Faith Matters
Join and build institutions that uplift the community.
Spirituality has been an important part of black culture before slavery, during and after. The African-American churches have served the community in many different capacities, often functioning as schools, orphanages, and general places of refuge from the hostilities we faced from greater society. Churches also provided spiritual, moral and political leadership, and reached out to build and strengthen our community with social welfare programs, prison ministries, and youth organizations.
According to a 2007 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, black people were most likely to participate in a formal religion, with 85 percent belonging to the Christian church.
Historically, black men have held positions of power in the church, but because many of our men have now opted to distance themselves, there have been only a few men left to do the work.
Churches, synagogues, and mosques can still be instrumental in driving social and economic change in our neighborhoods that are facing violence, poverty, moral depravity and other failures. By returning to these religious institutions and becoming active members, our men can harness this potential power to bolster their families and transform the community.
If spiritual institutions are not an option, any organization that helps to uplift and provide moral leadership should be considered.
