SIGNIFICANT POINTS IN BLACK ADVENTIST HISTORY

I.	The Early Beginnings. 1830 - 1863.

The work of the Millerites (forerunners of Adventists) during the pre-Civil War era was confined primarily to free Blacks living in the North. Several of them accepted the message and a few became leaders.

A.	1841. William Still ardent abolitionist working with the Underground Railroad accepts Millerite teachings and later experiences the Great Disappointment.

B.	1842. William Foy receives prophetic gift and has four visions relating to the early Advent Movement. In 1844 Foy meets Ellen White and recognizes her prophetic gift and ministry.

C.	1843. Charles Bowles , another well-known Black Millerite minister, spearheads the organization of quarterly Millerite meetings.

D.	1844. Many Black Millerites felt the bitterness of the Great Disappointment.

E.	1850. Fugitive Slave Act passed requiring citizens to turn in runaway slaves.

F.	1857. Dred Scott case of Supreme Court. Blacks declared non-citizens, have no rights.

G.	1859. Ellen White counsels members to disobey Fugitive Slave Law.

H.	1861. Ellen White receives historic vision at Roosevelt that reveals the horrible curse and degradation of slavery and the prophecies of God's judgment in America for the "high crime" of slavery.

I.	1862. President Abraham Lincoln signs Emancipation Proclamation September 22, 1862 becoming effective January, 1863 which frees slaves in Secessionist South.

J.	1863. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is officially organized in Battle Creek, Michigan.

II.	Feeble Efforts. 1863 - 1894.

Adventists begin to make sporadic forays in the South where the vast majority of Blacks lived. These early attempts were carried out by a few brave ministers, literature evangelists and intrepid lay people.

A.	1871. Elbert B. Lane, first Adventist minister to hold meetings in the South in a Tennessee depot building with Whites and Colored occupying separate rooms.

B.	1871. Springville, Kentucky. Squier Osborn.

C.	1876. D. M. Canright in Maryland; E. B. Lane, J. O. Corliss in Virginia; C. O. Taylor in Georgia.

D.	1877. First Black Seventh-day Adventist school begins in Missouri.

E.	1886. First Black congregation is formed in Edgefield Junction, Tennessee.

F.	1889. Charles M. Kinney becomes first Black ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister. Converted by J. N. Loughborough. becomes one of the major pioneers in Black work. First proposed concept of Black conferences to increase effectiveness of work among Blacks.

G.	1891. March 10. Kilgore recommends segregated work for Blacks at General Conference session. Ellen White opposes it on March 21 and preaches famous sermon, "Our Duty to the Colored People."

III.	Expansion and Consolidation. 1894 - 1944.

This period marks the first systematic efforts to evangelize Blacks in the South. It was spearheaded by Edson White, son of Ellen White after receiving encouragement from his mother to take up this neglected work.

A.	1894. Edson White and Will Palmer begin to evangelize Southern Blacks via the steamship the Morning Star; they land in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1895.

B.	1895. Southern Missionary Society, devoted to working for Blacks in the South, is begun, headed by Edson White. it is incorporated in 1898 and becomes part of the Southern Union Conference in 1909.

C.	1896. Oakwood Industrial School begins operation; becomes junior college in 1927. J. L. Moran becomes first Black president in 1932; school becomes senior college in 1943; receives accreditation in 1958. (Presidents: J. L. Beardsley, 1917-1923; J. A. Tucker, 1923-1932; J. L. Moran, 1932-1945; F. L. Peterson, 1945-1954; G. J. Millet, 1954-1963; A. V. Pinkney, 1963-1966; F. W. Hale, 1966-1971; C. B. Rock, 1971-1985; E. A. Cooper, interim, 1985; B. F. Reaves, 1985-1995; Delbert Baker 1995- present

D.	1898. Gospel Herald is published by Edson White at Yazoo City, Mississippi. Designed to be an evangelistic journal for Black people; Message, its successor, begins in 1934.

E.	1901. First Black Seventh-day Adventist camp meeting, Edgefield Junction, Tennessee. First Black Seventh-day Adventist medical facility is founded in Nashville, Tennessee; it is later expanded to Riverside Hospital in 1927 under the direction of Mrs. Nellie Druillard. Turned over to the General Conference in 1935; further expanded with the purchase of 46 acres adjacent to property. Modern hospital building constructed in 1947; sold in 1983.

F.	1909. Testimonies, vol.9 is published; section entitled "Among the Colored People," dealing with work among Blacks, is included. Negro Department of the GC directed by white leaders J. W. Christian and A..J. Haysmer

G.	1918 W.H. Green lawyer first black leader of Negro Dept. .

H.	1926. General Conference action voted for three Southern Unions. Black Union and Conference Evangelists without administrative authority be members of Union Conference Committee

I.	1920s and 1930s Black SDAs are excluded from almost all SDA colleges and sanitariums in North America, even from RH cafeteria

J.	1929. Proposal of Black leaders to organize Colored conferences. General Conference refused but did not reject outright, appointed committee to survey Black members. At Fall Council (Sept 24 - Oct 2, 1929.) rejected Black conferences. "Don't' ever ask for a Black conference again." Continue action of 1926. James K. Humphrey, a Black Baptist minister who became an Adventist in 1902, a gifted leader, found the First Harlem Seventh-day Adventist Church. Plans to create Utopia Park, consisting of an orphanage, a nursing home, a training school, an industrial area, and health-care facilities. Conference administration feels that Humphrey is not cooperating and moves to defrock him. Harlem congregation stands with Humphrey, and the Greater New York Conference vote to defrock him and disfellowship the entire congregation. it adopts the name United Sabbath-day Adventist Church.

K.	1931. Oakwood College students strike for Black president and better living and learning conditions.

L.	1932. Black Adventist evangelistic journal Message magazine. successor to the Gospel Herald, receives its name after the decision of a national conference of Black leaders at the Ephesus church in New Orleans; begins publication in 1934. (Editors: R. B. Thurber, 1935; J. E. Shultz, 1936-1942; H. K. Christman, 1942-1943; R. L. Odom, 1943-1945; L. B. Reynolds, 1945-1959; J. E. Dykes, 1960-1967; G. J. Millet, 1968-1970; W. R. Robinson, 1971-1978; L. B. Reynolds, 1978-1980; J. P. Monk, Jr., 1980-1985; D. W. Baker, 1985-present.)

M.	1943. National Association for the Advancement for Worldwide Work Among Colored Seventh-day Adventists in wake of Lucy Byard incident

IV.	Autonomy and Maturity. 1944 - present.

Black Adventists achieved a major milestone with establishment of Regional Conferences. This development gave autonomy to the Black work and resulted in a tremendous increase in membership among Black Adventists

A.	1944. April 10: GC authorizes formation of Colored Conferences Black membership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church is 20,000.

B.	1945. Lake Region becomes the first Regional conference organized with 2,320 members fallowed by Northeastern with 2,400 members, Allegheny with 4,000 members, South Atlantic with 3,523 members and South Central with 2,235 members

C.	1946. Pine Forge Academy opens. (Principals; J. L. Moran, 1946-1948; R. L. Reynolds, 1948-1950; E. I. Watson, 1950-1959; C. L. Brooks, 1959-1963; L. R. Palmer, 1963-1966; C. B. Tivy, 1966-1969; A. T. Westney, 1969-1976; A. Humphrey, 1976-1979; P. R. Jones, 1979-1981; R. Smith, 1981-1982; W. A. Cheatham, 1982-1985; C. Gill, 1985-
1989; R. Mills, 1989-present.)

D.	1954 Brown vs Board of Education decision: Racial segregation outlawed in public schools

E.	1962. At the General Conference session in San Francisco, more than 1,000 Black Adventists demonstrate against the church's racial policies. Frank Peterson becomes first black vice- president of GC

F.	1965 The Review carries actions that call for the ending of racial discrimination in the denomination's schools, hospital, churches and institutions.

G.	1966. The Southern Work, a reprint of Ellen White's testimonies relating to the work for Blacks during the years 1891 to 1899, is published.

H.	1967. Allegheny East Conference is organized with 7,264 members; W. A. Thompson is elected first president. (Current membership: 9,655.)

I.	1968. Southern College in Tennessee admits its first Black student five years after the last state university, Alabama, had integrated its campus.

J.	1970. Free at Last a popular evangelistic work, is published. (E. E. Cleveland, author.) The historic 16 Points resolution outlining the General Conference's renewed commitment to equality and its position on Regional conferences and human relations is voted. This resolution remains a binding document today.

K.	1973. Breath of Life begins its first series of telecasts. C. D. Brooks is speaker and director; W. Arties is executive producer.

L.	1975. G. Ralph Thompson becomes first Black to hold the office of General Conference secretary.

M.	1979 Charles Bradford becomes first black president of NAD.

N.	1980. Robert Carter is elected president of the lake Union Conference, becoming the first Black union conference president.

O.	1983. Monogram on E. G. White and race wars/future slavery question released by E. G. White Estate.

P.	1984. We Have Tomorrow, a history of the Black Seventh-day Adventist Church, is published. (L. B. Reynolds, author.)

Q.	1987. A biography on the life of William Ellis Foy, The Unknown Prophet, is published, providing research showing that Foy fulfilled his prophetic mission and that he did not reject God's command to share his vision with others, as did Hazen Foss. (D. W. Baker, author.)

R.	1989. Black membership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America reaches 87,000. Rosa Banks becomes the first woman to hold the position of General Conference field secretary/NAD Human Relations Director.

S.	2001 Black membership reaches 264,222 1044 churches