Civil strife5/7/2023 ![]() In common with many people across Philadelphia and across the U.S., congregants of Tindley Temple United Methodist Church suffered as a result of the economic depression of the 1930s. Historians have noted that Allen, Jones and other free Black people helped to restore the sense of human dignity to the city while urging white citizens to expand their notion of brotherly love to include black people. Meanwhile, churches remained open to maintain morale. Within four months, about 5,000 people died, approximately 10% of the population.Īllen asked Black residents in Philadelphia to set aside their resentments against white people to work as nurses, cart drivers, coffin makers and gravediggers for a decent wage. People abandoned sick family members, and hospitals were unprepared to meet the need. ![]() The Free African Society, in which the seeds of the church were sown, emphasized self-determination for free Black people by providing economic, cultural, social and spiritual guidance, as well as medical care.ĭuring the yellow fever outbreak of 1793, Allen and Jones responded to the request of Benjamin Rush, a well-known physician and lesser-known founding father, to help the sick.Īs the plague took more lives, about 20,000 people fled the city. ![]() Kean Collection/Getty ImagesĪllen, an entrepreneur, also co-founded the Free African Society, a mutual aid organization, with clergyman Absalom Jones in 1787. Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church was America’s first Black church. Richard Allen, a former slave, four years after he purchased his freedom for $2,000. Philadelphia’s Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is the mother church of the oldest Black denomination in the United States. This tradition of Philadelphia’s Black churches providing a role beyond the faith needs of congregants meant they were well placed to help out in times of crisis, be it health, social or economic. About 100 years later, the University of Pennsylvania’s Congregation Census study found that approximately 2.4% of the Black congregations in the city had established commercial ventures including thrift stores, grocery stores and restaurants. Du Bois’ research found that Philadelpia’s 55 Black congregations had amassed a total annual income of at least US$94,968 and property valued at approximately $908,729 – almost $29 million in today’s dollars. Du Bois was recording the impact that they had in the city. As far back as 1896, civil rights leader and sociologist W.E.B. A pillar of Philadelphiaīlack churches have long been an important pillar in Philadelphia’s African American community. In particular, the story of how three Black churches in Philadelphia endured events similar to those afflicting society today can give both solace and hope.
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