In the Land of Milk, Honey, and Hollywood! Religion and Black Urban Life in Los Angeles, 1903-1953

Abstract

This dissertation explores the historical and social forces that shaped the practices of African American religious institutions in Los Angeles from 1903-1953. It reframes a prevailing understanding of African American migration that historians—when they have paid attention to religion—have constructed primarily in view of southern and northern religious communities. This project analyzes the efforts of People’s Independent Church of Christ (PIC)—a welcome center to thousands of black migrants who were in search of stable employment and the promise of home ownership. While Los Angeles was a prosperous oasis for some, the bleak reality on the ground was treacherous for many. This dissertation argues that black migrants employed black religion in the American West to expand notions of freedom and re-define conceptions of American citizenship, which bolstered their claims for inclusion in the political and economic activity of their city. The widely held belief in a “mythic West,” coupled with the city’s growing multiracial society, led to new imaginings of black urban religion. The creation of People’s Independent Church is not only reflective of these conditions, but it spearheaded the ways that black migrants developed citizenship discourse through the manufacturing of black resistance, democratic authority, and social preparedness.