Women in the Black Church - Research Paper Example

of the of the of the Women in the Black Church THESIS MENT: Many African American Women have experienced discrimination in their churches; they took action to overcome their oppression for public positions of power in their religions. INTRODUCTION The African Church has been a centre place in the African American Community for long. All the religious and political activities and justice seeking acts of the African Americans have been linked to their church. A trend that has been noticed in the black church is that of solely female gatherings and male dominance of priests. Despite all its excellence the black church has been controversial in terms of providing justice and equality to its women, then women who basically constitute leading force behind the main power and success of the Africans. In the African American Churches men often took over the leadership positions while women held themselves responsible for all the rest of the major roles. Name it and it was there. May it be the schooling arena or any other social or domestic service; women were always there to play their part. This was primarily in line with the spiritual inspiration that these women had associated with the contemporary churches. It was however strictly observed that women did not occupy any key positions in the preaching activities in the church itself. Every time the church would gather only women would be observed paying all head to the sermons being said out by a man. Leadership was one aspect that women were never allowed to come closer to. This male empowerment has existed for years in spite of the fact that it was seemingly impossible without the critical involvement of the black women. (Green, 2003) BACKGROUND From slavery to the Civil rights movement the African legacy has been full of endeavors. The Civil rights movement in the US has often been traced back to the Black Church. The way the blacks were being deprived of their right to live like the whites and the racial discrimination that they were facing was all thought of to have bought out into the streets after being bought up in the black church first. This racial discrimination was also accompanied by social injustice. The crowded basements and offices were often thought to be the main areas where all the plans for the resistances were being made. The core idea behind the civil rights movement drifted the African Black away from the Divine thought and gave importance to the substantiality of this life. Every next step and every protest of the movement was often preceded by a sermon, a prayer or a religious song. It was in the wake of such circumstances that the black women realized the rights that they were being deprived off within the church itself. HOW WOMEN ARE MARLIGANIZED IN THE BLACK CHURCH? Women were generally denied the right to lead or preach in the Black Church. It had been a certain custom that men commanded the black church pulpits. Thus they were the sole owners of all the power and politics related to their leading position. As a result of the denial of any chance to lead or preach the African women had found themselves other ways to settle their emotional and spiritual attachment with the much acclaimed and respected Church. These women mostly belonged to the middle class and spiritualized religion as an integral part of their lives. The way out these women had, was to organize social gatherings, social services, missionary services, knowledge imparting groups and various associations. This sidelining of women triggered the unrest and anguish within them resulting in the occurrence of their fighting for their social reform. Women stood against the marginalization they were facing and gathered themselves up to demand a social reform that stood up against the behavior of the black priests who only knew how to lead and never lent an eye on their social and cultural responsibilities. During their protests these agitated women wrote for periodicals that were connected to the Black Church and more specifically were religious in nature. In their writings, these women supported the idea of respect for the society and specifically for women. Moreover, they promoted the basic idea of womanhood. Many of them could gather their guts to raise their voice against the unjust behavior that they faced, the way the black women were being killed, made prone to socially unjust behavior and violence. The extent of unrest among these socially suppressed women could be judged by the statement made by Nannie Burroughs. The lady served at the Women’s Convention of the Baptist Convention, U.S.A. as an influential corresponding secretary of the conference. Her statement quoted below was delivered by her in 1920 when she targeted the Black Ministers by saying: “We might as well be frank and face the truth. While we have hundreds of superior men in the pulpits, North and South, East and West, the majority of our religious leaders have preached too much Heaven and too little practical Christian living. In many, the spirit of greed, like the horse-leach, is ever crying, "Give me, give me, give me." Does the absorbing task of supplying their personal needs bind leaders to the moral, social and spiritual needs of our people?” (Burrougs, 1920). Nannie was an avid advocate of women being given a part in politics. She deemed it to be better than women were given a chance in the church politics rather than the execution of circumstances that would have led to protests being made in the church against the male dominated leadership. DRESS CODE FOR WOMEN BUT NOT FOR MEN “A pair of leg-long stockings, a beautifully adorned but simple black hat, a compulsorily knee long skirt and a pair of neatly polished shoes” this was the attire every Black woman was supposed to be strictly dressed in especially whenever they were to attend church. No similar dress code discrimination existed for their male counterparts. POWER/LEADERSHIP – EXCLUDED There was just no point about these women being part of the leadership regime that was strictly enjoyed by the male priests and preachers. EXCLUSION FROM SOME SEARCH ACTIVITIES AND KEPT SINGLE The black woman was so very much loyal to her spiritually connected church that she did not wan to get into any relationship that was devoid of its involvement. The normal black woman kept herself busy with all the social tasks that were related to the church. With the Church centered theology she wanted to get into a relationship with a man only if he was willing to accept her the way she was. Meaning to say that, he was ready to accept all her present church-related activities. Moreover, he would also be good with assisting her with those tasks. Deborrah Cooper, a leading columnist and relationship advisor quotes the state of Black women in the following words: "An examination of any congregation of the average Black church shows that single black females fill the pews," Cooper wrote. "Black women go to church week after week, hearing over and over again the message that they should be seeking a God-fearing man. Sisters in church are instructed by their pastor that there should be no room in their lives for a man without faith in the Lord." (Cooper, 2011) Adding to it she said that, "Many single women are in church for womens groups, Bible study twice a week, some special committee meetings, singles ministry, fellowshipping through the community and attending service all day on Sunday. When exactly is it that this single black woman would have time for a man in her life?" Cooper asked in her blog. "In reality, she doesnt." (Cooper, 2011) OVERCOMING OPPRESSION? WHAT DID WOMEN DO FOR IT? Women knew that if they did not stand up for themselves then they would never be able to attain their faith and their role in the racist society that they were living in. They shun the oppression that surrounded them and joined hands to stand up and fight back non-violently. ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS SOCIETY The Civil Rights Movement was the key issue that involved the stake of the entire African American population. Though none of the women could attain any leading positions but they definitely do all that they could in participating in the front. Fund raisings, structuring, composition and distribution of literature pertaining to the civil rights movement and collecting on one single front were just a few of the roles women played in the movement. Women arranged car pools and baked stuff that were sold to gather money for the transportation of the protestors. An example of their insistence upon justice of right can be judged by the fact that in the mid 1950s a black woman refused to leave her bus seat for a white man. This sparked a new surge of protests. Many black women who dominated the buses’ back seats boycotted them completely. Many African activist women rallied for this cause. (Associated Press, 2005) The wives of the men who had stood up for the cause of civil rights were all involved with their husbands in the same. They did not surrender to run back to their parents’ homes deciding against their husbands’ line of action but rather to go away and leave the front. Rev. King Solomon DuPont’s wife insisted tat she would stay by her husband all the time the fight was being fought. He denied her husband’s proposal of retiring away to her mother’s home and helped him stay back at home and fight. His entire home, in his words, was now a battle field. (Chappell, 2002) Women acted daringly not refraining from any kinds of physical participation when it came to participating for the civil rights cause. Upon an endeavor that a lady took to save the bleeding ankle of one of the protesting men and she accidentally hurt herself. In one of the writings quoting the incident she was mentioned as, “She stood up on her feet and Rev. Tucker pinned a white cross on the left side of her dress over her heart. She had been inducted into the non violent army.” (Chappell, 2002) WOMEN IN THE BLACK CHURCH TRIED TO BECOME MORE EQUAL TO MEN IN THE BLACK CHURCH Officially, none of the women were permitted to become preachers or pastors but unofficially they took over these responsibilities whenever and wherever they could. If, at any instance, any of the priests’ or preachers’ would get sick then their wives would silently take over their responsibilities and would silently preach a group of individuals. They would have all the confidence to lead meetings and guide those who needed the preaching. They would organize women’s’ meetings and also mad it a point that they would never omit prayers from their meetings. Thus, the influence of the church dominated all their proceedings and they felt of themselves as by no means lesser than the preaching men. The school organizations working under the church and also other youth, women and children organizations were all led by the women themselves. They exercised all their leadership potential within these organizations and prepared their upcoming next generation by inculcating the best leadership qualities they had embedded in themselves. The youth groups they led and organized often played integral parts in their respective schools, prayer groups, revival meetings and classes. Besides being a role model and leader for the young and the feminine cast women would not stay behind from going out for the poor and the needy. Much work was done by these women for the poor, the needy, the orphans and the oppressed. Missionaries were also not left behind. Playing a significant role, women promoted and assisted missionaries abroad by arranging financial support for them by fundraising and other hectic means. (Furseth, 2001) CONCLUSION The African American women connected to the Black women are strong women indeed who have made their place in the society by intense hard work and determination. Facing all odds that came in their way they fought with their male dominating counterparts to shun the marginalization that they were imposed with by the black church. Though they openly criticized the church for being inactive in the social paradigm however they did not wait for the church to get functional in this regard. Women would not stay back at any from that was available to them. From leading the ex-church preaching to the organizations of meetings, from the motivation gearing of youngsters to the bucking up and helping of the poor and the needy, you name it and they were there. This spirit of these hardworking women has bought them the name and position that they attain in the world today. In the present society Black women enjoy all the rights just as their male counterparts do without any discrimination of race, creed or gender. 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