Daley to chair Pilgrim Baptist Church fundraising effort

Good news on the rebuilding of a historic black church on the south side. I was covering this news back when it happened in January 2006. Very sad story but it looks like the church is coming back. And Mayor Daley is going to be apart of these efforts. The quotes are from ABC7Chicago.com...

The old walls of Pilgrim Baptist, 33rd and South Indiana Avenue, are all that's left standing. They are buttressed with steel to keep them from falling. But, across the street, Mayor Daley lent his support to church leaders determined to bring Pilgrim Baptist back, saying he will help them raise private money.

"Most importantly, in rebuilding a church, they're really rebuilding the souls of another generation -- and, of course, never forgetting the past," the mayor said.
...
"The history of Pilgrim Baptist Church is so rich. It's rich because so many lives have been changed, transformed, because of where God has placed us to be," said Rev. Keith Gordon, Pilgrim Baptist Church pastor.
...
Mayor Daley says he will chair the fundraising effort. The Pritzker Family Foundation is offering half-a-million dollars in matching funds.

What about the original building though and the future plans for what's left...

It was January 6, 2006 that the historic church was destroyed by fire, a fire started by workers on the roof. As it burned, we learned of Pilgrim's history: Thomas Dorsey's famous gospel choir sang here, the building was designed by Chicago architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, and it was originally built as a synagogue in the late 1800s.
...
The design of the new church has not yet been decided, but it will retain what's left of Sullivan and Adler's original.

"We know we're going to keep the walls of the building, but what we do inside the building and outside is going to be based on the input that we get from the church and also based on the type of fundraising that will be done," said Frank Christopher Lee, architect.

The total amount of money needed is vague, because the church needs to decide what to put inside, but it will be in the millions.

LINKS
Fire rages at Pilgrim Baptist Church...
Blaze destroys historic church
Pilgrim Baptist Church to get a grant...

Did gov break vow to help church?

Heh, that figures he made a big promise in an election year and it took the people at Pilgrim Baptist Church two years to realize he didn't follow thru on it. Sounds just like our governor doesn't it. How sad! From the Sun-Times...

Three days after Chicago's historic Pilgrim Baptist Church was gutted by a fire in 2006, Gov. Blagojevich pledged $1 million in state funds to help rebuild the Bronzeville architectural gem.

Blagojevich made his election-year commitment to the ''rebuilding of the Pilgrim Baptist Church'' by stressing the money would have to go toward fixing a destroyed, adjoining church building that housed offices and classroom space but wasn't used for religious services.

But in March 2007, that money instead went to a private school that leased space from Pilgrim Baptist but has no other church affiliation. No state money has come to rebuild the charred administrative and school building, as Blagojevich promised, prompting church leaders and at least one state lawmaker to question whether Blagojevich had lived up to his word.

''I still can't believe it. We aren't trying to have a fight with the governor or anything like that, but how can he let this thing happen?'' said Robert Vaughn, chairman of Pilgrim Baptist's board of trustees, who didn't learn of the school grant until after being contacted by the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity routed the $1 million grant to Loop Lab School, a private, pre-K through eighth-grade school that has since moved from its burned-out quarters, taking with it money intended to rebuild the destroyed church complex.

''What it says to me is that it gets to the point where promises really don't mean anything,'' said Rep. Elga Jefferies (D-Chicago), whose South Side district takes in the charred church.

''That's about the bottom line. If you don't produce, then you come to be labeled as a person not of your word,'' she said.

Blagojevich's administration said last week the allotment to Loop Lab School fulfilled the governor's pledge to help the church.

They'll spin it all day long to say they've fulfilled their promise but the bottom line is that they haven't! The governor has never been a man of his word from what I read of statehouse politics they've learned that the hardway down there. He has to be this big hero and he has nothing to show for it because there's no follow up. Why can't landmarks be exempt from his broken promises?

Pilgrim Baptist Church to be reborn from ashes of 2006 fire

Pilgrim Baptist Church to be reborn from ashes of 2006 fire - Chicago Sun-Times

Since this historic church went down in flames in early 2006, I've written a lot about this building. In addition the church were involved with scandals involving none other than our Ousted governor who pledged money to Pilgrim only for the money to not be accounted for. It was in fact sent to a school that leased space in the building. In fact, there were concerned about whether or not a government in this country could directly give money to a religious institution.

Well it looks like a new effort is beginning to bring this church to light, and they're not waiting for gov't funds to rebuild. Certainly good news for a building that was designed by the famed Chicago architect Louis Sullivan. Let's hope this succeeds.

Related

• Fire rages at Pilgrim Baptist Church...
• Pilgrim Baptist Church to get a grant...
• Did gov break vow to help church?

 

 

Fire rages at Pilgrim Baptist Church...

At about 4PM, I saw coverage of the fire at Pilgrim Baptist from FOX Chicago and CLTV. Pilgrim Baptist Church is a historic black church originally built between 1890-91 as a Jewish Synagogue. It was also the birthplace of gospel music. The church is located at 3301 S. Indiana and was dedicated a city landmark in 1981.

Incidentally I find this interesting that this occurred after the news of Lou Rawls' death. Although he does indeed hail from the Bronzeville community, I can't say if Mr. Rawls ever had a connection the Pilgrim Baptist Chruch.

I should add that according to what I'm hearing on the TV, there isn't much left of the structure but I at least still see that the walls are up but now the church may just be gutted.

Fire rages at historic church from Chicago Tribune

UPDATED: I'm not the only one tracking this in the bloggosphere.

And check out these photographs from ChicagoEye.

Pilgrim Baptist Church to get a grant...

Looking at Blogginois there were some blurbs about Blagojevich offering some state funds to help rebuild the church which was heavily damaged by fire on Friday. Of course while the Blagojevich administration will insist that this money is going to the church's school. There are those raise objections thanks to the separation of church and state.

Of course one could see this need for this grant because of the importance of this institution for the revitalization of a neighborhood and the fact that Pilgrim Baptist is a landmark, that the offer or the use of state funds is appropriate or at least there is a need for it. Either way there are those who see this current effort by Gov. Blagojevich to score points with a key constituency. Whether this is just one more point for a politician to remain in power or what have you is another issue and we'll find out soon enough.

If Pilgrim Baptist is to ever be rebuilt then even if there are some kind of restrictions on the use of state funds then hopefully there will be plenty of private funds to be raised. Since this story has been a big story on the front pages of Chicago's major media outlets and the historical and architectural significance of this church has been established, then hopefully this church may not have much trouble raising the necessary funds to rebuild. Hopefully they'll be able to even if they can't stay with Louis Sullivan's (he helped design the building) plans.

Check out some of these links on the story...

Church and state from Captiol Fax Blog
Church Donation Creating Some Controversy from CBS2Chicago
State pledges $1M to rebuild historic church from ABC7Chicago
Taxpayer Tithings from ILLINOIZE
Blago promises another gift from composite drawlings
Governor, Foundation Pledge Donations To Rebuild Landmark Church from WBBM Newsradio 780
Our constitutionally challenged and wholly transparent governor from Eric Zorn

Allegations pose first campaign test for Cheryle Jackson

Perhaps in the grand scheme of things, this senate race coming up next year isn't important. Perhaps this Senate seat for which Ms. Jackson is seeking election may not be a competitive seat, especially since I think Republicans may have a pick-up here. This Senate seat may not have much effect on the balance of power in the US Senate between Republicans and Democrats.

This senate seat however is an important one for racial history. In perhaps the last 40 years four blacks have taken their seats in the US Senate. Three have been elected with one appointed. Also three black US Senators have come from Illinois. Two have been elected and one was appointed, and we won't discuss the one who was appointed I've talked about him enough.

Today we'll talk about the new candidate for US Senate on the Democratic side, she used to be apart of Ousted governor's administration. And that was before she become President of the Chicago Urban League. Today it appears that she had a role in the bungled attempt to offer state funds to a church that was ravaged by fire a few years back.

Are the fingerprints of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cheryle Jackson on one of the state's biggest political fiascos under now-indicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich?

Jackson -- the Chicago Urban League chief who was Blagojevich's deputy chief of staff for communications until late 2006 -- emphatically says no.

But a series of previously undisclosed e-mails between Blagojevich staffers call that assertion into question. The e-mails were flying as the then-governor's staff scrambled to fulfill his promise to give $1million in state aid to Pilgrim Baptist Church, a Bronzeville landmark destroyed by fire.

Blagojevich's promise, made with TV cameras rolling in January 2006 as he was seeking re-election, blew up in his face last year when the Chicago Sun-Times revealed that the money intended for the church went instead to a clout-heavy private school, the Loop Lab School, that had rented space from the church in a building next to its sanctuary at 3300 S. Indiana.

Well the mix-up over where this money was supposed to go came to a head last year. Just before Ousted governor was arrested, impeached and then removed from office. Of course Ms. Jackson denies her role in that affair, in fact she is sure to let people know that she left the Blagojevich administration the year that he was re-elected. Also she makes sure to note that Blago didn't stand for what she believed he stood for and that prompted her departure. Let's continue:

Loop Lab School -- run by a pardoned ex-felon named Chandra Gill -- was leasing space from Pilgrim Baptist Church at the time of the fire. The school used the $1 million from Blagojevich's administration to move out of Bronzeville and buy a downtown office condo that was supposed to become the school's new home.

Blagojevich's response to the news that the school got the $1 million meant for the church was to claim he was blindsided by the disclosure. He blamed everything on a bureaucratic mix-up by two former staffers and offered what he called a "win-win" solution, deciding to let the school keep the money and promising to direct another $1 million to the church.

But the church still hasn't gotten that state money. And the Loop Lab School never reopened in the office condo downtown.

The state is taking steps to try to get back the grant money from the school. Also, the auditor general found that Blagojevich's administration broke state rules on how grants are awarded.

In another e-mail written the same day the Sun-Times story broke, [Blago deputy Chief or Staff Kristin] Richards said Jackson was the one who directed, early on, that Loop Lab School get the state money instead of the church. The decision to route money to the school came after the American Civil Liberties Union questioned the legality of giving state funds to a church.

So, this is turning into a huge mess. It may not derail Cheryle Jackson's chance. John Ruberry seems to believe a worse dilemna may be Alexi Giannoulias offering loans to organized crime figures.

While there may be the opportunity to elect another black to the US Senate, with the wounds some of the candidates have on the Democratic side I can see why Mark Kirk and the Republicans may believe that this Senate seat may be another pick up. This one might be made easy in spite of Illinois' blue tint.

It's been two years already

That Pilgrim Baptist Church went up in flames. It was exactly on January 6, 2006. The church was a major landmark, it was said to be the home of gospel music.

Because it was a landmark the governor wanted to help by committing state funds to rebuilding the church. Also remember he was running for re-election that year. The mayor was a chairman of the fundraising effort. Though I can't say that I've heard much about the progress.

I rode by that place on a few occasions since that fire. The church was located at 3301 S. Indiana Ave. Of course all I saw even as recently as the summer was the outer walls with nothing inside as of yet.

Oh I should note that when that fire raged I blogged about it in the immediate aftermath.

BTW, I'm only talking about this because Lee Bey over at The Urban Observer talks about Pilgrim Baptist with a few of his pictures back on January 10th.

Addition: It looks there is some movement as to what will happen with this building link to EdwardLifson.com thru Lee Bey.

Black churches weigh value, risk of political messages

Reading this article from the Austin Weekly News should cause one question to come to mind. Should the "Black church" continue to play a significant role in political life?

The Rev. Keith Gordon of Pilgrim Baptist Church on the South Side describes his Sunday sermons as verse-by-verse Bible teaching.

Gordon, who grew up in Englewood, said his job at the pulpit is to defend against sin, not necessarily to address social issues. Another black Chicago pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., became nationally known for some of his past sermons criticizing U.S. policy and the government when videos of those sermons surfaced during the presidential primaries in the spring. Wright had been Barack Obama's pastor until the presidential candidate broke ties with the South Side pastor after more recent comments by Wright over the summer.

Wright spoke at Northwestern University earlier this month, insisting that even Ray Charles could see how several news organizations had misrepresented his messages and beliefs. Gordon, 38, said he cannot afford a similar scenario.

"It might come back to haunt you later on," said Pilgrim's pastor of the last two years. "And by haunt I mean you never know what other people might interpret or assume we're saying. Anything can be misconstrued."

Vincent Wimbush, religion professor at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Calif., explained the standards for black pastors are different because history has taught society to fear strong, independent black males.

"Someone has to take the time to get to know the textures and rhythms that are part of black life and a black church," Wimbush said. "The onus is not on Wright to be weak and appease others. [Society] needs to come to terms with what it is that makes them fearful in the first place."

Well the first part of this quote is correct a pastor's job isn't exactly to address social issues at the same time I have no problem with any religious person addressing them. Better a church than the government.

At the same time is this about fearing strong and independent black males? I'm not sure I know the answer to that, but using the Wright example is controversial. Wright is certainly a strong personality with certain convictions as to what's going on in the world. I don't often agree with them but that's just my opinion.

Maybe this might be related to this issue or perhaps it's not but I found this on the Daily Dish this week, but I figure this brief quote could apply to the black church:

"I have no belief in the virtue or durability of official philosophies, and when it comes to state religions, I have always thought that, though they may perhaps sometimes momentarily serve the interests of political power, they are always sooner or later fatal for the church.

Nor am I one of those who think that to exalt religion in the eyes of the people and to do honor to the spirituality of religious teaching, it is good to give its ministers indirectly a political influence which the laws refuse.

I am so deeply convinced of the almost inevitable dangers which face beliefs when their interpreters take part in public affairs, and so firmly persuaded that at all costs Christianity must be maintained among the new democracies that I would rather shut priests up within their sanctuaries than allow them to leave them."

I suppose I could say that the Black church isn't as concerned about maintaining Christian values in the country as it is forcing society to live up to their supposedly Christian ideals. And not just Christian ideals but also the secular ideas upon which this nation is based. That all men are created equal, that we all have natural rights, that we have the right to reach our full potential (or I could say life, liberty and pursuit of happiness).

At the same time mixing religion and politics can be dangerous. It's just as true for a Black minister as it is for a member of the Christian Right. I suppose it's easy to look at politics in a much different light than politcs, but mix the two together I'm not sure it won't be problematic.

Both have to believe that they are right. Of course one might want to believe their right because the people wills it. Especially since well a politician seeks to maintain the support of the people or gain the support of the people.

A person with relgious convictions however may not be as concerned about the will of the people. They might be more concerned with what pleases God. That can be problematic because who can determine what pleases God?

Well I know it's a little heady but I'm sure someone had an idea here. I open up the floor for comments.

School that got Pilgrim funds lost sex case

Oh man why does this have to be an even bigger mess and are these stories beating a dead horse?

A private school that Gov. Blagojevich said errantly received $1 million from his administration failed to stop a former kindergarten teacher from being sexually harassed and unlawfully retaliated against her when she complained, a state panel ruled in 2006.

The judgment by the state Human Rights Commission against Loop Lab School and one of its former officials, Tyrone Johnson, came two months before Blagojevich's administration awarded the $1 million grant to the school.

Gov pledges another $1 mil. to church Blagojevich: $1M for church went to 'wrong place'

The little-noticed sexual harassment case raises troubling new questions about why the school got the money and to what extent, if any, its operation was vetted by Blagojevich's administration.

Late Tuesday, the governor's office said the school did not disclose the sexual harrassment judgment before getting the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant.

"DCEO is reviewing the school's compliance with the grant agreement. There appear to be some red flags that they're investigating more closely," Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said.

Loop Lab School has been the focal point this week of one of the most embarrassing escapades under the two-term governor, who publicly acknowledged sending state dollars to "the wrong place."

The governor promised $1 million to historic Pilgrim Baptist Church in Bronzeville to rebuild from a catastrophic 2006 fire.

But Loop Lab School, which rented fire-damaged quarters from the church but had no other affiliation, was given the money insteadand, in turn, used it to buy space in a downtown office building once owned by John Thomas, an undercover informant in federal government corruption and real estate investigations.

Church officials and even the governor were unaware of where the reconstruction money had gone until Monday when the Chicago Sun-Times broke the story.

The sexual harassment controversy involves a kindergarten teacher's claims against Johnson, the school's former personnel manager and administrator who allegedly put his hand in the teacher's shirt and on her buttocks, kissed her and placed a candy bar between her legs over her protests, the commission ruled.

The teacher complained to the school's business manager and, later, its director, Elmira Mayes, who implied the teacher's job could be in peril. The business manager allegedly accused the teacher of theft, as well.

The teacher, whom the Sun-Times is not naming because she was deemed to be a sexual harassment victim, resigned, sued and won.

Late Tuesday, Johnson denied her accusations, calling them "frivolous," and said, "There's a lot of what they said is not even true. They can't even prove a shred of it."

But neither Johnson nor the school mounted a defense in the case and were declared by an administrative law judge to be in default. They were ordered to pay damages to the ex-teacher in excess of $40,000 -- money the woman has yet to collect.

Now, the teacher's lawyer, Patricia Motto, said she intends to stake a claim on the $1 million state payout to Loop Lab School, which used that money last year to buy and renovate the second floor of 318 W. Adams St. but has yet to hold any classes there.

While I can certainly understand if this teacher truly was harrassed by other employees at her workplace. On the other hand I can accuse this woman of being greedy. I don't know but the sad thing is now this money that was supposed to go to Pilgram Church as promised by the governor two years ago after the historic Louis Sullivan designed building was burned as a shell of its former self was sent to this school and now taxpayer's money might be taken as a spoil in a lawsuit.

They say that he makes these promises but fails in the follow up. Say like he decided that he forgot his promise or something. That or he just doesn't care about the details. Man this governor is awful!

Blaze destroys historic church

A follow up story about from the Chicago Sun-Times. More about the fire at Pilgrim Baptist Church on 3301 South Indiana Avenue. There's even a Sun Times photo album. A very sad event, the church was even going through renovations.

Blaze destroys historic church from Chicago Sun-Times.

Photo album from Chicago Sun-Times.

And more from the Chicago Tribune...

Landmark church destroyed by fire from Chicago Tribune

Landmark church burns from Chicago Tribune

Historical photos from Chicago Tribune

Let's see if the Governor plans to keep this promise

The Illinois Channel blog has a press release where the governor promises more money to Pilgrim Baptist Church on Chicago's south side for the purposes of educational and human services facilities. As you may have heard there was a little flap about the money not going where it was supposed to go originally.

Threat to Homeschooling

I've been following this for a while, in fact. There are certainly those of you who are concerned about this issue, especially for those of you who want to homeschool your children. I want to add another dimension to this.

From John Stossel's column...

The cat is finally out of the bag. A California appellate court, ruling that parents have no constitutional right to homeschool their children, pinned its decision on this ominous quotation from a 47-year-old case, "A primary purpose of the educational system is to train schoolchildren in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare."

There you have it; a primary purpose of government schools is to train schoolchildren "in loyalty to the state." Somehow that protects "the public welfare" more than allowing parents to homeschool their children, even though homeschooled kids routinely outperform government-schooled kids academically. In 2006, homeschooled students had an average ACT composite score of 22.4. The national average was 21.1.

Justice H. Walter Croskey said, "California courts have held that under provisions in the Education Code, parents do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children," Justice Croskey said.

If that is the law in California, then Charles Dickens's Mr. Bumble is right: "the law is a ass, a idiot."

The California Constitution says, "A general diffusion of knowledge and intelligence being essential to the preservation of the rights and liberties of the people, the Legislature shall encourage by all suitable means the promotion of intellectual, scientific, moral, and agricultural improvement."

That doesn't appear to rule out homeschooling, unless you read it as a grant of absolute power to politicians.

Admittedly, the education code is vague. It requires children to attend public school or a private school (where certified teachers are not required). But they can also be taught by state-credentialed tutors. Homeschooling is not directly addressed. There's disagreement over what that means. The court and the teachers' union claim homeschooling is illegal unless the teaching parent has state credentials.

I suggest you read the whole thing.

I want to note this morning some news regarding Illinois' school system on the Capitol Fax blog today. The news includes money that should've gone to Pilgrim Baptist Church that instead goes to a school that is housed in that building and that school moved to another building. It's just that this building was supposed to play host to this school until the city of Chicago stopped all interior work because the contractors didn't have the required approvals or permits. The building is now in foreclosure.

Also a feud between the Governor and a north side state representative. I saw a press release yesterday by Rep. John Fritchey decrying the fact that Governor Blagojevich is holding up funds for schools in Fritchey's district. Even worse however is that the governor resides in Fritchey's district. Consider this an extension of the fight Blagojevich seems to have with the Illinois House of Representatives. Perhaps even by extension Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan.

Also, the IL House of Representatives wants to retake control of the State Board or Education. Before Rod became Governor it was said to be an independent body but at some point during Blagojevich's administration the state legislature allow the Governor take it over. It's a good idea in theory to give the board some political muscle by being under the governor's office, however...

...he has used it as a parking place for political appointees and forced it to bow to his bidding. The Board won’t challenge the governor on school funding, even this year when Blagojevich’s funding proposal represented the smallest increase of his entire time in office.

The General Assembly isn't in fact wrestling control away from Blagojevich, but they are making an attempt to remake the board by throwing out the current members and taking away his power of appointment. That is they will nominate the possible appointees and the governor must pick from this pool.

Wow with this disarray and especially if I lived in Fritchey's district I'll have to admit this would make me want to homeschool my kids. Unfortunately it has been ruled out in California that parents don't have that right. Teacher's union are using a technicality, no credentials, to oppose homeschooling. It almost sounds like they feel like they would be out of a job if not all kids partake in compulsory education. Or at least choose not to attend public schools.

At least read the rest of this column by John Stossel and give me your thoughts.

From Flickr...

I've been on Flickr for the better part of a full month actively uploading my photos for you guys to see. Now I want to show you what I like to see at Flickr. I'm giving you guys my favorite images from there as well as some of my favorite photosets.

Oh yes I seemed to have been regularly posting pictures everyday if you've been paying attention. For right now however I've hit the limit I'm going to limit how many I'll upload. Perhaps I'll upload at least 6 pictures every month. This time they just won't be from Chicago now that I'm back at school. The pictures will be more diverse.

My favorites from Flickr.

My favorite photosets

• Pilgrim Baptist Church fire
• Englewood Stories
• Urban Notebook
• Millions More Movement
• Chicago Trip Summer 2005
• 63rd Street Bath House on the South Side of Chicago