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ADAM PITLUK
Editor
HouseofLord,
BuildingofFreedom
ATTHECORNER
of LafayetteAvenue and South
OxfordStreetstandsabastionofhopeand liberty.
The Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church has
long been the open eye keeping watch over a
changingneighborhood inBrooklyn, N.Y. Indeed,
FortGreene isa societal historybook, onewhose
prologue begins before our country was born
— and one whose epilogue will never be writ-
ten. That’s because Fort Greenewill continue to
transform for the restof time; that’sbecauseFort
Greenewill, as it has throughout history, experi-
ence its ups and downs, like it didwhen contro-
versialRev.TheodoreLedyardCuylermoved there
whenheaccepted thecall tobe the firstpastorof
theLafayetteAvenuePresbyterianChurch.
The role of the community church has been
that of the great intellectual, spiritual and chari-
tablemeetingplace throughoutAmericanhistory.
This is especially true in the annals of African-
American historywhen chronicling the diaspora
before, during and after the Civil War. And this
iswherewebeginour storyof the churchon the
corner of Lafayette Avenue and South Oxford
Street inFortGreene, Brooklyn, USA.
The church, designed and constructed in the
RomanesqueRevival style,wascompleted in 1862,
just as fighting escalated in the Civil War, cast-
ing doubt on whether there’d even be a Union.
Later that year, the fighting intensifiedagain, and
Rev. Cuyler made a bold publicmove: He joined
other prominent ministers and urged President
AbrahamLincoln to issue theEmancipationProc-
lamation. Sobegan the legacyofRev. Cuyler asa
freedom fighter, and so began the history of the
LafayetteAvenuePresbyterianChurchasahaven
for people of all races — and all genders — at a
timewhen the countrywasnot as tolerant.
Fort Greene saw aggressive growth at the
conclusion of the Civil War. Rev. Cuyler and his
church received formerslaves from theOldSouth,
and along with the present congregation, he
formed one of themost multicultural/multiracial
churches in the United States of America. Less
thanadecadeafterRobertE. Leesurrendered the
Confederacyat thehouseofWilmerMcLean,Rev.
Cuylerwasmakinganotherboldmove:He invited
Sarah Smiley, a Quaker evangelist, to deliver a
sermon to his congregation. Such activity was
absolutely inconceivable in 1872, and the Pres-
bytery of Brooklyn leveled charges of hosting a
“promiscuousassemblage”on the reverend,which
hebeat. He thenbecameachampionofwomen’s
rights. In a churchwidemovement, Rev. Cuyler
vocallycalled for theordinationofwomenasmin-
isters—something thatdidnothappenuntil 1951.
“And our church has been representing the
underrepresentedeversince,”saysEdwardMoran,
aBrooklyn-basedwriterand filmmakerwho’salso
theLafayetteAvenuePresbyterianChurch’sunof-
ficial archivist. “Our churchwas one of the first
churches in thecountry toopenlyadvocate for les-
bianandgayordination” (beginning in the 1970s).
Moran joined the church about 30 years ago,
andhe’suncovereda richhistory that’sasdiverse
as the community the church is in. Fromwhen
former slaveAmandaSmithwas invited to speak
there in 1879 towhen Liyana, a band of disabled
musicians fromwar-torn Zimbabwe performed
there 130years later,Moran says that ahistoryof
struggle and adversity and triumph is embodied
in the church on the corner of Lafayette Avenue
andSouthOxfordStreet. “It’s theTownHallofFort
Greene,”hesays, “andameetingplace forpeople
throughout the city.”
This issueof
AmericanWay
is a celebrationof
achievements as we begin Black HistoryMonth.
It’s a traditionwe startedwith the Feb. 1, 2009,
issueof
AW
, and it’sa traditionwehopewill never
have an epilogue, much like Fort Greene, Brook-
lyn. This issue features Al Roker (page 44), one
of the most lovable people on television, who
grewup inSt.Albans,Queens, onlyadozenmiles
from the LafayetteAvenue Presbyterian Church.
Reading about the ups and downs in his lifewill
makeyouappreciateevenmore that smiling face
—come rainorshine—on
Today
.Wealso track the
migrationof Zydeco, a swamp-borncreolemusic
that’smade its way out west (page 50). Turn to
page 86 for the details of a proud, history-rich
all-African-AmericanTexas town, and readabout
AmericanAirlines’ involvement invariousAfrican-
American communitiesonpage67.
The Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church
has seen its numbers rise and fall over the years.
Of the roughly 400 congregants they have now,
some two-thirds are African-American. And 150
years after the first stone was laid, the church
remains committed to the same community that
hasebbedand flowedaround it. “Thischurchhas
always had a reputation of championing social
justice,”Moransays. “Thischurchwasalwayscon-
nectedwithactivism, and it alwayswill be.”
10
FEBRUARY 01, 2012
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
