Lectureship Series: Talented Tenth Lectures of the Azusa Society
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W. E. B. DuBois, arguably one of America's greatest intellectuals of the 2oth century, coined the phrase 'Talented Tenth', which described the notion that the tenth generational descendants of African slaves in America would begin to advance themselves by taking advantage of educational opportunities in the Western world. DuBois, the first African American to graduate with a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1903, asserted that if the Black masses in America began to invest in the brightest and most talented from the larger Black community, to ensure that they would receive the best educational training the West offered, these individuals would then return back to the community and as new leaders begin to build or rebuild our community and hence the larger American society (Martin Luther King Jr. became one of the greatest examples of this idea).
In the spirit of this notion, and in light of those seeming recipients of the 'Talented Tenth' idea, this series will feature some of the brightest and most talented from the Black community. This Black talent also stands against the backdrop of the most significant modern protestant religious movement of both the 20th and 21st century, which, although initiated by a Black preacher named William J. Seymour, was multi-ethnic, multi-national, multi-cultural and multi-demographical. The Azusa Street ministry of Los Angeles was the place where the power and presence of God's Spirit (the Holy Spirit) fell on a host eager worshipers hungry for the fullness of God. What began as the Azusa Street Revival in 1906, many from across the globe came to participate and experience this revival which lasted until 1907. From this movement, numerous national and international Christian movements and denominations were started. Lectures presented at J. D. Institute are a blend of both movements in someway. Lecturers present their work and who they are in light of the paths that have been laid before.
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| Dr. Hopkins with Rev. Rivers and Dr. Owens |
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April (2009), featured the first lecture: Black Churches in the Age of Obama: The Post-Secular Turn in Black Political Thought.
Feature lecturer was the Rev. Eugene F. Rivers 3d, Pastor of the Azusa Christian Community of Dorchester, Massachusetts. He is also the President of the National Ten Point Coalition, Senior Policy Advisor for the Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ and a political analyst for MSNBC.
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Special guest included Professor Michael Leo Owens, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Emory University, and author of 'God and Government in the Ghetto (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007). The event was hosted by Dr. Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, Director of J.D. Institute and Assistant Professor of New Testament at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
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| Professor M. L. Owens |
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| Rev. Eugene F. Rivers 3d |
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The lecture was held in Atlanta, Georgia at the Interdenominational Theological Center and was hosted by Dr. Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, Assistant Professor of New Testament at the Interdenminational Theological Center, Editor of the JITC and Director of J.D. Institute.
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