The Origins of Black Humanism in America : Reverend Ethelred Brown and the Unitarian Church

By examining the minister who helped inspire the founding of the Harlem Unitarian Church Reverend Ethelred Brown, Floyd-Thomas offers a provocative examination of the religious and intellectual roots of Black humanist thought. "The Origins of Black Humanism in America is a provocative examination of the religious and intellectual roots of African American humanist thought and praxis that weaves together history, biography, literary criticism, cultural studies, political theory, and religious studies drawn from widely scattered sources across the African diaspora. Floyd-Thomas tells the remarkable story of Reverend E. Ethelred Brown - a Jamaican immigrant ordained as a Unitarian minister in the early twentieth century - who founded the Harlem Unitarian Church, the first fellowship established by Unitarians of African descent in North America. By linking Brown's pioneering efforts in the Unitarian Church to the many varied expressions of religious and secular humanism within the African American experience, Floyd-Thomas offers a groundbreaking narrative that brings to life the overlooked legacy of visionary Black men and women who have led prophetic struggles for social justice in a desperate era, ultimately transforming liberal faith, working-class radicalism, and cultural nationalism in order to redefine contemporary notions of race and religion for a new generation."--Jacket Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Introduction....Pages 1-28 Poor Pilgrim of Sorrow: Rev. Ethelred Brown and the Roots of Black Humanism in Harlem....Pages 29-54 Building the Church of Tomorrow: Race, Religion, and Social Thought in the Harlem Unitarian Church....Pages 55-91 Against Principalities, Against Powers: Racial Uplift and Working-Class Radicalism in the Harlem Unitarian Church....Pages 93-125 In the Shadow of Egypt: Racial Consciousness and Pan-Caribbean Nationalism in the Harlem Unitarian Church....Pages 127-154 The Price We Pay: The Demise of the Harlem Unitarian Church....Pages 155-170 A Unique and Significant Religious Experiment: Rev. Ethelred Brown and the Legacy of Black Humanism....Pages 171-202 Back Matter....Pages 203-268 By examining Reverend Ethelred Brown, the minister who helped inspire the founding of the Harlem Unitarian Church, Floyd-Thomas offers a provocative examination of the religious and intellectual roots of Black humanist thought