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NYC: The Church's Role in Freedom

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First Free Congregational Church

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Bridge Street African Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church 

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Concord Baptist Church of Christ

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 Berean Baptist Church

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The Siloam Presbyterian Church

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Antioch Baptist Church

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African Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church Standing

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African Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church Book

Churches were a significant during two different time periods. First, they were significant because they were a way for African Americans to come together in a collective space prior to the Emancipation Proclamation. During this time, they also served as stops on the Underground Railroad, as spaces of safety throughout this time. Then, they became significant as they were a space for freed African Americans to create a community for themselves.

As its role as part of the Underground Railroad, the Church was responsible as providing spirtual and moral support to those that crossed from the Church. It was a symbolic representation of the journey that slaves had to endure to reach a point of freedom. 

After the Civil War churches helped establish educational, religious, and reformative initiatives for newly freed African Americans. Many churches became hubs for learning and education, providing religious as well as professional training. These efforts were particularly important during this time as segregation laws, unfair treatment, and discriminatory polices were put into place. The churches served as centers for empowerment, facilitating the transition to freedom.

During the Civil Rights Movement, leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. often used churches as meeting places and bases of operations for organizing protests and advocating for equitable policy. The churches were known to have a spirtual authority that allowed for nonviolent protests and advocacy to emerge as vital strategies in the movement.

Today, the Churches are significant in regards to culture and identity of the African American community, allowing for artistic expression, community building, and support. Even today, African American churches continue to advocate for social justice, economic equality, and eliminating systemic discrimination.

An Analysis: 

Multiple Churches started to establish themselves in New York City and in the North for many reasons. This shows that the community of African American as well as the spirit of activism was also starting to grow. In a space where marginalized communities did not have a voice, the Churches were a space for communal understanding and locations where advocacy planning could take place. As churches began popping up throughout the United States, it can be observed that there was a simultaenous increase in the number of movements, protests, and effective legislature passed that advocated for these communities. In this sense, the Church was more than a place of worship and it expanded its role to one of activism and social facilitation. The Bridge Street Church is one of many of these churches and needs to be recognized as a community center where education and cultured thrived as well as religion. In other words, the Bridge Street Church was not alone and had many other counterparts to help facilitate the movement towards equity and justice

NYC: The Church's Role in Freedom