[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 150 (Wednesday, September 18, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5571-S5572]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE CONGDON STREET BAPTIST CHURCH

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I join with my colleague Senator 
Whitehouse, the city of Providence, and the State of Rhode Island in 
celebrating the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Congdon Street 
Baptist Church, Rhode Island's oldest Black congregation. For 
generations, it has been a spiritual home for the community and an 
unwavering beacon for religious and civil liberties in Rhode Island.
  The church's founding members left the First Baptist Church, where 
they were forced to attend segregated services, and established their 
own house of worship in 1819. Initially named the African Union Meeting 
House, the church aimed to provide a place of worship and schooling for 
Black Americans. This mission positioned the congregation as a focal 
point of the African-American community and paved the way for its 
continuing advocacy for meaningful social change.
  As one of the earliest African-American churches in the State and the 
first schoolhouse for African-American children in Providence, the 
African Union

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Meeting House opened its doors to a variety of different denominations. 
Beyond these religious and educational roles, the church offered a 
meeting place for African Americans to discuss civil rights and other 
vital issues and hosted literary clubs, youth groups, and numerous 
other social organizations.
  Unfortunately, the original church structure, which was renamed the 
Meeting Street Baptist Church in 1840, was torn down in the 1860s 
without the congregation's approval amid tensions with its White 
neighbors. However, the congregation persevered, and a new structure 
was built on a nearby plot of land in 1875.
  The new church was renamed the Congdon Street Baptist Church and to 
this day continues to be a pillar of support and advocacy for Rhode 
Island's African-American community. Its congregants supported Black 
Brown University students during their 1968 walkout protesting the 
university's lack of recruitment of and support for students of color. 
In a testament to Congdon Street Baptist Church's importance to Black 
Rhode Islanders, the students chose to march from the university to the 
church and remained there until their demands for change were met. 
During the mid-20th century, congregants also pressured the State to 
investigate and end discrimination in employment and marched with Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr. More recently, the church has, among its 
numerous activities, increased its outreach to college students, 
embarked on mission trips to help disadvantaged communities around the 
world, and tutored local children in reading, math, and writing.
  Today, after 200 years of worship and public service, Congdon Street 
Baptist Church continues to uplift our State while adhering to its 
vision of being a ``radically authentic community.'' I join community 
members in Providence and Rhode Islanders across the State in 
congratulating Pastor Justin R. Lester and the entire Congdon Street 
Baptist Church congregation on this significant milestone.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, today I wish to celebrate a milestone 
for Rhode Island's oldest Black church. In August, the Congdon Street 
Baptist Church on the East Side of Providence celebrated its 
bicentennial. From its inception at the nearby African Union 
meetinghouse and schoolhouse in 1819, Congdon Street Baptist Church has 
been a centerpiece of spiritual and community life for generations of 
African Americans in Providence.
  The Congdon Street Baptist Church has weathered racial injustices to 
flourish as a place for worship and education. Its founding members 
left the First Baptist Church in America, where they were made to 
worship in a segregated space. They formed their own congregation in 
Providence so that people of color could worship in dignity and secure 
a fitting education for their children.
  Fulfilling that mission did not come without adversity. The original 
church was demolished in the 1860s at the behest of White neighbors. 
Unbowed, the congregation rebuilt. The new church, completed in 1875, 
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the 1960s, 
the church served as a sanctuary for Rhode Islanders involved in the 
civil rights movement. Today, education and empowerment remain 
hallmarks of the church community.
  Rhode Island was founded on the principles of religious freedom and 
tolerance. I am proud to have Congdon Street Baptist Church as a 
cornerstone of that tradition, and I wish the congregation centuries of 
peaceful worship to come.

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