Speaker 1: I'm a Cape Verdian living in America. My family made
Speaker 1: sacrifices so I could have this life, and it was
Speaker 1: from my family stories that I first learned of our
Speaker 1: history with sweet Daddy Grace. In short, my family isn't
Speaker 1: particularly so enthused about.
Speaker 2: Our connection to him.
Speaker 1: They would prefer to keep their distance from this charismatic
Speaker 1: and controversial preacher. My aunt Judy remembers some of the
Speaker 1: things her grandfather, Nola Locke said about Bishop Grace.
Speaker 3: He did say that originally that Daddy Grace he felt
Speaker 3: he was legit, that he was a legitimate, a man
Speaker 3: of the word, But then somewhere down the line he
Speaker 3: went off that and became cultish.
Speaker 1: This feeling of distrust continued through the generations.
Speaker 4: My parents, you know, they had nothing to do with
Speaker 4: him or his so called religion. Strangely enough, my father's
Speaker 4: first cousins were followers of Daddy Grace, and there were
Speaker 4: stories that were told. Whether they were true or not,
Speaker 4: I don't know, but my father said that one of
Speaker 4: his cousins was told that she was an angel, and
Speaker 4: she was at church and she decided to jump off
Speaker 4: the platform, and in so doing fell and broke her wrist.
Speaker 1: But when I heard these stories about him, it had
Speaker 1: the opposite effect.
Speaker 2: They just made me.
Speaker 1: More curious and I needed to know more. So I
Speaker 1: booked a flight to Charlotte in the midst of a
Speaker 1: hurricane to attend the House of Prayer's annual convocation. It's
Speaker 1: the church's biggest celebration, so what a perfect time for
Speaker 1: me to get to know the church from the inside.
Speaker 1: I'm Marcy de Pena and from iHeart Podcasts, Enforce and
Speaker 1: Media group. This is sweet Daddy, Grace.
Speaker 5: Good, glad for being happy, Power, You're glad, Ahamada, are happy,
Speaker 5: down and cried.
Speaker 6: We're b.
Speaker 1: I am in the parking lot of the Charlotte Mother
Speaker 1: House of the United House of Prayer for All People.
Speaker 1: The convocation starts today. I actually feel a little nervous.
Speaker 1: I'm not sure why. I'm trying to remember actually the
Speaker 1: last time I was in church. It's been a while.
Speaker 1: My relationship to organized religion, like many people's, is a
Speaker 1: bit complicated. My father completely distanced himself from his strict
Speaker 1: Church of the Nazarene upbringing. My mother, on the other hand,
Speaker 1: was a C and E Catholic, that's a Christmas and
Speaker 1: Eastern Catholic. My parents and I, we didn't talk a
Speaker 1: lot about church. Instead, my mother taught me all about astrology.
Speaker 1: She instructed me in the power of plant medicine. She
Speaker 1: gave me an education in the power of music. Those
Speaker 1: became my church. Also, as a Cape Verdean, I've always
Speaker 1: worn a sabichi or quante d I old you, a
Speaker 1: bead that protects you from evil spirits.
Speaker 2: We have a lot of spiritual practices and.
Speaker 1: Rituals that have nothing to do with Christianity, but are
Speaker 1: also not in conflict with it. There has always been
Speaker 1: an awareness of this spirit world, our ancestors, and the
Speaker 1: power of words and manifestation, And for as long as
Speaker 1: I can remember, I've had intuitive, lucid dreams.
Speaker 2: My mother shared this gift.
Speaker 1: While we may not have gone to church, she and
Speaker 1: I often spoke about our inseparable connections to spirit. In
Speaker 1: other words, we talked that hippie shit. So you can
Speaker 1: imagine my surprise when, while I was in third grade,
Speaker 1: my mother and stepfather chose to become born again Christians.
Speaker 1: They got saved, and let me just say, that opened
Speaker 1: up a whole other world. That's when we started going
Speaker 1: to revivals and services one hot summer day, we attended
Speaker 1: a big tent revival in Boston. It was led by
Speaker 1: a Nigerian pastor. I remember the feeling of the humid
Speaker 1: air and the sound of the bugs and the throb
Speaker 1: of life that children are particularly attuned to. The tent
Speaker 1: was large and packed to the brim. My family and
Speaker 1: I we were seated in the middle. There was a
Speaker 1: band upfront. The music was operating on high vibration. You
Speaker 1: could feel the energy thrilled through the crowd. I could
Speaker 1: feel the frequency pulsating throughout my little body too. When
Speaker 1: the music calmed and the pastor spoke, I felt the
Speaker 1: spirit moving through her.
Speaker 2: I was riveted. I was enraptured.
Speaker 1: She made the call asking if anyone wanted to be saved.
Speaker 1: I did not hesitate. I popped up out of my
Speaker 1: seat and walked up to the front of the sanctuary
Speaker 1: as fast as my little legs could get me there.
Speaker 1: I stood there before everybody in this packed tent, the
Speaker 1: only child in a line of adults and teens. We
Speaker 1: were calm and ready. The pastor walked down the line
Speaker 1: asking us to accept Jesus into our hearts as our
Speaker 1: Lord and savior. When the pastor got to me. She
Speaker 1: reached down and touched my forehead and I fell out.
Speaker 1: When I got back up, I felt like a different person.
Speaker 1: When I got back to my seat, my mother told
Speaker 1: me that I had been speaking in tongues. I don't
Speaker 1: think my eight year old self knew how to articulate
Speaker 1: what I'd experienced, but it felt like a profound light
Speaker 1: had washed over me, and I knew in that moment,
Speaker 1: without a single doubt in my tiny little body, I
Speaker 1: had spiritual gifts. From that point on, the church and
Speaker 1: our faith became a big part of our lives. We
Speaker 1: attended multiple services a week. We went to Bible study
Speaker 1: and pot luck dinners. My mom was a music minister
Speaker 1: and I sang in the choir. It was our community.
Speaker 1: It felt like every day I was doing something related
Speaker 1: to church.
Speaker 2: And let me tell you, the rules were strict.
Speaker 1: For one, we weren't allowed to listen to secular music,
Speaker 1: and I loved Prince, so this was a serious conflict.
Speaker 1: I couldn't dress up anymore on Halloween, that was a
Speaker 1: demonic holiday. We were expected to only hang out with
Speaker 1: other church goers. It didn't matter that I was a kid,
Speaker 1: I had my spiritual life to consider. We were constantly
Speaker 1: repenting for our sins. We stayed ready for Jesus's return
Speaker 1: in the rapture. But as I reached adolescence, I began
Speaker 1: to read and study Black in African history, and my
Speaker 1: curiosity about spirituality expanded. I learned more about traditional African
Speaker 1: spiritual practices and recognized many beliefs and customs that were
Speaker 1: also part of Cape Verdean culture. I also came to
Speaker 1: know the influence of Islam, Buddhism, and other systems of
Speaker 1: mysticism and thought, like numerology, and my passion for astrology,
Speaker 1: something I had given up since my conversion, was reignited.
Speaker 1: All that I learned challenged the notion that there was
Speaker 1: only one true religion and if you weren't saved, you
Speaker 1: were going to Hell soon enough, though, I moved away
Speaker 1: to go to college, and like so many other first
Speaker 1: year college students, that pretty much marked the end of
Speaker 1: my church going days. All of this was swirling around
Speaker 1: inside of me when I parked my car outside the
Speaker 1: United House of Prayer in Charlotte, North Carolina. Meanwhile, at
Speaker 1: the same time, Hurricane Ian, a hurricane that began in
Speaker 1: the Atlantic waters surrounding Kabovid was heading into town. Both
Speaker 1: inside of me and outside, a storm was gathering. Six
Speaker 1: years had passed since the last time I stepped inside
Speaker 1: of a church. I didn't know what was going to happen.
Speaker 1: Would I feel the presence of God? Would it feel
Speaker 1: like a coat?
Speaker 2: Or worse?
Speaker 1: What if I felt nothing at all? I once heard
Speaker 1: a story. Daddy Grace never intended to live in the
Speaker 1: United States. He only meant to come here seasonally, do
Speaker 1: some work, and return to Kabovid with fresh coin in
Speaker 1: his pockets. This was long before he was known as
Speaker 1: Sweet Daddy Grace. He was happy on his home island
Speaker 1: of Brava, where he was already al vocal celebrity. Young
Speaker 1: Marcellino Manuel de Grasa was known for his storytelling abilities.
Speaker 2: People would come.
Speaker 1: From around the island to hear him tell folk tales.
Speaker 1: He was determined to stay in Brava right up until
Speaker 1: God told him this wasn't an option. To convey this message,
Speaker 1: God turned to fire one day out of nowhere, Marcellino's
Speaker 1: hair started burning. He immediately knew it was God speaking
Speaker 1: to him. God told him that if he did not
Speaker 1: go to America and spread the word, he would have
Speaker 1: no hair left. Marcellino had no choice. In nineteen oh four,
Speaker 1: he left cabuverd and he'd never return. Weeks later he
Speaker 1: arrived in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It may have eased the
Speaker 1: transition that much of his family was in fact already there,
Speaker 1: including his brother Joseph, who had founded a church. And
Speaker 1: still thinking, probably about his burning hair, he began to
Speaker 1: look for a place to worship. Cape Verdeans were unwelcome
Speaker 1: in the local Portuguese Catholic church, so he explored the
Speaker 1: area's Protestant churches, including his brothers. As Marcelino Manuel de
Speaker 1: Grasa settled into life in America, he began to carve
Speaker 1: out a new identity for himself. First step a new name.
Speaker 1: His new last name, Grace, was simply a translation of
Speaker 1: the Grasa from Portuguese to English. He kept his middle
Speaker 1: name Manuel, but for his new first name, he dreamed
Speaker 1: big Charles, the King of Portugal, the colonial ruler of
Speaker 1: Capoved was named Carlos. The root of Charles it means freeman.
Speaker 1: Daddy Grace was writing his story, so Charles Manuel Grace
Speaker 1: attended church service.
Speaker 2: After church service.
Speaker 1: Pentecostal Baptist, Methodist studying the Bible and sometimes even preaching
Speaker 1: at his brother's chapel.
Speaker 2: He was searching for a church that spoke to his soul.
Speaker 1: He also got married to a Cape Verdian woman named Jeanie.
Speaker 1: They had a daughter, Irene and a son, Norman, but
Speaker 1: the marriage was rocky, and shortly after Norman was born,
Speaker 1: Daddy Grace left the family. According to him, his wife
Speaker 1: Genie was not cut out for the spiritual life. She however,
Speaker 1: said that their discord was because Daddy Grace was paying
Speaker 1: attention to another woman. Whatever the reason for the demise
Speaker 1: of their relationship, it set Charles M. Grace on a
Speaker 1: new path, a journey to find a church where he
Speaker 1: could fulfill the mission that God sent him to complete,
Speaker 1: to spread the Gospel in America and save souls. Finally,
Speaker 1: one day he found his religion. Quite literally, he decided
Speaker 1: to found his own religion. In nineteen nineteen, Charles Grace
Speaker 1: founded a church in West Wareham, Massachusetts. He dubbed it
Speaker 1: the United House of Prayer for All People and gave
Speaker 1: himself the title of Bishop. Just two years later, he
Speaker 1: opened a second church in New Bedford. He joined the
Speaker 1: growing African American Holiness Pentecostal movement sweeping across the country.
Speaker 1: Black people in America were looking for liberation and hope.
Speaker 1: But this was not just a time of spiritual awakening
Speaker 1: among Black Americans. It was also a time of religious change.
Speaker 1: In the wake of World War One and the ravages
Speaker 1: of the Spanish flu, people were hungry for a spiritual
Speaker 1: message that could sustain their souls. It was the time
Speaker 1: of charismatic pastors, itinerant preachers, and the radio evangelists like
Speaker 1: Amy Simple McPherson and Billie Sunday. Through the power of
Speaker 1: mass communication, they broadcast their messages far beyond the tent
Speaker 1: poles of the revivals. So Bishop Grace took his church
Speaker 1: on the road, heading south along the Eastern seaboard. By
Speaker 1: nineteen twenty three, he made his first trip in what
Speaker 1: he called a gospel car. Daddy Grace didn't invent this idea.
Speaker 1: Other preachers before him had traveled in special cars. What
Speaker 1: Daddy Grace did was take the gospel car to another level.
Speaker 1: He plastered his car with Bible verses. He also decorated
Speaker 1: it with enormous signs announcing when he'd be in town.
Speaker 1: There was even a figure on top of the car.
Speaker 1: It was of himself, robed and winged. The man knew
Speaker 1: how to make a memorable appearance. He even ventured overseas,
Speaker 1: spent two months in the Holy Land of Jerusalem, where
Speaker 1: he preached, healed, and converted people. He built a house
Speaker 1: of prayer in Egypt. When he returned to the States,
Speaker 1: he had grown a full beard. Reinvigorated with purpose, Daddy
Speaker 1: Grace got back on the road to continue his mission
Speaker 1: and grow his following in America.
Speaker 6: It is not typical of the time the way he
Speaker 6: was able to expand in an age when communication was
Speaker 6: quite difficult. He would travel with little groups of followers
Speaker 6: and set up this huge experience that turned into a
Speaker 6: new congregation.
Speaker 1: Doctor Marie Dallam is a professor of American religion and
Speaker 1: associate dean at the University of Oklahoma, also the author
Speaker 1: of one of the few published books about Daddy Grace.
Speaker 1: Doctor Dollom has always been particularly impressed by Daddy Grace's
Speaker 1: marketing abilities. For instance, she marvels at his stagecraft. He
Speaker 1: would travel from town to town, careful to send a
Speaker 1: small advanced group ahead of him. They'd typically show up
Speaker 1: armed with musical instruments and loudspeakers. Basically, he invented his
Speaker 1: own version of the hype man.
Speaker 6: They'd find a place to set up the tent, they'd
Speaker 6: do the advertising. They would be the first people at
Speaker 6: the service to make sure that there were exuberant, enthusiastic
Speaker 6: people paying attention.
Speaker 2: This worked for a while, but Daddy Grace had a greater.
Speaker 1: Vision for his church. He became a master of using
Speaker 1: the press to get his message out to bigger and
Speaker 1: bigger crowds. When he'd hit town, Daddy Grace would invite
Speaker 1: local newspaper men to his sermons. He'd also pay for
Speaker 1: ads in the same paper touting his healing abilities and
Speaker 1: his mysterious foreign origins. Sometimes he'd announced that he had
Speaker 1: returned from the Holy Land. Other times he claimed that
Speaker 1: he was from the Holy Land. It worked.
Speaker 2: People came in large numbers.
Speaker 1: They had to know more about this flashy man with
Speaker 1: the gospel car the man who claimed he possessed the
Speaker 1: power to heal and to save them all. Who was
Speaker 1: this sweet Daddy Grace. It's a question that's not easy
Speaker 1: to answer, and this enigma was central to his appeal
Speaker 1: and to his power. He was a pleasing mystery. Daddy
Speaker 1: Grace may have been happy for others to wonder about him,
Speaker 1: but he knew who he was and he acted like it.
Speaker 1: To him, the answer was simple. It was self evident.
Speaker 1: He was God's disciple sent to save America.
Speaker 7: It's part of the whole free market of American religion.
Speaker 7: And he had a product, and he had a message,
Speaker 7: and he had a style, and it was compelling to
Speaker 7: lots of people.
Speaker 1: That's doctor James Fisher, Professor Emeritus of Theology and American
Speaker 1: Studies at Fordham University.
Speaker 7: All the people are skeptical about new religious movements like that.
Speaker 7: People say, oh, it's a cult and that kind of thing, brainwashing,
Speaker 7: But I always point out that you got to get
Speaker 7: people more credit for exercising their own free will.
Speaker 1: Part of what made Daddy Grace so appealing was that
Speaker 1: both what he said in his sermons and how he
Speaker 1: said it offered something to almost everyone.
Speaker 5: You may be black, black as stole, we may be
Speaker 5: white black milk, we may.
Speaker 1: Be rich black, I don't know where going have it.
Speaker 7: For shee God's him. On the one hand, he's really
Speaker 7: in that holiness Pentecostal tradition. But you can't help but
Speaker 7: notice there's elements of Catholic ritual. He has almost a
Speaker 7: Catholic preaching style. So it's a blend, which is everything
Speaker 7: to be back is, it's a blend. He's just really
Speaker 7: relatable for many people I think who are seeking, you know.
Speaker 1: Thinking about it now. The tent revival I attended with
Speaker 1: my parents back in Boston, the one where I spoke
Speaker 1: in tongues, It was probably very similar to Daddy Grace's revivals.
Speaker 1: Joyful praise and powerful music, led by an African immigrant preacher,
Speaker 1: pulling from many traditions, compelling his audience with rolling tones.
Speaker 1: His crowd was hopeful, eagerly awaiting salvation. But Daddy Grace
Speaker 1: wasn't met with open arms everywhere. Some people just trusted
Speaker 1: this mystery, this fluidity. After all, this was the nineteen
Speaker 1: twenties and nineteen thirties, a time of the snake oil salesman,
Speaker 1: of illusionists, of hucksters who were just in it for
Speaker 1: the money.
Speaker 8: He comes out on the religious scene in the late twenties.
Speaker 8: This whole jack leg preacher debate going on in American culture,
Speaker 8: where you get things like that Charlatan preacher who goes
Speaker 8: from city to city, town to town and robs the people,
Speaker 8: promises them all these fantastic things.
Speaker 1: That's Xavier Sivell's. He's a doctoral student at Mississippi State studying,
Speaker 1: among other things, African American history, including the intersection of race, class,
Speaker 1: sexual identity, and gender.
Speaker 8: And I think those are the things that people stuck to,
Speaker 8: you know, and maybe that's how we get interesting stories.
Speaker 1: Xavier is familiar with these stories about Daddy Grace. He's
Speaker 1: even heard some of them from his own grandmother, whose
Speaker 1: parents were members of the House of Prayer in Norfolk, Virginia.
Speaker 8: My grandmother used to tell this story about she had
Speaker 8: heard from her parents that he went out on the
Speaker 8: James River and had set up some sort of contraction
Speaker 8: to where it looked like he was walking on water,
Speaker 8: and people were amazed, like, oh, my goodness, crisis returned
Speaker 8: to the figure of Daddy Grace.
Speaker 1: I've actually seen footage of this, at least a version
Speaker 1: of it. It's from an old newsreel, the kind that
Speaker 1: they used to play in a theater before a movie.
Speaker 7: Rolled up to date with an amphibious jeep.
Speaker 5: The pictures of Negro baptism with Newport News, Virginia are
Speaker 5: here again. Bishop Grace conducting his annual setimony of salvation.
Speaker 3: Total immersion is the.
Speaker 5: Older of the day.
Speaker 1: He wasn't walking on water, per se. He was seated
Speaker 1: in this kind of white boat like vehicle, except it
Speaker 1: had wheels and a convertible roof. On the side of
Speaker 1: the car, there was a painted message, Grace's Gospel must
Speaker 1: go over the land and sea, which it did. The
Speaker 1: car drives down into the water and then starts floating. Honestly,
Speaker 1: it's still pretty cool to see, But Daddy Grace isn't
Speaker 1: pretending to walk on water. He's seated baptizing people. It
Speaker 1: kind of seems like he just didn't want to get wet.
Speaker 1: But I can imagine how it might have looked a
Speaker 1: car that drives into the water and then Daddy Grace
Speaker 1: is out there baptizing the congregation. It's powerful imagery. Xavier
Speaker 1: can see that too. As the story gets told and retold,
Speaker 1: as it's passed down, how many of the details change.
Speaker 1: We've all played the game of telephone, right.
Speaker 8: My grandmother heard this from her parents, who were illiterate,
Speaker 8: who had friends who were illiterate, and you know, they
Speaker 8: just saw this happening. What didn't mean for him to
Speaker 8: be in a bigious vehicle, probably did feel like he
Speaker 8: was walking on water, right. I'm interested in how he's
Speaker 8: perceived by people because I think that's a huge.
Speaker 1: Part of the mystery perception. That's an interesting concept. Here's
Speaker 1: an example. In the early days of the United House
Speaker 1: of Prayer, Daddy Grace was doing a lot of healing.
Speaker 1: It was a big part of his message and a
Speaker 1: main draw. He practiced the act of laying hands on
Speaker 1: his parishioners, offering blessings, prayers, and the transmission of spiritual energy. People,
Speaker 1: mostly African Americans, flocked from near and far to marvel
Speaker 1: at his services. He was selling something that money couldn't buy. Sometimes,
Speaker 1: after he touched someone, that person might joelt having caught
Speaker 1: the spirit. But there was a rumor going around that
Speaker 1: actually Daddy Grace wore a battery powered electric belt under
Speaker 1: his shirt to physically shock people. Daddy Grace had an
Speaker 1: answer to this during a sermon in Wilmington, Delaware. He
Speaker 1: put his hand on his belly and he said, brethren,
Speaker 1: that's no battery. You know what that is.
Speaker 2: That's chicken.
Speaker 1: He then added, addressing the doubters even more pointedly, if
Speaker 1: you believe, then I'm right. Then to you, I'm right.
Speaker 1: If you believe that I'm wrong, then to you, I'm wrong.
Speaker 1: I am what I am. It is hard to prove
Speaker 1: whether or not Daddy Grace himself healed anyone. But in
Speaker 1: a time where hope and faith were means of survival,
Speaker 1: he gave his parishioners something to believe in. And if
Speaker 1: he offered hope, if their faith was there, does it
Speaker 1: actually matter how they were healed?
Speaker 8: So for me, the service is always had me hooked.
Speaker 1: That's Xavier again.
Speaker 8: They always had me wanting to go back to the
Speaker 8: next one or trying to somehow be around it. Every Sunday,
Speaker 8: especially when the bishop would come into town for the
Speaker 8: church's convocation season. You know, everyone shows up and you know,
Speaker 8: to be at this large church where it's standing room only,
Speaker 8: and it's an experience and I'd never seen anything like it.
Speaker 8: There's nothing that compares to it. A lot of people
Speaker 8: criticize the church for better or worse, but their faith
Speaker 8: is real, like you can feel it.
Speaker 1: Daddy Grace started the tradition of convocation in the United
Speaker 1: House of Prayer nearly one hundred years ago. It's still
Speaker 1: a big event traveling the country, going strong. Last year,
Speaker 1: it lasted for twelve weeks and went to twelve different cities.
Speaker 2: People book their hotel.
Speaker 1: Rooms months out and everything calledmates in Charlotte. Members come
Speaker 1: from all around the country to attend the Grand Finale,
Speaker 1: which has a huge parade, banned competitions, a closing sermon
Speaker 1: from the bishop, and a massive baptism. It's like a
Speaker 1: giant family reunion. Convocation is in many ways reminiscent of
Speaker 1: the types of religious celebrations that take place in Kabalvid,
Speaker 1: Saint Dave celebrations, Christmas, New Year's and even funerals end
Speaker 1: with giant processions through the street. There are decorated floats, horses,
Speaker 1: a king, queen and a royal court, and of course
Speaker 1: music heavy on the drums and horns, leading everyone to
Speaker 1: the church for dancing, food, and naturally more music. This
Speaker 1: influence is evident in the United House of Prayers convocations.
Speaker 1: In nineteen forty seven, The Charlotte Observer featured a lengthy
Speaker 1: article on that year's parade, which was believed to be
Speaker 1: one of the city's largest at that time. It describes
Speaker 1: boys selling peanuts and sodas to thousands of spectators lining
Speaker 1: the streets of Charlotte. It was vibrant, colorful, with Grace
Speaker 1: Flower girls dressed in white, gray, soul hunters in orange
Speaker 1: and green, and the Grace Jubilee Choir in blue ropes.
Speaker 1: Most people walk the route, but the lucky ones rode
Speaker 1: in or on one of the trucks, cars or horses
Speaker 1: decorated with red, white and blue streamers. One boy even
Speaker 1: danced a few steps of the Jitterbug on top of
Speaker 1: a horse, which the crowd apparently loved, and naturally, Daddy
Speaker 1: Grace made his own entrance. He arrived towards the back
Speaker 1: of the parade in a red, white and blue amphibious jeep.
Speaker 1: He was seated on a throne of sheets and pillows,
Speaker 1: attendants by a side. I may have been a little
Speaker 1: nervous about going to the church, but I was excited
Speaker 1: to experience convocation for myself. But if I'm going to
Speaker 1: be honest, the first thing I did when I got
Speaker 1: to Charlotte was go to the House of Prayer kitchen.
Speaker 1: I was curious to see if the food was going
Speaker 1: to taste like it did when I was a kid
Speaker 1: back in New Bedford. I don't know what to expect
Speaker 1: now with the convocation but I'm excited and I'm looking
Speaker 1: forward to it. And now I'm about to get into
Speaker 1: this food. I cannot wait. I got fried whiting with steam, cabbage,
Speaker 1: mac and cheese, and some corn bread. I put some
Speaker 1: hot sauce on it already. Oh my god, this is
Speaker 1: really like bringing me back to being a kid. It's
Speaker 1: so good. I love how food speaks to the spirit.
Speaker 1: Similar to music. Food is literal sustenance. It's this way
Speaker 1: to build and support one's community, to grow strong bodies
Speaker 1: and minds with souls to match. This, of course, was
Speaker 1: the wisdom the Black Panthers used for their free breakfast program.
Speaker 1: They knew that food rebuilds what's broken, it tends to
Speaker 1: what ales. Sweet Daddy Grace understood this as well, the
Speaker 1: power of food, especially as a Cape Verdean where starvation
Speaker 1: was a reality for so many. His church kitchen doors
Speaker 1: were open to anyone who was hungry, even if they couldn't.
Speaker 2: Afford to eat.
Speaker 1: It was also a great business model to earn income
Speaker 1: for the church and to employ members of the congregation.
Speaker 1: Tasting this food once again in Charlotte brought me back
Speaker 1: to the feeling of community my neighborhood growing up the
Speaker 1: comfort of home.
Speaker 2: Plus it's so damn delicious. That helps too.
Speaker 1: They must have like a special recipe that they use
Speaker 1: for the breading on this. It's so good. All right now,
Speaker 1: I gotta try the corn bramm.
Speaker 3: Wow.
Speaker 1: You guys can't see me, but I'm doing the food dance,
Speaker 1: sweet Daddy Grace. I was baptized in the ocean, probably
Speaker 1: even in the same waters where Daddy Grace baptized his
Speaker 1: new Bedford followers. For me, as a Cape Verdean, the
Speaker 1: ocean is a place that I go to care for myself. Really,
Speaker 1: just water in general, whether it's the ocean or even
Speaker 1: taking a shower, it's symbolic of washing away whatever, whatever
Speaker 1: you're feeling, whatever you want to release. I imagine that
Speaker 1: Daddy Grace felt similarly, and I imagine for him a
Speaker 1: baptism was a very holy act, a form of communion
Speaker 1: with the spirit. The press loved to cover Daddy Grace's baptisms,
Speaker 1: where thousands and thousands of people might come out to
Speaker 1: watch him in his element.
Speaker 2: Here's doctor Dollam again.
Speaker 6: Daddy Grace did like to do big public baptismal events.
Speaker 6: He would do them in rivers or lakes. He would
Speaker 6: build pools baptismal pools at his churches.
Speaker 1: Daddy Grace was on a mission to save as many
Speaker 1: souls as needed saving, but in cities like New York, Baltimore,
Speaker 1: and Detroit, it was difficult to access bodies of water
Speaker 1: large enough to accommodate the crowds. Daddy Grace had to
Speaker 1: get creative. He focused on what water he and his
Speaker 1: people did have access to from the fire highth drends.
Speaker 6: Fire hose baptisms were much more controversial because they're so
Speaker 6: reminiscent of anti black violence committed by law enforcement in
Speaker 6: the Civil Rights era, but even before the Civil Rights era.
Speaker 6: So there's this kind of why would you choose that
Speaker 6: mechanism to baptize people? And I don't know the answer
Speaker 6: to that, but again, it got impressed, It got him attention.
Speaker 6: It's certainly a spectacular kind of event.
Speaker 1: There's not a lot of footage of Daddy Grace preaching,
Speaker 1: but I've watched some of the clips of the baptisms,
Speaker 1: and doctor Dollam is right, they're really an event. There'd
Speaker 1: often be thousands of spectators there watching hundreds of people,
Speaker 1: all dressed in white, prepared to be baptized. By Daddy Grace,
Speaker 1: but as doctor Dollam also mentioned, not all the attention
Speaker 1: around these baptisms was good. In nineteen twenty six, during
Speaker 1: a baptism at a lake near Charlotte, one of his
Speaker 1: aides began to struggle in the water. Daddy Grace tried
Speaker 1: to save the man, but the man drowned. According to
Speaker 1: the newspapers, Daddy Grace, seeing that there were so many
Speaker 1: people waiting to be baptized, went back in the water
Speaker 1: to finish his work, seemingly unworried.
Speaker 6: Did he know someone had drowned one hundred feet over there?
Speaker 7: Maybe?
Speaker 1: Maybe not.
Speaker 6: There was also this interesting component that it seems like
Speaker 6: he continued baptizing even though there had been a tragedy
Speaker 6: that took place, which I cannot make sense of. I
Speaker 6: almost wonder if the story is not quite true in
Speaker 6: the way it has been reported, because who would do that?
Speaker 1: Like doctor Dollam, I'm also a little confused by this
Speaker 1: story what really happened. Daddy Grace's own response to the tragedy,
Speaker 1: at least what was quoted in the newspapers, doesn't really
Speaker 1: clear anything up. He tells the press that he thought
Speaker 1: quote it was good for the man, it was a
Speaker 1: beautiful way to die, don't you think so? He was
Speaker 1: working for the glory of heaven. One thing does seem true.
Speaker 1: Daddy Grace was really good at taking a positive spin
Speaker 1: on things. At his core, he really understood the power
Speaker 1: of marketing. From the way he dressed to how he traveled,
Speaker 1: to what he said and what he said or did,
Speaker 1: and especially what people thought he.
Speaker 2: Said or did.
Speaker 1: It didn't always correspond with what people expected a preacher
Speaker 1: to be doing or wearing or saying. Add to that mix,
Speaker 1: a black man who seemed unafraid of anything in his path,
Speaker 1: who didn't mind a little pageantry, and whose message and
Speaker 1: methods were attracting followers at a really high rate, well
Speaker 1: you're going to.
Speaker 2: Have some controversy.
Speaker 1: Daddy Grace was driven by his belief in God and
Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit, and the people who heard him they
Speaker 1: felt this. His empire of faith grew quickly. But you
Speaker 1: have to remember he was preaching to integrated crowds, openly
Speaker 1: ignoring segregation rules. He was arrested several times for violating
Speaker 1: segregation laws. And this was in the Jim Crow South,
Speaker 1: a truly dangerous time and place for a black man
Speaker 1: in America, especially a black man with power, influence, and
Speaker 1: growing wealth. Just a few years prior, in nineteen nineteen,
Speaker 1: white mobs had brutally attacked and murdered hundreds and hundreds
Speaker 1: of black people across the country in what became known
Speaker 1: as the Red Summer, And in nineteen twenty one, the
Speaker 1: tall Al Race Massacre destroyed the prosperous black business district
Speaker 1: and residential neighborhood of Greenwood and killed as many as
Speaker 1: three hundred people. Daddy Grace, no doubt was aware of
Speaker 1: the risks he faced. He was certainly aware of the
Speaker 1: ascendant dominance of the klu Klux Klan. By the early
Speaker 1: nineteen twenties, there were millions of enrolled members of the
Speaker 1: newly revived KKK. Men in white hoods would show up
Speaker 1: at his services, and there are numerous accounts of the
Speaker 1: clan's attempts to scare him off and chase him out
Speaker 1: of town. But Bishop Grace couldn't be scared off. And
Speaker 1: I wonder if his unwillingness to shrink from bigotry earned
Speaker 1: him greater respect and reverence in the eyes of his followers.
Speaker 1: I went to Charlotte because I wanted to experience Daddy
Speaker 1: Grace's Church for myself during the most vibrant time convocation.
Speaker 1: I also thought, as a non member, it might be
Speaker 1: easier for me to blend in in such a big crowd.
Speaker 1: Charlotte is home to one of the largest congregations in
Speaker 1: the country, and of the nine churches which are called houses,
Speaker 1: none is greater than the Mother House. It's an impressive building.
Speaker 1: The main sanctuary fits a couple thousand people, and it
Speaker 1: has a splendid baptismal pool. The entrance is huge, with
Speaker 1: white doors and two statues of lions flanking the stairs.
Speaker 1: Tall golden steeples reached to the sky. It's a serious place,
Speaker 1: a magnificent place, but a serious place.
Speaker 2: Here's a confession.
Speaker 1: I've been familiar with Daddy Grace for most of my life,
Speaker 1: the legends, his legacy, the food. But I've never attended
Speaker 1: a single service, never even stepped inside the sanctuary. My
Speaker 1: family always told me it was forbidden to enter. Here's
Speaker 1: another thing. I almost didn't make it to Charlotte. My
Speaker 1: trip happened to coincide with Hurricane Ian, and I was
Speaker 1: certain it'd be canceled. But now here I was in
Speaker 1: the parking lot looking up at the doors of the motherhouse.
Speaker 1: Hearing the last of the rain splatter against the roof
Speaker 1: of my car, I was glad I'd arrived, but I
Speaker 1: also felt like I was doing something taboo, something my
Speaker 1: family would not approve of. Despite the bright red thread
Speaker 1: of doubt running through me, I knew I had to
Speaker 1: find out for myself.
Speaker 2: I had to get closer to Daddy Grace.
Speaker 1: So I reached for the door handle with one hard yank,
Speaker 1: tugged it open, and I stepped inside. It's probably pretty
Speaker 1: obvious I'm not from here, so it was interesting to
Speaker 1: have people ask me, you know, like, hey, who are
Speaker 1: you and what are you doing here? And I explained
Speaker 1: that I was visiting. I'm from New Jersey, but I
Speaker 1: grew up in Massachusetts and New Bedford and that, you know,
Speaker 1: Daddy Grace is one of my ancestors. And the woman
Speaker 1: I was talking to, she was just like, we, you know,
Speaker 1: have to have a special seat for you at the convocation.
Speaker 1: We're going to have you sit right up in front.
Speaker 1: And I'm like, oh my god, you know, like, wow, okay,
Speaker 1: that's a lot, but okay, it's just I was just like,
Speaker 1: what did I just get myself into? And then a
Speaker 1: few of the other folks came out and they started
Speaker 1: kind of whispering, Oh my God, welcome, and they were like,
Speaker 1: you even look like Daddy Grace, Like we can tell
Speaker 1: you're his family. My first time ever in a house
Speaker 1: of prayer, I was treated as family. I was welcomed
Speaker 1: in as a grace. That stirred something inside of me,
Speaker 1: something I couldn't stop thinking about even after the service ended.
Speaker 1: Like as many mysteries, this one is mine or perhaps
Speaker 1: it is ours to share. So it is now almost
Speaker 1: four o'clock. I feel completely overwhelmed emotionally. The church service
Speaker 1: was actually really soul filling and you know, hearing words
Speaker 1: I needed to hear, feeling music that really moves me. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I danced, I cried, I got my hands as saying
Speaker 1: long and I did feel the spirit move in that place,
Speaker 1: which was pretty incredible. I felt the love, I felt
Speaker 1: the goodness. I've spent a lot of time with Daddy Grace,
Speaker 1: especially if you consider that he died twenty years before
Speaker 1: I was born. The man has been a presence in
Speaker 1: my life, from overhearing those family whispers as a kid
Speaker 1: to now outside of his church in Charlotte on that
Speaker 1: blustery fall day. The last of the hurricane passed overhead
Speaker 1: in the end, more of a rainstorm than a catastrophic landfall.
Speaker 1: I sat by myself in my car, trying to make
Speaker 1: sense of what I felt, what I'd experienced. I came
Speaker 1: to convocation, not knowing what to expect, anxious about what
Speaker 1: I might experience in the church, but being here, I think.
Speaker 2: I get it.
Speaker 1: I feel Daddy Grace's presence, his light, and his love
Speaker 1: in the church, in the city, in the hurricane itself.
Speaker 1: One of my favorite quotes from Daddy Grace is when
Speaker 1: he says I.
Speaker 2: Came from the land beyond the sea. I understand that quote.
Speaker 2: I could have said that quote myself.
Speaker 1: Now, having finally set foot inside and seeing his church
Speaker 1: for myself, experiencing the music and once again tasting the food,
Speaker 1: I felt much closer to Daddy Grace, even more connected,
Speaker 1: if not by blood, then most definitely by spirit. But
Speaker 1: I couldn't help to still feel conflicted, still not understanding
Speaker 1: the disdain my family had for this man. I believe
Speaker 1: Daddy Grace was driven to serve and spread God's word.
Speaker 1: That was his mission, and I felt that in Charlotte,
Speaker 1: But not everyone feels the same way. That's next time.
Speaker 1: Sweet Daddy Grace is a production of iHeart Podcasts and Force,
Speaker 1: a Media group. This show is hosted by Me Marcy Depina.
Speaker 1: It's written and produced by Marissa Brown and Me. Our
Speaker 1: story editors are Darryl Stewart, Duncan Riedel, and Zarren Burnett. Editing,
Speaker 1: sound design and theme music by Jonathan Washington. Original music
Speaker 1: by Enrique Silva of Acasia Mayor. Show cover art by
Speaker 1: Viviana Salgado of Studio Creative Group. Fact checking by Austin Thompson.
Speaker 1: Our executive producers are Marcy Depina and Jason English. Special
Speaker 1: thanks to Will Pearson, Nikki Ettore, Ali Perry, Tamika Campbell,
Speaker 1: and Lulu Phillip of iHeartMedia and all of my family
Speaker 1: members who talked to me for this show, my ancestors,
Speaker 1: the United House of Prayer for All People, and the
Speaker 1: countless number of people who shared their memories of Sweet
Speaker 1: Daddy Grace with me. Thanks also to doctor Marie Dollam
Speaker 1: and doctor Danielle brun Sigler, whose academic work on Sweet
Speaker 1: Daddy Grace has been incredibly helpful. And finally, I want
Speaker 1: to thank Bishop Grace himself for choosing me to tell
Speaker 1: his story. For more information on Bishop Charles M. Grace,
Speaker 1: check out the website Sweet Daddy Grace and follow me
Speaker 1: at Marcy Depina on all social platforms