By
Aaron J. Smith
Age 17
Prairieville, LA
Richard
Allen was a fierce and fearless pioneer. Out of slavery he became a
very successful businessman. This was a time when black men weren't
supposed to be successful. From 1760 through 2001 and for years to
come, Richard Allen has influenced and will influence African
American and American lives.
Richard
was born a slave on February 14, 1760. This did not halter his
thirst for knowledge. He listened to his master's conversations and
picked up some basic reading and writing skills. Once granted his
freedom, Allen set out to educate black people, his people. He held
education workshops teaching blacks and poor whites the basic skills
they needed to succeed. He attended church regularly. Allen came to
love the Methodist church, and affiliated himself in as many
projects as possible. So intrigued to work that he became an
ordained minister in 1784. During the next two years, Allen was an
itinerant minister. This changed when one day in 1786 Allen and some
associates were pulled up from the altar while praying. Allen was
furious, but did not resort to violence. He started his own
denomination. In 1799 this church became more than a group of
friends worshiping and the effect the church had spread to
surrounding states. Those states plus Philadelphia joined together
in 1816 to form the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Allen was so
praised by his followers that he was named first Bishop. He held the
title Bishop until his death in 1831.
Through
the 1900s we see Allen's effect after his death. When civil rights
were of the utmost importance to African Americans arose a man named
Martin Luther King, Jr., that man stood for a nonviolent protest to
the harsh treatment of African Americans. Allen had that same form
of protest in Philadelphia after being pulled from the altar.
Allen's pursuit as a successful businessman has been the fuel to
light the fire in people like the owners of BET and Ebony/Jet
magazines. The owner of Ebony/Jet magazine would be nothing without
the persistence of people similar to Allen.
Now
we are in 2001. In the 1900s, 2001 was to be a "Space
Odyssey." To some it may be exactly that, a "Space
Odyssey," because no one could have imagined that black men and
women are owning businesses that only whites could. Blacks are CEOs
of major corporations and are starting their own corporations. We
have returned to the African roots where we were great inventors and
mathematicians. We have genius in our blood and Allen proved that to
us. It takes genius to be able to gather enough people to believe in
you, and separate from a church that they thought to be a
comfortable environment and join a "baby" denomination.
Never before had it been done. Muslims always conquered nations and
then forced the captives to convert. Christians did not start off as
fast as Allen's form of Christianity. Now you see young boys named
Richard Allen and some girls named Sarah Allen, Richard's
wife.
Life
of course was not easy for Richard, but he persevered and pushed on.
Allen set his eyes on a star and he reached it. African Methodism
has gone from a blacksmith shop to a few states to whole nations in
more than one continent. Allen's driving force as a business man is
present in every man and woman who gets down and dirty making
something of themselves instead of sitting back and saying
"what if" or "why not."
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