From slavery through the great protests called the Civil Rights struggle of the 1950s, ‘60s and parts of the ‘70s the center, heart, foundation of the Black community was the Black church. When the pastor spoke everyone listened, but even more importantly when community people wanted to have a meeting, regardless of how controversial they knew they could go to the church.
The church, unlike any other place in the community was free. The community owned the building; the preacher received his salary from the members so he was their servant. But somewhere, at some time all that stopped. When I really don’t know. But now many ministers work for someone else even though they take a small unlivable salary from the church, which makes his first loyalty to his full time employer.
Now if the community has a meeting it’s no longer in the church, especially if its controversial, it’s the YMCA, YWCA, Salvation Army, or some other place. Preachers such as Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Minister Louis Farrakhan, and Minister Malcolm X are no longer the leaders.
In the past even if the preacher wasn’t up front he gave his support through his church, through his sermons on Sunday, or through financial support. But somewhere all that got lost. Preachers, even though it wasn’t always popular, spoke out against wrong whether it was to the congregation or to the powers to be and didn’t care who heard it because they were preaching God’s word and only answered to the congregation and God. But somewhere that got lost.
But on Sunday Jan. 4 in Pittsburgh we saw just what power the Black church can have if it so desires. On the front page of the Courier was a picture with a massive number of people coming out in a peaceful demonstration, peaceful rally, and peaceful prayer vigil. Whatever you want to call it. They called it a Prayer and Justice Rally to bring attention to the Black on Black street violence, the Black males being killed by White police officers, as well as Domestic Violence.
The demonstration was to let White rogue cops know we are watching and will not tolerate the murder of our kids in the streets. It sent out a notice to the thugs and hoodlums in our community that we are watching and we are not going to tolerate it.
It says to that man or woman who is abusing his or her spouse or children that we are watching and we are not going to tolerate it.
It’s one thing for social groups and activists to lead protests and demand justice, but this demonstration unlike others had the all-powerful church behind it. There are 50 or more churches in the Hill District yet over the years it has led the city in crime until Homewood and the East End moved ahead of it.
It was so refreshing to see ministers like Rev. Victor Grigsby, Rev. Glenn Grayson and the young Rev. Brian Edmonds stepping out front in this fight.
Even through the ‘60s as great as the NAACP with Roy Wilkins, Urban League with Whitney Young and other groups were, it was Rev. King, Minister Malcolm X who stood out above the rest.
Now hopefully the ministers out East will look at this and follow suit. Mt. Ararat, Pentecostal Temple, Rodman Street Missionary Baptist Church are mega churches on the East End. Hopefully they will move to let the community know that they are willing and able to lead outside the walls of the church.
The vast majority of the Black people are hard working people who are sick and tired of all the mess going on in our communities. All the violence, making it unsafe for our children, sisters, brothers or grandparents to walk the streets, to go out to a party or other social event. It’s time for the preachers to take the lead in this fight against the devil. Yes, rogue policemen, thugs, hoodlums, wife beaters, child abusers are from the devil and the church must be out front fighting. No it’s not going to make you more popular but it, more than anything else, will clean up the filth on our streets and in our homes today.
The Hill District rally continues to keep Pittsburgh out front of the rest of the country in the fight to keep the focus on cleaning up the violence in our streets, homes and communities. Instead of blaming everyone else and only being concerned with police or Whites killing us, we are saying to all, let’s stop the killing. And through the church and prayer we are asking God to intervene.
After the East End churches, maybe the North Side, and all across Pittsburgh. Then just maybe Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, Detroit, St. Louis, Cleveland, Houston, Miami, Newark, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Memphis, Milwaukee, D.C., and all the other cities, large and small, where violence has engulfed our streets with our young men dying as though they were living in the Middle East.
So I say Kudos, Congratulations, Keep on Pushing, Great Job to the Hill District ministers who set their egos aside and made a huge statement to not only Pittsburgh but to the entire country, that only through prayer and then action by the masses will this mess be cleaned up.
Let’s not stop with the rallies. Let’s put together programs inside these churches that will address the problem. We have the buildings and the space.
(Ulish Carter is the managing editor of the New Pittsburgh Courier.)
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