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Thousands of people poured into the Apostolic Church of God in southside Chicago on Friday night to honor the life and legacy of Bishop Arthur M. Brazier.
One of the co-founders of the Woodlawn Organization, conceived to combat the racial unrest in one of America's most segregated cities, he was the pastor of the Apostolic Church of God in Woodlawn for more than 48 years, building a congregation of nearly 20,000 members before handing leadership over to his son, the Rev. Bryon Brazier, in 2008.
According to Bishop Horace E. Smith, presiding bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Brazier's death at 89, after a five year battle with prostate cancer, leaves a vast void in African-American spiritual leadership.
"He affected people in every sector of society," said Smith, pastor of Apostolic Faith Church in Bronzville. "We all looked to him as a mentor. You watched him and admired his sophistication, his intellect and his integrity."
During the tumultuous Civil Rights Movement of the1960s, Bishop Brazier was on the front lines of the streets of Chicago battling against segregation in housing and schools. After a meeting with legendary community organizer Saul Alinsky, his commitment to civil rights issues intensified and he often joined Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on marches and protests during his visits to Chicago.
President Barack Obama delivered a much-debated speech on the importance of fatherhood in the African-American community at Bishop Brazier's church on Father's Day 2008, and issued a statement hailing Brazier as one of our nation's 'moral lights."
"... [The First Lady and I] are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our dear friend, a stalwart of the city of Chicago. Bishop Brazier ... promoted spiritual empowerment and economic development through his pastorate of Apostolic Church of God and leadership of numerous community organizations and charitable efforts," Obama said.
Though he refused to preach politics from the pulpit, in his memoir, Bishop Brazier reveals his belief in the importance of the union between social justice and religion:
"I feel proud and happy that we didn't just sit around and wring our hands about these problems," Bishop Brazier told the Tribune in 2008. "We were able to see beyond the four walls of the church and we did something."
His survivors include his wife, Isabelle Brazier; and three daughters, Lola Hillman, Janice Dortch and Rosalyn Shepherd.
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By: ADRIAN HARRIS OF SOUTH GEORGIA GO!!!! MY SCHOOL!!! GO GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY!!!! GO!!! WORLD CLASS DRIVE!!! on 11/01/2010 10:36PM
HAIL!!!! ABBA!! HAIL!!! YAHWEH ELYON(LORD MOST HIGH)!!! THE BLACK WOMAN MAKER!!! KING OF THE HOLY WARRIORS!!! HAIL!!! SEPIA PEOPLE!!! MY COMMENT....."HE" IS/WAS THE FUTURE OF THE GREAT AFRIKANS, HAVING SURVIVED A DIASPORA IN NEW WORLDS FAR FROM THE CRADLE LAND: "HE" IS SON OF THE PYRAMID BUILDERS TURNED WORKERS, WARRIORS, TEACHERS, POETS, SINGERS, ATHLETES, GRIOTS; HIS SCHOOL WAS DR. YOSEF BEN JOCHANNAN(DOC BEN), WILLIS HUGGINS, CHEK ANKA DIOP, WILLIAM HANSBURY, JOHN JACKSON, ASA HILLIARD, J.A. ROGERS, CARTER G. WOODSON; A STUDENT OF THE NEW MASTER - TEACHERS WHO WILL ELEVATE THE RACE, REBUILD PYRAMIDS OF KNOWLEDGE. "HE" WHOM THEY SENT TO FULFILL THE DREAMS OF THE PROPHETS, THE MARTYRS: ADAM CLAYTON POWELL JR., MALCOLM X, GEORGE JACKSON, DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., FRED HAMPTON, FEATHERSTONE; BECOMING ONE OF THEM, THE HOLY WARRIORS: SINGING WHILE WE STRUGGLE; DANCING IN PRAYER; HOOKING BOBBOING WEAVING, LIKE MUHAMMAD ALI, WHEN HE WAS THE PEOPLE'S CHAMP OF MANKIND! "HE" WAS A SHINNING BRIGHT LIGHT IN AMID THE BLUES PEOPLE, THE JAZZ PLAYERS, SINGING A COLTRANE SPIRIT - SONG TO THE BIRTHING SOUL OF A NEW WORLD a'COMING. FROM THE PYRAMIDS TO THE PROJECTS THESE TEN THOUSAND SEASONS WE ARE STRONG; WE GROW UPWARD AND OUTWARD TO GREET THE NEW CENTURY: FROM THE PYRAMID TO THE PROJECTS FROM THE PROJECTS TO THE STARS, WE ADVANCE - WITH THE LIBERATION STRUGGLE OF OUR RISING TIDE! WE ADVANCE WITH OUR SACRED CHILDREN GREETING THE RISING SUN! WE ARE ONE; WE ARE ONE: THE LIVING, THE DEAD, THE UNBORN........SO TAUGHT OUR SAGES TEN THOUSAND YEARS AGO WHEN WE TAUGHT THE WORLD CIVILIZATION; BUILT MIGHTY PYRAMIDS, TEMPLES TWO MILES LONG BY A HALF MILE WIDE, HOUSING 80,000 STUDENTS: A SACRED UNIVERSITY BECAUSE, THEN KNOWLEDGE, LIKE OUR CHILDREN, WAS SACRED. OUR CHILDREN ARE THE BLESSINGS OF OUR LIVES; THEY ARE THE LIVING EMBODIMENT OF THE FUTURE; THEY ARE THE FUTURE KNOCKING AT THE DOORS OF THE PRESENT. "HE" PREACHED THIS. THEY ARE SACRED; WE SHOULD DEFEND OUR CHILDREN THE WAY WE DEFEND OUR RELIGION. FOR WITH THEM WE REPRESENT CONTINUITY: THE LIVING, THE DEAD, THE UNBORN,.....LOVE YE ONE ANOTHER!!!! I KNOW FOR SURE WE WILL JUMP STAR DISTANCES IN OUR STRUGGLE!!! BYE!!!
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