The Black Manifesto was presented by civil rights activist James Forman and adopted as an official statement by the National Black Economic Development Conference (BEDC) at its April 25-27, 1969, meeting in Detroit, Mich. The BEDC was hosted by the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO).
On Sunday, May 4, 1969, Forman interrupted worship at The Riverside Church in the City of New York to deliver the Black Manifesto, a call for $500 million in reparations for 400 years of injustice suffered by African Americans, from slavery to the present day.
The 2,500-word manifesto indicted white religious organizations for complicity in American racism, arguing they must pay for their part - direct and indirect - in the historical subjugation of black people if they wished to maintain their moral authority. It cited their reliance on the patronage of wealthy whites enriched by slavery and the violent expropriation of resources from communities of color. The manifesto called on African Americans to bring whatever pressure was necessary to force churches and synagogues to comply with its demands.
As Forman began to read, the organist drowned out his works with the hymn May Jesus Christ Be Praised, as Preaching Minister the Rev. Dr. Ernest Campbell led a walkout that included other clergy, the choir and two-thirds of congregants.
That morning’s events catapulted the Black Manifesto to national attention, generating hundreds of news clips. The New York Times carried a Page One story on May 5. That was only the beginning as The Riverside Church and wider U.S. faith community engaged with the Black Manifesto’s demands and strove to respond. The intellectual struggle over reparations continues today.
Additional Resources
"Black Militant Halts Service at Riverside Church," New York Times, May 5, 1969