Dr. Frederick Douglass Opie shares oral histories from Harlem residents about Father Divine. Every Sunday during the Great Depression the controversial New York-based evangelist Father Divine (aka the Reverend General Jealous Divine and aka George Baker) fed starving interracial groups by the hundreds for free in Harlem, while many other black preachers ignored their flocks’ hunger pains. Most African-American urban clergy avoided sermons that addressed racism, poverty, and the social conditions of blacks in America. Instead, their sermons focused on the need for spiritual conversion and life after death. Father Divine talked about conversion, but he also denounced racism and the inability of a country blessed with material abundance to feed its citizens.
For more on:
Great Depression: https://www.fredopie.com/search?q=depression
WPA: https://www.fredopie.com/search?q=wpa
Harlem History: https://www.fredopie.com/search?q=harlem
About Dr. Opie
Dr. Frederick Douglass Opie is the producer and host of The Fred Opie Show. He is also a Babson Professor of History and Foodways, the author of many books, and a contributor to anthologies. Dr. Opie has appeared on NPR, BBC Radio, The History Channel, PBS television, and in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Oprah Magazine.
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28 Late Night Dreams by J.Lang (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. dig.ccmixter.org/files/djlang59/55351 Ft: AlexBeroza
35 [Fusion] AROUND THE CORNER by BOCrew (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial license. dig.ccmixter.org/files/BOCrew/29246 Ft: JAMES NICK SOLDER / THE CORNER
40, [hip hop] Billion Years Of Green (cdk Mix) by Analog By Nature (c) copyright 2014 Licensed under a Creative Commons Sampling Plus license. dig.ccmixter.org/files/cdk/45064

Father Divine’s Harlem Peace Center and Food

Dr. Frederick Douglass Opie is a historian and the Baldwin Richardson Foods Term Chair at Babson College and talking head contributing to stories journalist and documentary film makers produce. He shares his research interest and musings as a blogger and the producer and host of The Fred Opie Show. To learn more visit FredOpie.com.