How did an African-American man born in a ghetto in 1879 rise to such religious prominence that his followers addressed letters to him simply "God, Harlem U.S.A."? Using hitherto unknown materials, Jill Watts portrays the life and career of one of the twentieth century's most intriguing religious leaders, Father Divine. Starting as an itinerant preacher, Father Divine built an unprecedented movement that by the 1930s had attracted followers across the nation and around the world. As his ministry grew, so did the controversy surrounding his enormous wealth, flamboyant style, and committed "angels"—black and white, rich and poor alike. Here for the first time a full account of Father Divine's childhood and early years challenges previous contentions that he was born into a sharecropping family in the deep South. While earlier biographers have concentrated on Father Divine's social and economic programs, Watts focuses on his theology, which gives new meaning to secular activities that often appeared contradictory. Although much has been written about Father Divine, God, Harlem U.S.A. finally provides a balanced and intimate account of his life's work.

Born and raised in Harlem, New York. Athletically active as a youngster in Harlem. Quite familiar with Harlem explicitly from 110th St to 155th St. My poems reflect my growing up days in Harlem. They go to the heart of life in Harlem during its hey day. It was during these times during the 40s and 50s Harlem was known as the “Mecca” for black life in America, long before any other city could lay claim to this title. My poems relate to the entertainment palaces, such as the Apollo and The Savoy Ballroom, the adolescent days of fun, the hazards and remembrances of people such as Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Adam Clayton Powell and Shirley Chisolm. Appropriately the title of this collection is “Poetic Memories of Harlem USA” encompassing at least 70 memorable times, places and people. The title of some of the poems are “The Mecca”, “The Gypsies”, “Spanish Lady”, “Ole St. Nicholas”, “The Backyard”, “Coldwater Flats”, “Speakeasy”, “Numbers”, “Up on the Roof ”, “The Icebox”,” The Boogeyman” , etc. I have no doubt that the titles of many of my poems will resurrect the consciousness of those who have ever lived or visited Harlem and put my soul to rest that the time and energy to please those who have never been to Harlem will find them interesting, educational and informative.

Looking for Langston -- New territory for new Negroes -- Poems of a religious nature -- Concerning "goodbye, Christ"--My Gospel year -- Christmas in black -- Do nothing till you hear from me

In this innovative study, Benjamin Kahan traces the elusive history of modern celibacy. Arguing that celibacy is a distinct sexuality with its own practices and pleasures, Kahan shows it to be much more than the renunciation of sex or a cover for homosexuality. Celibacies focuses on a diverse group of authors, social activists, and artists, spanning from the suffragettes to Henry James, and from the Harlem Renaissance's Father Divine to Andy Warhol. This array of figures reveals the many varieties of celibacy that have until now escaped scholars of literary modernism and sexuality. Ultimately, this book wrests the discussion of celibacy and sexual restraint away from social and religious conservatism, resituating celibacy within a history of political protest and artistic experimentation. Celibacies offers an entirely new perspective on this little-understood sexual identity and initiates a profound reconsideration of the nature and constitution of sexuality.

Living in the Future reveals the unexplored impact of utopian thought on the major figures of the Civil Rights Movement. Utopian thinking is often dismissed as unrealistic, overly idealized, and flat-out impractical—in short, wholly divorced from the urgent conditions of daily life. This is perhaps especially true when the utopian ideal in question is reforming and repairing the United States’ bitter history of racial injustice. But as Victoria W. Wolcott provocatively argues, utopianism is actually the foundation of a rich and visionary worldview, one that specifically inspired the major figures of the Civil Rights Movement in ways that haven’t yet been fully understood or appreciated. Wolcott makes clear that the idealism and pragmatism of the Civil Rights Movement were grounded in nothing less than an intensely utopian yearning. Key figures of the time, from Martin Luther King Jr. and Pauli Murray to Father Divine and Howard Thurman, all shared a belief in a radical pacificism that was both specifically utopian and deeply engaged in changing the current conditions of the existing world. Living in the Future recasts the various strains of mid-twentieth-century civil rights activism in a utopian light, revealing the power of dreaming in a profound and concrete fashion, one that can be emulated in other times that are desperate for change, like today.