[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 108 (Thursday, August 1, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S7885]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           THE BIG QUARTERLY

 Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, each year on the last Sunday in 
August, a commemorative festival is held in Wilmington, DE. Known as 
the Big Quarterly, or the August Quarterly, the festival celebrates the 
heritage of the independent black church movement, and the continuing 
importance of the movement's cultural, political and social, as well as 
religious, influence.
  For us in Delaware, as for our Nation as a whole, the history is both 
proud and painful. The first fully independent black church was founded 
in Wilmington in 1813; originally called the Union Church of Africans, 
it is now known as the African Union Methodist Protestant, AUMP, 
Church. It was founded by a former slave, Peter Spencer, and was built 
on land purchased with the help of Delaware's Quaker community, which 
notably included the station-master of the Underground Railroad, Thomas 
Garrett.
  Affectionately known as ``Father,'' and formally as Bishop, Peter 
Spencer believed in the ``twin'' forces of education and religion to 
empower and to liberate African-Americans. The movement toward 
religious freedom was closely linked with the anti-slavery campaign, 
just as predominantly black churches in more recent times have provided 
leadership in the civil-rights movement and in the ongoing work toward 
equality of opportunity.
  The Big Quarterly, also initiated in 1813, commemorates the founding 
of the Mother AUMP Church, and honors Peter Spencer's visionary 
leadership. The festival combines worship with a cultural celebration 
and a sprit of reunion, of renewing ties with family, friends and with 
a history of activism that continues to inspire us all.
  The history and spirit represented by the Big Quarterly are important 
to our identity and character as a community and as a nation. It is an 
event that both reminds us of what has been overcome, and challenges us 
to complete the journey.

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