AFRICAN AMERICAN RELIGIOUS

EXPERIENCE IN AMERICA
PROFESSOR EDITH M.SPEAKS
African Americans or Black
Americans are citizens or residents
of the United States who have
origins in any of the black
populations of Africa.

In the United
States, the term is generally used for
Americans with at least partial Sub-
Saharan African ancestry. Most
African Americans are the direct
descendants of captive Africans who
survived the slavery era within the
boundaries of the present United
States, although some are or are
descended from voluntary
immigrants from African,
Caribbean, Central American or
South American nations.

African
Americans make up the single
largest racial minority in the United
States and form the second largest
racial group after whites in the
United States.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE
AFRICAN RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE
THE GREAT AWAKENING
The Great Awakenings were
several periods of rapid and
dramatic religious revival in
Anglo-American religious history,
generally recognized as beginning
in the 1730s. They have also been
described as periodic revolutions
in U.S. religious thought. The
term is also used in some
respects to refer to American
religious revivalism that the
Protestant Reformation inspired
during and after the 1500s, as
well as to identify general
religious trends within distinctly
U.S. religious culture.

FIRST GREAT AWAKENING
The Great Awakening was a period of
heightened religious activity, primarily in the
United Kingdom and its North American colonies
in the 1730s and 1740s.The First Great
Awakening led to changes in colonial society. In
New England, the Great Awakening was
influential among many Congregationalists. In
the Middle and Southern colonies, especially in
the "Backcountry" regions, the Awakening was
influential among Presbyterians. In the southern
Tidewater and Low Country, northern Baptist
and Methodist preachers converted both whites
and blacks, enslaved and free. The Baptists
especially welcomed blacks into active roles in
congregations, including as preachers. Before the
American Revolution, the first black Baptist
churches were founded in the South in Virginia,
South Carolina and Georgia; in Petersburg,
Virginia, two black Baptist churches were
founded before any white one.

CHARLES COLCOCK JONES
Charles Colcock Jones, Sr. (December 20,
1804 March 16, 1863) was a Presbyterian
clergyman, educator, missionary, and
planter of Liberty County, Georgia. The son
of a merchant and planter with deep roots
in coastal Georgia, Charles Colcock Jones,
Sr. was born at Liberty Hall, his father's
plantation in Liberty County. He made a
profession of faith when he was seventeen
and was then prepared for the Presbyterian
ministry at Phillips Academy (1825-27),
Andover Theological Seminary (1827-29),
and Princeton Theological Seminary (1829-
30). In 1846, Jones received an honorary
doctor of divinity degree from Jefferson
College, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. While
in the North, Jones agonized over the
morality of owning slaves, but he returned
to Liberty County to become a planter, a
missionary to slaves, and a somewhat
reluctant defender of the institution of
slavery.
RICHARD ALLEN
Richard Allen (February 14, 1760 -
March 26, 1831) was a minister,
educator, writer, and the founder of
the African Methodist Episcopal
(AME) denomination in 1816 in the
United States, after founding its first
church in 1794 in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. He was elected the
first bishop of the AME Church. Allen
had started as a Methodist preacher
but wanted to establish a black
congregation independent of white
control. The AME church is the oldest
denomination among independent
African-American churches.
MOTHER BETHEL A.M.E. CHURCH
Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church
In 1816, Richard Allen of Philadelphia
convened a conference of Black Methodist
Episcopal churches and asked them to
band together. They did, declaring their
right to exist as an independent
denomination, and a unified church was
born : the Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church.
Some current members of that church are
descended from escaped slaves who had
been helped by members of Mother
Bethel's original congregation. The present
church, located at 419 Richard Allen
Avenue (Lombard Street between Fifth and
Sixth Streets), houses an interesting
Museum.
AFRICAN AMERCAN PENTECOSTALISM
Charles Harrison Mason
(1886-1961) founded
the Church of God in
Christ along with
Holiness pastor and
songwriter Charles Price
Jones. Following a visit
to Los Angeles' Azusa
Street Revival in 1906,
he brought the Holiness
denomination into the
Pentecostal revival.
GULLAH OF SOUTH CAROLINA
MAINTANED THEIR RELIGIOUS PRACTICES
The Gullah are African Americans who
live in the Low Country region of South
Carolina and Georgia, which includes
both the coastal plain and the Sea
Islands. The Gullah are known for
preserving more of their African
linguistic and cultural heritage than any
other African American community in
the United States. They speak an
English-based Creole language
containing many African loanwords and
significant influences from African
languages in grammar and sentence
structure. The Gullah language is related
to Jamaican Creole, Bahamian Dialect
and the Krio language of Sierra Leone in
West Africa.
AFRICAN CULTURES IN NORTH AMERICA
YORUBA, DAHOMEY, ZULU, NUBIANS, KAMBA, SUDANESE, BUSHMEN
KENYA, ETHIOPIA, SUDAN, SOUTH AFRICA,NAMIBIA, ETC.
VOODOO
Haitian Vodou or Vaudou (pronounced [vodu],
Anglicised as Voodoo) is a religion originating
from the Caribbean country of Haiti, located on
the island of Hispaola. It is based upon a
merging of the beliefs and practices of West
African peoples, (mainly the Fon and Ewe; see
West African Vodun),mixed with Roman
Catholic Christianity, which was brought about
as African slaves were brought to Haiti in the
16th century and forced to convert to the
religion of their owners, whilst they largely still
followed their traditional African beliefs.
characteristics of Vodou include ancestor
worship and protection against evil witchcraft.
Haitian Vodou shares many similarities with
other faiths of the African diaspora, such as
Louisiana Voodoo of New Orleans, Santera and
Arar of Cuba, and Candombl and Umbanda of
Brazil.The Voodoo temple is called a Hounfour.
LOUISIANA VOODOO
Louisiana Voodoo, also known as New Orleans
Voodoo, originated from the traditions of the African
diaspora. It is a cultural form of the Voodoo religions
which historically developed within the French,
Spanish, and Creole speaking African-American
population of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is one of
many incarnations of African-based religions rooted in
the West African Dahomean Vodou tradition and the
Central African traditions. They became syncretized
with the Catholic religion and Francophone culture of
South Louisiana as a result of the slave trade.
Louisiana Voodoo is often confused with but is not
completely separable from Haitian Vodou and
southeastern U.S. hoodoo. It differs from Haitian
Vodou in its emphasis upon Gris-gris, voodoo queens,
and Li Grand Zombi. This emphasis has marked the
culture of Afro Diaspora, francophone Louisiana
within the Western media. It was through Louisiana
Voodoo that such terms as gris-gris (a Wolof term)
and voodoo was introduced into the American
lexicon.
HOODOO
Hoodoo is a form of predominantly African-
American traditional Folk Magic. Also known as
Conjure, it is a tradition of magical practice that
developed from the Syncretism of a number of
separate cultures and magical traditions.
Hoodoo incorporates practices from African and
Native American traditions, as well as some
European magical practices and Grimoires. While
folk practices like Hoodoo are trans-cultural
phenomena, what is particularly innovative in this
tradition is the "remarkably efficacious use of
Biblical figures" in its practices and in the lives of
its practitioners.
The word Hoodoo first was documented in
American English in 1875 and was listed as a noun
or a transitive verb.

It is often used to describe a
magic spell or potion, but it may also be used as an
adjective for a practitioner. Regional synonyms for
Hoodoo include conjuration, conjure, witchcraft,
or rootwork.
ISLAM AND THE MUSLIM PRINCE
Ayuba Suleiman Diall
(17011773), also known as Job
ben Solomon, was a famous
Muslim slave who was a victim of
the Atlantic slave trade. Born in
Bondu, Senegal West Africa,
Ayuba's memoirs were published
as one of the earliest slave
narratives, that is, a first-person
account of the slave trade, in
Thomas Bluett's Some Memories
of the Life of Job, the Son of the
Solomon High Priest of Boonda in
Africa; Who was a Slave about two
Years in Maryland; and afterwards
being brought to England, was set
free, and sent to his native Land in
the Year 1734
Bilali Muhammad Document
Bilali Mohammed was a slave from Sapelo
Island, Georgia. Born in Timbo, Guinea around
1770, he was enslaved as a teenager and was
held as a slave for ten years in the Middle
Caicos plantation of Dr. Bell, a Loyalist refugee
from the Revolutionary War, before he arrived
in Georgia in 1802. Upon Bilali's death in
1857, it was discovered that he had kept a
thirteen-page Arabic document. At first, this
was thought to have been his diary, but closer
inspection revealed that the manuscript was a
transcription of a Muslim legal treatise and
part of West Africa's Muslim curriculum. The
Bilali Muhammad Document is also known as
the Ben Ali Diary or Ben Ali Journal. On close
analysis, the text proves to be a brief
statement of Islamic beliefs and the rules for
ablution, morning prayer, and the calls to
prayer. It could, justifiably, be called the
"Mother Text" of American Islamic Literature.
NOBLE ALI DREW (TIMOTHY DREW)
Noble Drew Ali religious sect founded by
Timothy Drew in Newark, N.J., in 1913. He
was believed by his followers to have been
ordained Prophet Noble Drew Ali by Allh. A
Holy Koran, the sacred text, was created out
of his study of Oriental philosophy. The
prophets central teaching was that all blacks
were of Moorish, and thus Muslim, origins. He
advocated a return to Islm as the only
means of redemption from racial oppression.
Rigorous obedience to all laws was required,
and certain foods were forbidden. Many of
the sects formal practices were derived from
Muslim observance, and, in fact, the group
was a forerunner of the Black Muslim
movement. Drew died mysteriously during a
period of internal strife, and the cult lost its
impetus.

NATION OF ISLAM
A religious group founded in Detroit,
Michigan, United States by Wallace
Fard Muhammad in July 1930 with the
self-proclaimed goal of resurrecting
the spiritual, mental, social, and
economic condition of the black men
and women of America. NOI also
promotes the belief that God will
bring about a universal government of
peace. From 1978 to the present,
Louis Farrakhan has been the leader
of a reconstituted Nation of Islam, the
original organization having been
renamed and dissolved by Warith
Deen Muhammad. The Nation of
Islam's National Center and
headquarters is located in Chicago,
Illinois and is also home to its flagship
Mosque No. 2 Mosque Maryam.
SUNNI MUSLIMS
Sunni, or Sunnite, refers to those
Muslims in the majority sect of Islam.
Sunnism and Shi'ism split on the
question of succession and the
appropriate method of choosing a leader.
The Sunni accepted the legitimacy of the
first four Caliphs (successors to the
Prophet). They would then accept as
leader anyone from Muhammad's tribe,
according to the consensus of the Umma
or by the ahl as-shura as representatives
of the Umma. Later, in effect, whoever
became the leader by whatever route was
acceptable to the Sunni. In the Shi'i
tradition, Ali was seen as the successor
to Muhammad. The core beliefs of
Muslims are based on the Qur'an and
sunna of the Prophet Muhammad and
centrally concern God, Muhammad, and
the Umma.
MARCUS GARVEY
Marcus Garvey became one of the most influential
black leaders of the early 20th century. Born and
raised in Jamaica, Garvey travelled in Central and
South America, then moved to England to continue
his education. In 1914 he started the Universal
Negro Improvement Association and began speaking
out publicly in favor of worldwide black unity and an
end to colonialism. He moved to the United States in
1916 and helped start a steamship company, the
Black Star Line. It was both a business venture and a
part of his Back to Africa" plan for Americans of
African descent -- the notion that African-Americans
should return to Africa and set up their own new
country there. Garvey was always a controversial
figure: he favored fiery rhetoric and elaborate
uniforms, and was considered a dangerous character
by some established politicians. Garvey was jailed in
1925 after being convicted of mail fraud (related to
the sale of stock in the Black Star line), but his
sentence was reduced and he was deported to
Jamaica two years later. Garvey eventually moved
back to London, England, where he died in 1940. His
body was returned to Jamaica in 1964.
BLACK SPIRITUAL MOVEMENT
FATHER DIVINE: George Baker (1880
September 10, 1965), also known as
Father Divine, was an African
American spiritual leader from about
1907 until his death. His full self-given
name was Reverend Major Jealous
Divine, and he was also known as "the
Messenger" and George Baker early in
his life. He founded the International
Peace Mission movement, formulated
its doctrine, and oversaw its growth
from a small and predominantly black
congregation into a multiracial and
international church. Controversially,
Father Divine claimed to be God. Some
contemporary critics also claimed he
was a charlatan, and some suppose
him to be one of the first modern cult
leaders. However, Father Divine made
numerous contributions toward his
followers' economic independence
and racial equality.

SWEET DADDY GRACE
Bishop C.M. Grace (Sweet Daddy Grace)
Bishop C.M. Grace, known to his followers as Sweet Daddy
Grace, was born in Cape Verde Islands,Portugal in 1884. He came
to America in 1903, and settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
He was the founder, builder and organizer of the United House
Of Prayer For All People. To his followers he was a spiritual
leader, counselor, and father and was affectionately called by
them, " Daddy." Later in 1919, he built the first House of Prayer
by hand in West Wareham, Massachusetts. He left us with his
words stating that another would be chosen from his regular
ministers, who would be the spiritual advisory and master of
this kingdom.
The flamboyant Bishop C.M. Grace, known as "Sweet Daddy
Grace," was an effective evangelist who preached revival in a
Pentecostal tradition that included brass "shout bands" and
public baptisms. But his first big success came five years later
when he opened a church in Charlotte. The United House of
Prayer for All People prided itself on an ecstatic worship style
that included speaking in tongues. Grace claimed great powers
and developed a line of products including "Daddy Grace"
coffee, tea, soaps, and hand creams reputed to have healing
properties. By the time of his death in 1960, the church he
founded had become a denomination and Grace himself a rich
man. Today, the denomination, with about 3.5 million members,
has headquarters in Washington, D.C.

YORUBA
One of the largest ethno-linguistic or ethnic groups in
West Africa. The Yoruba constitute around 30 million
individuals throughout West Africa and are found
predominantly in Nigeria with approximately 21 percent
of its total population . It is no accident that the Yoruba
cultural influence spread across the Atlantic to the
Americas. European slave hunters violently captured and
marched untold millions of Africans to their demise on
over crowded slave ships bound for the Americas. Slave
wars launched by the kingdom of Dahomey against some
of the Yoruba kingdoms, and slave wars between the
Yoruba's themselves made war casualty Africans
available for transportation to the Americas. Yoruba
slaves were sent to British, French, Spanish and
Portuguese colonies in the New World, and in a number
of these places Yourba traditions survived strongly. In
Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, and Trinidad, Yoruba religious rites,
beliefs, music and myths is evident even at this late day.
In Haiti the Yoruba's were generally called Anagos. Afro-
Haitian religious activities give Yoruba rites and beliefs
an honored place, and the pantheon includes numerous
deities of Yoruba origin. In Brazil, Yoruba religious
activities are called Anago or Shango, and in Cuba they
are designated Lucumi. Slavery in the United States was
quite different from other colonized regions. In the U.S.
chattel type slavery was the means where the language
and culture was whipped and beat out of the African
captives. In the U.S. throughout the Diaspora, the African
generally received the death penalty for practicing his or
her birthright. Today the religion has undergone a
phenomenal surge in popularity and interest. Santeria,
the adaptation of Yoruba and Ifa with Catholicism, came
to the states first with Puerto Ricans in the forties and
fifties and then with the flood of Cuban refugees in the
sixties. In all of these places mentioned above, the
pantheon of major Yoruba deities has survived virtually
intact, along with a complex of rites, beliefs, music,
dances and myths of Yoruba origin.