by Dubian Ade
 |
| via emanuelamechurch.org |
Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1816 in the midst of protests. White Methodists in Charleston announced plans to build a shed directly on top of a black burial ground. In response over 4,000 blacks decided to part from the white Methodist church and to establish a religious institution of their own. Under the ministry of Rev. Morris Brown and Denmark Vesey, Mother Emanuel came to be the epicenter of black religious life in Charleston.
The church was a target for white citizens and city officials. City and state ordinances prohibited black worship after sunset without the presence of a majority white congregation. White terror consistently descended upon Mother Emanuel. Service was routinely interrupted and dispersed. Charleston authorities accused the ministry of teaching blacks reading and writing, which was against state policy. By 1818, whites had stormed the church and arrested 140 freed and enslaved blacks in violation of the state's anti-literacy policy. Ministers were fined and given lashes.
Denmark Vesey was an ex-slave who bought his freedom and became a prominent preacher and leader at Mother Emanuel. As the harassment continued, Vesey preached scripture from the Old Testament.
 |
| Portrait of Denmark Vesey, a Caribbean ex-slave who had been influenced by the Haitian Revolution. |
The insurrection was set for for June 17, 1822, exactly 193 years to the day of the Charleston massacre. Vesey's plan was foiled by Charleston authorities and Vesey was hanged along with 34 others. Rev. Morris Brown was ejected from Charleston and the church was burned to the ground. Emanuel AME continued still, even after the complete outlaw of black churches in 1834. Holding service in underground basements became tradition. After the Civil War, Mother Emanuel was formally reorganized and in 1891 her current location was erected.
The Church was a center for the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at its pulpit in 1962. Today, Mother Emanuel is the oldest historically black church in the South; one of the most historic monuments in Charleston and it is one of the oldest AME ministries ihean the country. Its historic and religious importance for black people in this country cannot be overstated.
Brief Histories, Dubian AdeTHE DECOLONIZER
September 2015
Read the full newsletter here »