Djire I

The Civil Rights Movement: The Role of the Black Church in the Civil Rights Movement

Ali B. Djire GSTR 210, Section U Professor Meta-Mendel Reyes March 26, 2012

Djire 2

The Role of Black Church in the Civil Rights Movement Though exogenous to Black culture, oppressed black people of the United States embraced Christianity as their own, which in turn, through church contributed to free them from all tyrannies. Indeed, from slavery to the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Church presented itself as an essential assetfor oppressedblacks to achieve their freedom. In this instance and the following circumstances, one must understand the term Black Church as the congregation of all black Christian churches independently of their denomination (Calhoun-Brown 169). In fact, the Black Church played a crucial role in the deterioration of the segregationist system in vigor at the time. Deprived from fully enjoying their citizenship and considered as inferior beings, the Civil Rights Movement shocked the South, and gave black people new perspectives that many would have never thought possible. However, if this change was achieved, one must stressthe fact that it is with no doubt partly because of the role played by the Black Church. The success of the Civil Right Movement lies upon the historical inuence of the black church and its ability to organize people. The Black Church also triggered the successof the movement by inspiring the movements leaders, providing nancial support for activities and emotional guidance to

protesters. The ability of the Black Church to inuence the success of the Civil Right Movement lies
on the authoritative gure that church acquired during slavery era. Before looking at ways the Black Church inuenced
African Americans

the Civil Right Movement, one must rst analyze and understand
with church at the time of their enslavement. In order to achieve

interaction

this, it is imperative to take a retrospective look at the history of slavery in America. Deprived from their dignity, blacks were forced into working for their white masters who had the privilege to decide their fate. Underling the fact that slaves were not Christians, slaves owners grabbed the opportunity to introducing blacks to Christianity (Marsh). Over years, this new religion became

Djire 3

part of slaves life and a refuge to their struggles. The birth of the black church in 1777 came as a turning point for slaves in the sensethat it provided blacks with emotional strength to endure the challenges of the system (African American Review). In fact, church was a place where slaves could congregate and share their fear and pain with their fellow slaves. In addition, as the name states,the black church was purely constituted of a black community, which gave the impression that church was a safe and oppression free place. As slaves shared their challenges, church leaders became aware of their members struggles and advocated with white masters for a more dignified treatment of slaves, which improved over time (Townsend 106). Considering this, blacks started seeing church as an authoritative figure representing their voice. Following this further, messagesthat slaves heard at church services strengthened their religious beliefs and attachment to the church. Learning about Gods people in the Bible, slaves identified themselves with the Israelites who were caught in captivity in Egypt for centuries (Marsh). The very fact that they were also slaves created an intimate attachment to the Bible and its messages(Townsend 112). Following up on the story, the Israelites were saved from their captivity, and relating the experience to blacks, it was shown that this story constituted a source of profound hope that many slaves internalized. In order to support emotionally oppressedblack people, churches repeatedly preached black peoples liberation and encouraged them to believe in their liberation (Marsh). As this happened, the authoritative figure attributed to the black
church was reinforced and church was view at the liberationist institution.

Additionally, churchs involvement in other aspectsof black peoples lives contributed to providing church with the power it had to inuence the Civil Right Movement. In its early days, the church dedicated itself to educate black people and their descendents(Marsh). Slaves were taught to read and write at church and the Bible was their primary reading tool. Similarly, the church also provided blacks with medical assistance. All those factors combined gave and

Djire 4

reinforced the perception of the church as an authority, which was passed down to generations and gave the church an unprecedented privilege to talk and convince black people. This interaction between black people and the Black Church is what will facilitate churchs

contribution in the Civil Right Movement. The Black Church enhancedthe successof the Civil Right Movement through its ability to organized people at the grass root level. As mentioned earlier, blacks developed in the past an intimate relationship with the church and therefore were most susceptible to take action when church requests a call for action. This is, in fact, one way that the church was used to trigger the success of the movement. While the movement required a full participation of the black community in order to be effective, churches provided their confines for meetings venues so that many people could be touched at once. Considering the absenceof any other secure place where leaders of the movement could communicate their ideas to the black community, and bearing the mind the challenges of talking to each individual black family, churches were the right and most convenient place to holding meetings. Since many blacks had the tradition of going to church,
the black church collaborated with leaders of the movement and offered their confines as an

organizational strategy to manage protesters (African American Review). For instance when Martin Luther King Jr. was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MLA), he delivered his first speech at the First Baptist Church where more than two thousand blacks were present (Boycott). At that meeting, people unanimously decided to keep the bus boycott initiated, by Jo Ann Robinson, going for few more days and decided to spread the word to others (Boycott). However, if the bus boycott became successful, one must stress the fact it was with no doubt because of the collaboration initiated by the black community, which was facilitated through the Black Church.

Djire 5

Coupled with the organizational contribution of the Black Church to the movement, one must mention some key strategies employed by the church to support the movement. First, it is important to point out the fact that most of the Civil Rights Movement leaders, namely Martin King, Fred Shuttlesworth, Bernard Lee etc. were also church leaders; therefore, they strategically interlinked the two in order to maximize peoples involvement in the movement. For instance, some information about the movement was given during Sunday services and church took advantage of people to organize movement meetings right after Sundays services so that many people could be present. Another area where the Black Church organizational contribution was noticed was through its work with student committees. In fact, the Black Church gave students a platform to organize themselves into committees and plan their ground of action. First, church was not only a secure place for them to plan their fight, but also an educationist institution where they received training on the strategy of non-violence (Calhoun-Brown, 170). For instance, the church actively worked with the Student Non-violence Coordinating Committee (SNACC) and the Nashville Christian Leadership Council (NCCLC) in the organization of the sit-ins in Nashville, TN. Furthermore, John Lewis emphasizesthe organizational contribution of the Black Church in the following words: "The First Baptist Church . . . became a rallying point, it became the meeting place, it became the place where students, young people, community leaders, could come and discuss, debate and argue about what the city should become"(Morris, 356). Looking at the argument mentioned above, it appears undeniable that the black church organizational contribution deeply inuenced the successof the Civil Right Movement. The support and inspiration provided by the Black Church to the movement leaders, reinforced the leadership and catalyzed massive involvement, enabling the success of the movement. While the purpose of the Civil Right Movement was to change the status quo of a

Djire 6

system in place for centuries, it faced numerous challenges that put leaders of this movement at stake. Leaders of the movement experienced conict with their family, with local government and their followers. The pressure initiated by this conict challenged at a point the movement leadership, but the support of the church enabled them to recharge themselves with inspiration in order to continue the fight and lead the people. For instance, the threats made to King followed by the bombing of his house gave him enough reasons to retaliate or quit. However, the First Baptist Churchs support in helping him rebuild is house, which motivated and inspired him to be more eloquent in his speech so that he could attract more people to become involved in the movement (ErunOl). In addition, this incidence made other leaders of the Montgomery Improvement Association wanting to retaliate to the bombing through violent acts, which brought in the movement leadership some disagreement (King 1960). Recovered from the bombing incidence and inspired by the biblical message of God being revengeful for His children, King preached non-violence to the movement leaders so that they could be reminded of the principles of the movement (King 1960). As it turned, they all decided to keep the movement

non-violent. Correspondingly, the Church support to James Lawson helped toward the formation of
students in the concept of non-violence and enhanced the success of students sit-ins in Nashville. Invited by King to join the movement, Lawson came down to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt Law School and teach students about non-violence (Blackman). Though he was a brilliant student, his involvement in the movement causedhis expulsion from the school. As this would have affected his career and his future, causing him to revise his dedication to the movement, the First Baptist Church provided him support that enabled him to continue his active and crucial involvement in the movement. Aware of his situation, the First Baptist Church provided Lawson with financial means and approved his idea of having workshops and non-

Djire 7

violence training sessions. This support from the church lled Lawson with inspiration to the point that he went across schools in Nashville picking up more and more black students so that they could be trained on the concept (Blackman). As the church provided its conne as a support to the movement, Lawson spent a lot of hours alone and with students planning steps and strategies of the sit-ins. For instance, the SNCC formed different sit-ins groups, where one group could take over another when the other was arrested, and within each team there were small groups and a leader (Blackman). Those details are in fact what contributed to the successof the sit-ins and was achieved through the support of the Black Church to the movement leaders. The most apparent contribution of the Black Church to the successof the movement is probably the economic support in all aspect of the movement. The financial support of the Black Church played an impactful role in the successof the movement in the very fact that it enhanced its sustainability. In all phases of the movement, the financial contribution of the Black Church helped the movement to keep up with the causes, which allowed the movement to win battle after battle. For instance, during the Montgomery bus boycott, the Black Churchs economic support made the challenge more or less easier to handle. In fact, when the leaders of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MLA) decided that the bus boycott would go on, they looked at ways they could make it sustainable and keep the people walking rather than taking the bus. The best alternative derived from this was asking people who had cars to use them as means of transportation for others. The church then took the responsibility to provide for all cost associatedto the idea (Taylor). This contribution prevented people who lived far away from their places of work to suffer from the boycott on a daily basis, helping the movement to survive for thirteen months. In addition to that, the support of churches contributed to turn things around. For instance, while the bus boycott was taking place in Montgomery, the First Baptist Church in Alabama supported the caused by contributing about five hundred dollars and shoes (Boycott).

Djire 8

Looking at those isolated instances, it is undeniable that the Black Churchs economic contribution enormously helped the movement. Along the same line, it is important to mention another area where the black church impacted the movement was its economic assistanceto the student sit-ins. While these sit-ins took months of preparation, they required strategic support among which money should be mentioned in order for it to be sustainable. During the preparation of the students sit-ins, the NCLC along with other leaders worked to organize the black community in a supportive way to the students (Calhoun-Brown, 170). The NAACP leaders organized meetings in churches to raise money and provide students with lawyers in casethey would be arrested (Calhoun-Brown, 170). Furthermore, the Black Church helped with internal funds to promote the economic boycott in Nashville, which was an important component of students demand of the desegregationof lunch counters. While the economic boycott showed the white community how serious the oppress black were feeling about their status, it catalyzed the desegregation of Nashville lunch counters, making the sit-ins a successful movement. Indeed, this would have never been the case without the Black Church economic support. The last area of the Black Churchs contribution lies within its emotional support to the people. The challenges encountered by its leaders and community generated strong emotional downward slopes in their lives, putting commitment to the movement at stake. The violence made to protesters along with the injustice experienced by the white community put many blacks down emotionally. For instance, on the second day of the student demonstration in Alabama, local police brought violence to a non-violent protest (VOA video). The police sprayed underage demonstrators with high-pressure firehoes and set attached dogs on them, many children were hurt and jailed (VOA video). Young children and parents victim of this event were emotionally challenged by those realities; but the Black Church through its active involvement encouraged

Djire 9

them to rededicate themselves to the movement. For example, during church services or movement meetings, preachers always revealed that Jesus and the church were aware of what they were all going through and exhorted them to keep up with the fight and struggle because their freedom was on its way (Moore). Those messagesalong with inspiration speech on the movement leaders keep the oppressed and tired black community dedicated to the movement despite what they were going through. Along the same line of thought, the portrait of the black church as an immediate support helped toward the peoples dedication to the movement, making it successful.As the movement reached its peak, events took places among which one cannot ignore to mention actions directly related to the white community reluctance to the unanticipated changes that they were experiencing. In responsesto the victories achieved by the black community because of their movement, the white community retaliated through violent means, in response to changes in their society. For instance, in 1963, some days after Kings famous speechin Washington, the Ku

Klux Klan bombedthe 16 streetBaptist Churchin Birmingham causingthe deathof 4 children

and 20 were injured (Simon). As if this was not enough, Edgar Hoover, the Director of the FBI, affirmed that activist of the movement bombed the church in order to gain public sympathy (Simon). This event generated a lot of frustration in the black community and made them want to retaliate in a violent manner; however, the intervention of the church leaders contributed to appeasepeople emotion and rededicated them to the strategy of non-violence. One of the main messagesused by the Black Church was that struggle precedes success.It exhorted people to keep their temper and let the Lord revenge them. In addition to that, churchs leaders offered to be directly accessible and helped family of injured and unable victims (Moore). Those actions appearedto protesters as a sign of love and unity, which pushed people to be more perseverant in

Djine 10

their protest knowing that the church might take care of the family in case they die during the

protests. Coupled with the points mentioned aboved, the emotional support of the church to the
movement was present in freedom and gospel songs. Like in any oppressedcommunity, religion and music play a crucial role in helping people overcome their daily challenges and struggles, and in this Civil Rights Movement, this was not any different. The musical aspect of religion designed powerful recipes through songs that helped heal peoples pain during the movement. Historically known for its importance in slaves life, one should mention that African Americans built intimate relationship with songs, in particular gospel or freedom songs. Looking at the historical impact of freedom songs in blacks life, it can be inferred that they found in songs a refuge and healing source to their sorrows (The Kwanzaa). Those impacts were manifested again in protesters life during the Civil Rights Movement. People used traditional gospel songs,

transformed them into freedom songs during the movement and the churches allowed their choir to perpetuate them. In any meeting concerning the movement, those songs were sung in order to keep people engaged to the cause. In fact, the songs filled people with courage, made them envision their freedom and reminded them of the causeof their fight (King). Martin Luther King Jr. assertedduring the Albany movement that: they (songs) give the people new courage and a sense of unity. I think they keep alive a faith, a radiant hope, in the future, particularly in our most trying hours (King). Aware of this reality, the church provided protesting groups a song leader that is responsible to lead people during some protest like the student protest in Alabama. As it came out, those combined strategies employed by the Black Church turned out to be effective and eventually contributed to the historical successof the Civil Rights Movement. Considering all things above mentioned, one could not fail to recognize the crucial role played by the black church in the success of the Civil Right Movement. Looking at ways this

Djire 1]

contribution was made possible, one can easily take a retrospective look at the history of African Americans to analyze the role that churches played in slaves life. It appearedthat the church was actively involved in helping slaves overcome the challenges of slavery and that experiencesbuilt the foundation of the trust relation between church and the black community in this country. Based on this relationship, the black church acquired an authoritative gure, which gave it the power to manage people during the movement. This organizational ability of the Black Church helped the movement take place in a coordinated manner. Using the messageof the Bible, and extending its social duties, the black church worked to provide leaders of the movement with support and inspiration, making it possible for them to lead people toward the achievement of their freedom. Along the same line, the Black Church provided the movement with financial means, contributing to make it sustainable. Because of the persistence of some protests facilitated by the sustainability of the movement, the black community won its freedom. This probably would not have been possible if the Black Church was not actively involved in this movement. Therefore, one can firmly assert that the Black Churchs contribution to the movement played a tremendous role in its success.

Djine 12

Works Cited

African American Review. "Religious Revivalism in the Civil Rights Movement." Rev. of African American Review.
Print.

Alabama City Remembered as Climactic Battle of Civil Rights Movement. Dir. VOA Video. Aug 24, 2011.
Videocassette.

Boycott. Dir. Clarck Johnson. Perf. Jeffrey Wright. HBO Film, 2001. Videocassette. Calhoun-Brown, Allison. "Upon This Rock: The Black Church, Nonviolence, and the Civil Rights Movement." PS: Political Science and Politics 33.2 (Jun 2000): 168-74. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. Erun0l. "Segregation at All Costs: Bull Connor and the Civil Rights Movement." YouTube.YouTube, 07 May 2009. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. "Interview with Carrie Gentry." Interview by Andrea Blackman. 2005. Print.

Djine 13

King, Martin L. "Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]." Letter to The Clergymen. 16 Apr. 1963. MS. Birmingham, Alabama. King, Martin L. "Why We Can It Wait (l964)." Why We Can TMtWhit (1964). 1964. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. Marsh, Terry. "The Role of the Black Church in the Civil Rights Movement." Weblog post. Helium. 19 Feb. 2008.
Web. 01 Mar. 2012.

Moore, Frederick A. "THE GROUND OF BEING: THE AFRICAN-Al\/IERICAN

CHURCH AND THE CIVIL

RIGHTS MOVEMENT." Thesis. Humboldt State University, May 2006. Print. Morris, Aldon D. The Origin of the Civil RightMovement. New York: Free, 1984. Print. Simon, Dennis M. "The Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1963." Aug. 2002. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. Taylor, Clarence. "African American Religious Leadership and the Civil Rights Movement." The Historian's Perspective Jun 2006 8 (2006). Web. 03 Mar. 2012. The Kwanzaa. "Freedom Songs and the Civil Rights Movement." Freedom Songs and the Civil Rights Movement. 25 Apr. 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. Townsend Gilkes, Cheryl. "Plenty Good Room: Adaptation in a Changing Black Church." JSTOR 558 (July 1998):
101-21. Web. 01 Mar. 2012.