Black Nationalism & Divine

Question 1

Bio Alexander Crummell

Answer 1

1. Episcopalian minister
2. studied in England, graduated from Queens College Cambridge (influenced belief in superiority of Western civilisation and culture, equated Western ways with progress and growth)
3. travelled to Liberia as missionary
4. founded ANA (Talented Tenth)

Question 2

Crummell, “The Destined Superiority of the Negro”

Answer 2

Investigates disciplinary and retributive economy in races and nations of God in order to illuminate destiny of blacks

1. Isiah: situation of Jews, discipline and trial corrected and purified them, God granted them double honour and reward
2. some God destroys
3. some God preserves and disciplines
4. applies logic to situation of AfAms, black race risen higher after successive bouts of destruction

Question 3

William Moses

Answer 3

1850-1920: ideology of Black Nationalism was conservative not radical

Question 4

Ethiopianism

Answer 4

1. Ethiopianist twist on white man’s doctrine of Providential Design
2. forced migration of blacks from Af carried out under providence of God
3. Afs trained, civilised, and enlightened
4. Af with glorious past and diaspora destined to help “redeem” it

Question 5

Bio of Garvey

Answer 5

1. 1914: founded UNIA in Jamaica
2. 1920: promoted plans to establish UNIA colony in Liberia
3. 1922: met with KKK leader Edward Young Clark
4. 1923: convicted of mail fraud
5. 1927: deported back to Jamaica

Question 6

Significance of UNIA

Answer 6

1. most formally structured Black Nationalist organisation in history
2. tremendous impact on subsequent Black Nationalist organisations and ideologies
3. promulgated all-embracing form of Black Nationalism

Question 7

“Marcus Garvey Tells His Own History”

Answer 7

1. early life: questioned where is the black man’s government
2. presents himself as globally famous, caused resentment of other black leaders (orchestrated his downfall)
3. desired restoration of Ethiopia’s ancient glory
4. emphasis on racial purity of both races, predicts race war

Question 8

When was MX’s break with NOI?

Answer 8

March 1964

Question 9

MX’s comments on assassination of JFK?

Answer 9

“chickens coming home to roost” (he had it coming)

Question 10

MX’s Autobiography

Answer 10

details journey from deeply flawed individual who grew from Detroit Red to Satan to Malcolm X and finally to el-hajj Malik el-Shabazz

Question 11

Elijah compares Malcolm to Job

Answer 11

(1) God permits Satan to test faith of Job (prosperous family man)
(2) After many years of suffering and turning to God for help, God returns Job’s family and removes his pain and suffering
(3) presented as righteous servant of Allah

Question 12

“The Hate that Produced Hate”

Answer 12

1. 1959
2. presented by Louis Lomax
3. many whites people unaware there existed radical alternative to CRM
4. catapulted MX to national attention

Question 13

MX after break with NOI and conversion/pilgrimage

Answer 13

1. secular OAAU to advance Black Nationalist aims
2. religious MMI to realise and develop conception of orthodox Sunni Islam
3. enabled him to forge political alliances while maintaining religious orthodoxy

Question 14

Albert Cleage on image of X

Answer 14

1. posthumous image of Malcolm X commodified and utilised by black artists and intellectuals
2. easy to forget that Islam was at centre of his spiritual-political journey

Question 15

Beliefs and practices of NOI

Answer 15

1. apolitical organisation: eschewed political involvement
2. emphasised rebuilding of black dignity and pride through bootstraps rather than ballots
3. religious doctrines claimed whites were “devils” created by renegade black scientist Yacub

Question 16

Albert Cleage

Answer 16

1. strong proponent of black theology
2. 1967: Black Christian National Movement, encouraged black churches to reinterpret teachings of Jesus in context of black struggle
3. 1968: “Black Messiah,” Jesus was a black revolutionary who sought to lead “Black Nation” to freedom

Question 17

Michah Kubic on Cone’s “Black Theology”

Answer 17

1. argues against conceptualisation of Black Theology as merely orthodox Black Nationalism coated in veneer of Christianity

Question 18

Cone and late 1960s debate

Answer 18

over validity and relevance of conceptualising Black Power as an expression of Christian Gospel

Question 19

James Cone and Malcolm X

Answer 19

1. X anticipated arguments of Cone
2. X: condemned slavishness of black Christians held captive by image of white Jesus that white people taught them to worship, a god that was against them
3. Cone: either Jesus was for blacks and against whites, or he was a murderer whom blacks must kill

Question 20

Origins of Cone’s Black Theology?

Answer 20

1. developed following his crisis of faith triggered following assassinations of both MLK and MX

Question 21

Cone’s Black Theology

Answer 21

1. pragmatic and organic response to black struggle against oppression
2. important ideological development of black politics and black religion
3. Black Power as an expression of the Christian Gospel, although emphasis diminished

Question 22

Bio Father Divine

Answer 22

1919: adopted name Major Divine
1932: arrested and imprisoned for disturbing the peace, judge who imprisoned Divine died shortly after sentencing, Divine attributed this to his control of supernatural forces
1932: left for Harlem, became one of the most flamboyant leaders of Depression Era

Question 23

New Thought

Answer 23

1. developed during 19th century
2. sickness originates in the mind, positive thinking, creative visualisation, infinite intelligence or God is everywhere

Question 24

Casmus and Abusurdism

Answer 24

individuals should embrace the Absurd condition of human existence while also defiantly continuing to explore and search for meaning

Question 25

Divine's Theology: New Thought with positive psychology

Answer 25

everyone had latent divinity within them, in order to access one's latent divinity one needed to believe

Question 26

Judith Weisenfeld

Answer 26

1. described new religious movements as "racio-religious" that attempted to reorient their sense of self through a sacralised history and geographical place 2. both Divine's Peace Mission and Elijah Muhammad's NOI located their identity in a novel account of creation, time and history

Question 27

double-consciousness and black religion

Answer 27

1. black church central to AfAm, thus black religion in US is akin to problem of double-consciousness 2. black church refuge for AfAm from hostile world, however also forced to reconcile benevolent God against suffering afflicted against AfAms carried out by other Christians

Question 28

double-consciousness and social gospel

Answer 28

1. AfAms simultaneously black and American 2. double-consciousness created an alternative to draining debate between nationalists and integrationists 3. individuals not required to take sides

Question 29

Du Bois, "Of Faith of Fathers" (1903)

Answer 29

1. southern Negro revival: emphasises N/S divide, critical of emotionalism 2. religion of slave: preacher, music, frenzy 3. theology of South half century behind that of North 4. double-consciousness of AfAms 5. southern blacks: hypocritical compromise 6. northern blacks: radicalism

Question 30

Du Bois, "A Litany of Atalanta

Answer 30

1. heart-felt manifestation of Du Bois' transition from social scientist to social activist 2. grappling with his faith

Question 31

Savage on Du Bois

Answer 31

1. warns against tendencies to reduce Du Bois and rich diversity of AfAm political ideas to oversimplified monolithic slogans 2. writings illustrate him grappling with place of religion for AfAms, both in terms of black religious connections to Africa and African religious beliefs, and in more practical terms focussing on place of Black Church in AfAm struggle