1972 Rabbi and Rabbinit Yahonatan founded the Beth Ha-Tefilah Ethiopian (black) Hebrew Congregation in St. Albans, Queens, New York as a spiritual branch of the Headquarters Commandment Keepers Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in Harlem. By the early 1980's the Beth Ha-Tefilah congregation had relocated to Mount Vernon, New York. Although the temple is still in existence as of 2005, there is no congregation. The Beth Ha-Tefilah Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation records include the constitution, by-laws, minutes of board meetings (1963-1988); and a scrapbook containing correspondence with other Hebrew congregations, newsletters, flyers, programs and copies of telegrams expressing sympathy upon the death of members' relatives. less

The Commandment Keepers Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, one of the oldest and largest communities of black Hebrews in the United States, was founded in Harlem in 1919 by Rabbi Wentworth Arthur Matthew (1892-1973). Though this congregation traces its origin to the activities of those who came to New York during the first waves of black migration and immigration, it was in the post World War II years that the community took root. Rabbi Matthew created a number of auxiliary organizations, and today there are seven black synagogues in the downstate New York area that trace their origins directly to Rabbi Matthew and his congregation. The synagogue is located in Harlem. The Commandment Keepers Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation records consist of several ledgers including a photocopy of a record book listing members' names and addresses, births and deaths (1923-1959), and other membership ledgers providing individual financial records, worship and Hebrew school attendance (1927-1959). The collection ledger lists amounts donated from 1974 to1991. The collection includes correspondence of Rabbi Matthew regarding dedication of the new synagogue in Harlem (1962) and discussing speaking engagements in the Northeast (1968-1970). There is also a notebook listing members of various committees along with notes about several services held at the synagogue (1948), a golden anniversary program (1966) and news clippings. less

Gulfside was a summer assembly and camp for religious, educational, and recreational purposes. It was sponsored by the Methodist Episcopal Church for African-American children, Board of Home Missions and Church Extension and the Department of Rural Work. Scrapbook containing letters (written to Bishop R.E. Jones concerning Gulfside), two issues of the Gulfside News (1927), clippings, programs, maps and brochures documenting the activities of Gulfside. less

Sociologist, professor. Jualynne Elizabeth Dodson was born in 1942. Papers documenting Dodson's professional memberships and involvement with the Women's Coalition of the Theology in America Project, Black Women in Church and Society, and the Feminist Theological Institute. Also, transcript of the Wingspread meeting, 1984, on the status of African-American women that preceeded the World Women's conference in Nairobi, 1985; copy of Dodson's dissertation entitled "Women's Collective Power in the A.M.E. Church;" and material from her attendance at the seminars on Black and Liberation Theologies and on Minorities in the United States, both held in Cuba in 1984. There are also files relating to other projects with which Dr. Dodson was involved including New York State Council on the Humanities, Andrew Billingsley's Black Church Family Project, the African-American Clergy in New Haven project and Dr. Edmund Gordon's multicultural project which took place at Yale University. less

Printed material relating to the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) including programs and playbills from NANM and other small groups; and annual breakfast, convention and conference materials, and other records of the New York and New Jersey chapters of NANM and the National Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. Other material relating to concert performances by black artists consisting primarily of programs and playbills, scrapbooks, and news clippings. Also programs, playbills, news clippings, newsletters, and financial reports pertaining to the Thomas Music Study Club, founded by Blanche K. Thomas, which was affiliated with NANM since 1946. Papers of Glover and his wife, Martha Seabrook Glover, contain personal and professional correspondence, and documents concerning the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Free-Masonry, the Oddfellows, the Republicans and Democratic parties, church groups, the A. Philip Randolph Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship Fund, the Patriotic American Society, the Harlem Cultural Council, and news clippings about Glover. Also, personal papers of Martha Seabrook Glover relating to the Seabrook family. less

Archie Smith, Jr. was born on August 4, 1939, and lived most of his childhood in a mixed-race neighborhood in Seattle. He received Master's degrees in Divinity, Sacred Theology and Social Welfare; and a Ph.D. in Social Planning from Brandeis University in 1973. Smith became the first tenured track African-American faculty at the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) in 1975. He was the James and Clarice Foster Professor of Pastoral Psychology and Counseling at PSR and the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California until 2011. The Archie Smith Jr. Papers document Smith's career as a pastor, scholar, and counselor and reflect his interest in placing individual and family experiences within the context of larger social, cultural, and spiritual systems. The collection contains correspondence, unpublished and published papers, sermons and other materials. less

The Ethiopian Hebrews Falasha Congregation, a black Hebrew congregation, was formed in the late 1950s in Brooklyn and disbanded in the late 1960s-early 1970s. In 1988 the congregation formed a burial society and now owns and operates the Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Fairview, New Jersey where members of the congregation are buried. The collection comprises: a list of members of the congregation, 1968, prepared by Rabbi Clifford A. Woods (includes a handwritten original and typed copy); a press release regarding a bazaar to raise money to furnish and equip a building for the congregation; photocopy of a letter from Iris R. Woods to Mrs. Roy, thanking her for assistance and gifts to the congregation; and a letter certifying purchase of a burial plot in Mt. Moriah Cemetery (1997). less

Edward Demby was the first black Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church, his wife Antoinette M. Demby was a member of the first graduating class of nurses from Howard University's Freedmen's Hospital. Bishop Demby's collection, 1893-1957, consists of an autobiographical sketch, correspondence, 1930s-1950s sermons and scrapbooks of printed material including a golden anniversary scrapbook. Mrs. Demby's collection consists of a journal, 1901-1955, personal papers and several notebooks kept by her while a nursing student. less

Clergyman, teacher, missionary. Letters addressesd to Crummell discussing personal and religious interests and Crummell's missionary work as an Episcopalian in Liberia in the 1850s through 1860s. Bulk of the collection consists of numerous sermons preached in Washington, D.C. and other American cities, England, and Liberia. Sermons, in addition to discussing religious matters, concern his work in Liberia, the role of the family, and other subjects. less

The Leonidas H. Berry papers primarily document Berry's medical career. There is correspondence (1980-1988), speeches and honors (1969-1980s), and some material on the National Medical Association. There are scattered files dealing with his work with the A.M.E. Church health program, Cook County Hospital, the Narcotic Clinic he helped establish, and others. Writings include some draft sketches and research files for his book, I Wouldn't Take Nothin' for My Journey, and correspondence dealing with the promotion and reaction to it. Included with the writings is his textbook Gastrointestinal Pan-endoscopy and the manuscript of Clinical significance of Gastrointestinal endoscopy, an update for a series of pamphlets of which he was an editor. Berry's curriculum vitae and World War II Army papers provide some biographical information. less

The Andrew J. Chambers papers consist primarily of letters Chambers received that provide an account of his activities on behalf of the Richard Allen Monument, his attempt to secure congressional passage of a bill to establish a commission to study African-American life, and related efforts. Additionally, there is a scrapbook containing letters regarding the construction of the Allen Monument, pledges of support, and acceptances to attend the unveiling, 1874- 1876. There are also testimonials from several prominent African Americans, including Fredrick Douglass and Henry Highland Garnett, and a petition signed by Mifflin W. Gibbs, Garnett, Robert Brown Elliott, John Mercer Langston, William Grant Still, Henry McNeal Turner, and James T. Rapier on behalf of the Allen Monument. Also included are a drawing of the monument and a map of the park. The second part of the scrapbook contains letters in support of the Colored Commission bill from President Chester A. Arthur, congressmen and other officials, 1877-1881. less

The Black Economic Research Center Records document BERC's activities as well as the involvement of Robert Browne in numerous organizations. Although the primary function of BERC was to conduct economic research to aid black organizations and individuals, research data, notes and memoranda concerning studies BERC conducted were not included in the collection; therefore the records are stronger in its administrative functions than in its programmatic aspects. less

The Research Memoranda series consists of the twenty-nine memoranda prepared by the team of social scientists. The General Correspondence and Memoranda series includes letters from Frederick Keppel, president of the Carnegie Corporation, establishing the project; correspondence between Keppel and Gunnar Myrdal, memoranda of interviews with Myrdal and the social scientists who wrote the reports, and files for the Committee on Selection. less

Author, poet. Born in Jamaica. Correspondence and manuscripts of McKay's works, both published and unpublished, including "Banjo," "Banana Bottom," "Harlem Glory," and "Romance in Marseilles." Included are letters with Max Eastman, from Louise Bryant, Arrack Johns, director of the Federal Writers' Project, and to Carl Van Vechten, 1941. less

The J. Alfred Smith, Sr. Papers primarily document Smith's roles as author, pastor of the Allen Baptist Temple Church (ATBC) and his activities with the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc (PNBC) as well as other church organizations. Over half of the papers document Smith's career during the 1970s and '80s as pastor of ATBC and president of the PNBC. Smith's papers include very little documentation on his career and professional activities during the 1950s and '60s, his vice presidency and presidency of the Progressive State Baptist Convention of California and Nevada headquartered in Los Angeles, or his first and second vice presidencies of the PNBC. less

Beth Elohim Hebrew Congregation is a Black Jewish congregation in New York City. It was founded in 1983 by Chief Rabbi Levi Ben Levy, Rabbi Sholomo Ben Levy, and the Levy family. Religious instruction is provided by a Sabbath School for Children and by Cushi Talmud Torah Hebrew School for Adults and Children. The synagogue is located in St. Albans, Queens in New York City. The Beth Elohim Hebrew Congregation records include: the certificate of incorporation; minutes of executive board meetings (1987-1993); correspondence with members, other congregations, and U.S. officials regarding involvement in the Gulf War of 1990-1991; and a file on the synagogue's Talmud Torah Hebrew School. There are files pertaining to the Ethiopian Hebrew organization known as the International Israelite Board of Rabbis, and copies of their newsletter, "Ha-Kol" (1989-1995), as well as the 1989 yearbook of the Israelite Rabbinical Academy, also based at the synagogue. News clippings about this congregation and other Ethiopian Hebrew congregations are included in the collection (1973-1993). less

The DuPree African-American Pentecostal and Holiness Collection was compiled by Sherry Sherrod DuPree during research for her "Biographical Dictionary of African-American Holiness Pentecostals" (Washington, D.C.: Middle Atlantic Regional Press, 1989). Mrs. DuPree is a research librarian at Santa Fe Community College, Gainesville, Florida, a member of the Church of God in Christ, and the author of "Exposed!!! Federal Bureau of Investigation Unclassified Reports on Churches and Church Leaders" and "African-American Good News (Gospel) Music" (both Washington, D.C.: Middle Atlantic Regional Press, 1993). The DuPree African-American Pentecostal and Holiness Collection consists of original and secondary material documenting the history, beliefs, and activities of hundreds of Pentecostal and Holiness denominations, congregations, and individuals. The collection is arranged in four series: Denomination and Congregations, Individual Clergy and Evangelists, Subject Files, and Non-Pentecostal Material, and consists of news clippings, newsletters, journals, yearbooks, sermons, bulletins, brochures, programs, articles, theses, book excerpts, and other printed material. There is virtually no correspondence. less

"Negro Week" was a program on the contributions of blacks to American culture held at the New York World's Fair in July 1940, and consisted of festivals, exhibitions, song and dance recitals, choral and symphonic music, concerts, religious services, guest speakers, and a children's program. Correspondence, press releases, speeches, exhibition material, pass and address lists, and financial records, relating to the planning and presentation of "Negro Week" at the New York World's Fair, 1940. Correspondents include Geraldyn Dismond (later Geraldyn Hodges Major) and T. Arnold Hill, both officials of the program. Also speeches by W.E.B. DuBois and L. D. Reddick relating to various aspects of black contributions to American culture. less

The Alexander and Shirlene Stewart Pentecostal collection provides information on four African-American Pentecostal denominations: Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, founded by Robert C. Lawson in 1919 in Harlem; Bible Way Church World Wide, founded by Smallwood Williams in 1927 as a Washington, D.C. congregation of Lawson's Church and incorporated as a denomination in 1957; Church of The Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, founded by Sherrod C. Johnson in 1933 after a split with Lawson; and United Pentecostal Council of the Assemblies of God, founded in 1919 to assist missions. The collection contains miscellaneous programs, news clippings, correpondence, sermons, articles, journals, and other printed material, as well as a scholarly paper on missions by Alexander Stewart and response by Kenneth Gill. less

The collection consists of personal papers, material related to the Community Church of Harlem, and to the Jamaica Progressive League. Personal papers including certificates, sheet music with lyrics and melodies written by Brown, and an obituary and biography, 1914-1956; incoming letters showing Brown's numerous appeals for funds for his church, and other matters relating to his ministry, 1930s-1960s; Harlem Unitarian Church records consisting of by-laws, correspondence, marriage records, order of service records, prayer books, 1934-1955; and sermons, 1932-1955. Also, material related to the Jamaica Progressive League, a group that worked for the independence of Jamaica. less

The George Freeman Bragg Manuscripts consist primarily of biographical essays about three prominent nineteenth century African Americans in addition to two lists, the first providing names of famous African American women and the second, a list of people to be confirmed, presumably at St. James Episcopal Church. The biographical essays discuss such key figures as Daniel A. Payne, Blanche Kelso Bruce and John Mercer Langston. Other typescripts pertain to the history of African Americans in the Episcopal Church and the union of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Church. less