Hello Meltingpot Readers,
When I first moved to Philadelphia, back in 2006, I was an adjunct professor at Rosemont College. I was teaching a graduate course on biography writing and one of my students wanted to write about a man named Father Divine. I had never heard of him. Like never ever. His name rang no bells. On the other hand, the rest of the students in the class knew Father Divine’s name because it adorns several prominent buildings in the Philadelphia area, but like me, they knew nothing about the man himself. Turns out, we were all missing out on a significant piece of American history.
Ahead of His Time and Erased from History
At his peak, Reverend Major Jealous Divine was the leader of a religious movement with over a million followers worldwide. He owned property all over the eastern United States; during the height of the Great Depression he fed thousands of hungry people on a weekly basis at his lavish public banquets; he had the ear of local and national politicians; and he was a savvy entrepreneur. The reason why I immediately became fascinated by Father Divine’s life and mission is that he had an interracial following at a time when Jim Crow segregation was still the law of the land. He had extremely progressive ideas about integrated communities, civil rights and the rights of women. He brazenly married a white woman when he could have been lynched for the act. Father Divine was so ahead of his time and accomplished more than any would expect for the child of former slaves with very little formal education.
So, why isn’t Father Divine a household name? Because he claimed to be God? Maybe. Or maybe because he was a Black man in American who figured out how to circumvent white supremacy, racism and Jim Crow laws in a brazen reign of glory.
Father’s Kingdom
Hopefully Father’s Divine Story will become more well known to the masses, thanks to the new documentary, Father’s Kingdom. I’m so excited to see this film and to see Father Divine’s life story get the attention it deserves. You can watch the film on several streaming services or buy it on DVD. Just check out the trailer and I’m sure you’ll want to see the rest.
I’m curious, have any of you Dear Readers heard about Father Divine? If so, what do you know about him and/or of his legacy? Also, if you’re looking for a good biography of Father Divine, try God, Harlem USA by Jill Watts.
Peace!
