2026 University of Chicago Library Robert L. Platzman Memorial Fellowship
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Abstract
An under-researched area is the history of socially and politically engaged Black Pentecostals who affirmed Black Power as a complex set of ideologies aimed at achieving self-determination, Black pride, and self-sufficiency. Among them was Black Chicagoan and former pastor of the Apostolic Church of God, Bishop Arthur M. Brazier (1921-2010). Brazier, therefore, offers a case study showing how certain Black religious leaders sought to synthesize liberationist and integrationist ideals in response to the absurdity of the Black experience in the United States. Ultimately, I take Professor Cornel West's concept of “Afro-American Revolutionary Christianity” to explore the political complexities of conservative Black religious identities committed to progressive social politics.
In Brazier’s case, through programs such as The Woodlawn Organization, he exemplified a ministerial form of prophetic social consciousness that prioritized economic opportunity, education, and political involvement. However, Brazier is a relatively well-known civil rights figure; no substantive scholarly work has been done on him, his social activism, and, most especially, his congregation’s socio-political relationship to Chicago’s South Side. The archival work I wish to pursue focuses on the Chicagoland areas where Brazier worked and where many of his congregants lived: the Hyde Park, Kenwood, and Woodlawn neighborhoods. Not entirely sure what I will uncover, my exploration will begin in the interwar period, include the history of the University of Chicago and its relationship with The Woodlawn Organization and its affiliated religious communities, and focus on the development and decline of local infrastructure, businesses, politics, and more. In short, my archival research will examine existing questions regarding race, religion, and social engagement, while also considering the role of urban development and political identity.
