1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910154313603321

Autore

Pimblott Kerry

Titolo

Faith in Black Power [[electronic resource] ] : Religion, Race, and Resistance in Cairo, Illinois / / Kerry Pimblott

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Lexington, Kentucky : , : University Press of Kentucky, , 2017

©2017

ISBN

0-8131-6901-1

0-8131-6890-2

0-8131-6891-0

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (335 pages) : illustrations, tables

Collana

Civil rights and the struggle for black equality in the twentieth century

Disciplina

323.1196073/999

Soggetti

Race relations - Religious aspects - Christianity

Civil rights - Religious aspects - Christianity

African American churches - History

Black power

African Americans - Illinois - Cairo - History

Civil rights movements - Illinois - Cairo

Electronic books.

Cairo (Ill.) History 20th century

Cairo (Ill.) Race relations

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Previously issued in print: 2016.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

On Jordan's banks: the origins of community, faith, and struggle in Cairo -- Redemptive love, vigilante terror, and rebellion: cairo in the civil rights cauldron -- From the seminary to the streets: grassroots black theology and the forging of a united front -- Straight from the offering plate: church resources and the new black power coalition -- The recession of national spirit: the decline of the Cairo black power movement -- Conclusion.

Sommario/riassunto

"In 1969, nineteen-year-old Robert Hunt was found dead in the Cairo, Illinois, police station. The white authorities ruled the death a suicide, but many members of the African American community believed that Hunt had been murdered--a sentiment that sparked rebellions and



protests across the city. Cairo suddenly emerged as an important battleground for black survival in America and became a focus for many civil rights groups, including the NAACP. The United Front, a black power organization founded and led by Reverend Charles Koen, also mobilized--thanks in large part to the support of local Christian congregations. In this vital reassessment of the impact of religion on the black power movement, Kerry Pimblott presents a nuanced discussion of the ways in which black churches supported and shaped the United Front. She deftly challenges conventional narratives of the de-Christianization of the movement, revealing that Cairoites embraced both old-time religion and revolutionary thought. Not only did the faithful fund the mass direct-action strategies of the United Front, but activists also engaged the literature on black theology, invited theologians to speak at their rallies, and sent potential leaders to train at seminaries. Pimblott also investigates the impact of female leaders on the organization and their influence on young activists, offering new perspectives on the hypermasculine image of black power. Based on extensive primary research, this groundbreaking book contributes to and complicates the history of the black freedom struggle in America. It not only adds a new element to the study of African American religion but also illuminates the relationship between black churches and black politics during this tumultuous era."--Provided by publisher.