WEBVTT - I Came From the Land Beyond the Sea 0:00:06.920 --> 0:00:10.480 I'm a Cape Verdian living in America. My family made 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:13.920 sacrifices so I could have this life, and it was 0:00:14.000 --> 0:00:17.280 from my family stories that I first learned of our 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:21.640 history with sweet Daddy Grace. In short, my family isn't 0:00:21.640 --> 0:00:23.959 particularly so enthused about. 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:24.800 Our connection to him. 0:00:25.760 --> 0:00:29.280 They would prefer to keep their distance from this charismatic 0:00:29.440 --> 0:00:34.519 and controversial preacher. My aunt Judy remembers some of the 0:00:34.560 --> 0:00:39.000 things her grandfather, Nola Locke said about Bishop Grace. 0:00:40.640 --> 0:00:44.680 He did say that originally that Daddy Grace he felt 0:00:44.760 --> 0:00:47.520 he was legit, that he was a legitimate, a man 0:00:47.600 --> 0:00:50.559 of the word, But then somewhere down the line he 0:00:51.479 --> 0:00:54.720 went off that and became cultish. 0:00:55.440 --> 0:00:59.840 This feeling of distrust continued through the generations. 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:02.960 My parents, you know, they had nothing to do with 0:01:03.760 --> 0:01:08.640 him or his so called religion. Strangely enough, my father's 0:01:09.360 --> 0:01:15.040 first cousins were followers of Daddy Grace, and there were 0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:17.360 stories that were told. Whether they were true or not, 0:01:17.480 --> 0:01:20.720 I don't know, but my father said that one of 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:25.399 his cousins was told that she was an angel, and 0:01:25.560 --> 0:01:29.759 she was at church and she decided to jump off 0:01:29.920 --> 0:01:34.000 the platform, and in so doing fell and broke her wrist. 0:01:34.720 --> 0:01:37.720 But when I heard these stories about him, it had 0:01:37.720 --> 0:01:38.800 the opposite effect. 0:01:39.360 --> 0:01:40.319 They just made me. 0:01:40.280 --> 0:01:44.200 More curious and I needed to know more. So I 0:01:44.240 --> 0:01:47.240 booked a flight to Charlotte in the midst of a 0:01:47.319 --> 0:01:52.640 hurricane to attend the House of Prayer's annual convocation. It's 0:01:52.680 --> 0:01:56.600 the church's biggest celebration, so what a perfect time for 0:01:56.720 --> 0:02:00.160 me to get to know the church from the inside. 0:02:01.600 --> 0:02:05.040 I'm Marcy de Pena and from iHeart Podcasts, Enforce and 0:02:05.120 --> 0:02:08.320 Media group. This is sweet Daddy, Grace. 0:02:11.600 --> 0:02:44.959 Good, glad for being happy, Power, You're glad, Ahamada, are happy, 0:02:45.120 --> 0:02:46.280 down and cried. 0:02:47.040 --> 0:02:47.360 We're b. 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:03.200 I am in the parking lot of the Charlotte Mother 0:03:03.320 --> 0:03:05.760 House of the United House of Prayer for All People. 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:11.560 The convocation starts today. I actually feel a little nervous. 0:03:12.160 --> 0:03:15.280 I'm not sure why. I'm trying to remember actually the 0:03:15.360 --> 0:03:18.680 last time I was in church. It's been a while. 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:24.799 My relationship to organized religion, like many people's, is a 0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:30.520 bit complicated. My father completely distanced himself from his strict 0:03:30.639 --> 0:03:34.320 Church of the Nazarene upbringing. My mother, on the other hand, 0:03:34.639 --> 0:03:37.520 was a C and E Catholic, that's a Christmas and 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:41.520 Eastern Catholic. My parents and I, we didn't talk a 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:46.520 lot about church. Instead, my mother taught me all about astrology. 0:03:47.080 --> 0:03:50.200 She instructed me in the power of plant medicine. She 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:53.640 gave me an education in the power of music. Those 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:57.800 became my church. Also, as a Cape Verdean, I've always 0:03:57.840 --> 0:04:01.040 worn a sabichi or quante d I old you, a 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:03.400 bead that protects you from evil spirits. 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:07.040 We have a lot of spiritual practices and. 0:04:07.160 --> 0:04:11.200 Rituals that have nothing to do with Christianity, but are 0:04:11.320 --> 0:04:14.640 also not in conflict with it. There has always been 0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:18.600 an awareness of this spirit world, our ancestors, and the 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:22.640 power of words and manifestation, And for as long as 0:04:22.680 --> 0:04:26.600 I can remember, I've had intuitive, lucid dreams. 0:04:27.480 --> 0:04:28.760 My mother shared this gift. 0:04:29.720 --> 0:04:32.600 While we may not have gone to church, she and 0:04:32.680 --> 0:04:37.640 I often spoke about our inseparable connections to spirit. In 0:04:37.800 --> 0:04:41.560 other words, we talked that hippie shit. So you can 0:04:41.640 --> 0:04:45.000 imagine my surprise when, while I was in third grade, 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:48.880 my mother and stepfather chose to become born again Christians. 0:04:49.800 --> 0:04:53.880 They got saved, and let me just say, that opened 0:04:53.960 --> 0:04:58.840 up a whole other world. That's when we started going 0:04:59.120 --> 0:05:04.280 to revivals and services one hot summer day, we attended 0:05:04.360 --> 0:05:08.279 a big tent revival in Boston. It was led by 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:12.599 a Nigerian pastor. I remember the feeling of the humid 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:15.920 air and the sound of the bugs and the throb 0:05:16.000 --> 0:05:21.080 of life that children are particularly attuned to. The tent 0:05:21.279 --> 0:05:24.440 was large and packed to the brim. My family and 0:05:24.520 --> 0:05:27.720 I we were seated in the middle. There was a 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:32.320 band upfront. The music was operating on high vibration. You 0:05:32.440 --> 0:05:36.320 could feel the energy thrilled through the crowd. I could 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:41.720 feel the frequency pulsating throughout my little body too. When 0:05:41.760 --> 0:05:45.080 the music calmed and the pastor spoke, I felt the 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:46.400 spirit moving through her. 0:05:47.720 --> 0:05:50.839 I was riveted. I was enraptured. 0:05:52.040 --> 0:05:55.760 She made the call asking if anyone wanted to be saved. 0:05:56.640 --> 0:05:59.560 I did not hesitate. I popped up out of my 0:05:59.640 --> 0:06:02.440 seat and walked up to the front of the sanctuary 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:05.360 as fast as my little legs could get me there. 0:06:06.240 --> 0:06:10.520 I stood there before everybody in this packed tent, the 0:06:10.760 --> 0:06:15.040 only child in a line of adults and teens. We 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:19.200 were calm and ready. The pastor walked down the line 0:06:19.640 --> 0:06:23.840 asking us to accept Jesus into our hearts as our 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:29.040 Lord and savior. When the pastor got to me. She 0:06:29.200 --> 0:06:32.560 reached down and touched my forehead and I fell out. 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:36.480 When I got back up, I felt like a different person. 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:40.240 When I got back to my seat, my mother told 0:06:40.320 --> 0:06:43.320 me that I had been speaking in tongues. I don't 0:06:43.360 --> 0:06:46.120 think my eight year old self knew how to articulate 0:06:46.400 --> 0:06:51.159 what I'd experienced, but it felt like a profound light 0:06:51.440 --> 0:06:55.200 had washed over me, and I knew in that moment, 0:06:55.640 --> 0:06:59.760 without a single doubt in my tiny little body, I 0:07:00.400 --> 0:07:05.240 had spiritual gifts. From that point on, the church and 0:07:05.360 --> 0:07:09.520 our faith became a big part of our lives. We 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:13.640 attended multiple services a week. We went to Bible study 0:07:13.800 --> 0:07:17.400 and pot luck dinners. My mom was a music minister 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:21.320 and I sang in the choir. It was our community. 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:25.720 It felt like every day I was doing something related 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:26.239 to church. 0:07:27.440 --> 0:07:30.200 And let me tell you, the rules were strict. 0:07:31.160 --> 0:07:34.280 For one, we weren't allowed to listen to secular music, 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:38.440 and I loved Prince, so this was a serious conflict. 0:07:39.560 --> 0:07:42.800 I couldn't dress up anymore on Halloween, that was a 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:47.200 demonic holiday. We were expected to only hang out with 0:07:47.360 --> 0:07:50.560 other church goers. It didn't matter that I was a kid, 0:07:51.160 --> 0:07:54.600 I had my spiritual life to consider. We were constantly 0:07:54.680 --> 0:07:59.280 repenting for our sins. We stayed ready for Jesus's return 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:03.880 in the rapture. But as I reached adolescence, I began 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:07.920 to read and study Black in African history, and my 0:08:08.120 --> 0:08:14.160 curiosity about spirituality expanded. I learned more about traditional African 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:19.680 spiritual practices and recognized many beliefs and customs that were 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:23.520 also part of Cape Verdean culture. I also came to 0:08:23.640 --> 0:08:27.080 know the influence of Islam, Buddhism, and other systems of 0:08:27.160 --> 0:08:32.280 mysticism and thought, like numerology, and my passion for astrology, 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:36.439 something I had given up since my conversion, was reignited. 0:08:37.040 --> 0:08:40.079 All that I learned challenged the notion that there was 0:08:40.240 --> 0:08:43.679 only one true religion and if you weren't saved, you 0:08:43.800 --> 0:08:47.520 were going to Hell soon enough, though, I moved away 0:08:47.559 --> 0:08:50.439 to go to college, and like so many other first 0:08:50.520 --> 0:08:53.760 year college students, that pretty much marked the end of 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:57.480 my church going days. All of this was swirling around 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:00.559 inside of me when I parked my car outside the 0:09:00.720 --> 0:09:05.000 United House of Prayer in Charlotte, North Carolina. Meanwhile, at 0:09:05.040 --> 0:09:08.839 the same time, Hurricane Ian, a hurricane that began in 0:09:08.880 --> 0:09:14.520 the Atlantic waters surrounding Kabovid was heading into town. Both 0:09:14.880 --> 0:09:20.240 inside of me and outside, a storm was gathering. Six 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:23.280 years had passed since the last time I stepped inside 0:09:23.320 --> 0:09:26.160 of a church. I didn't know what was going to happen. 0:09:27.120 --> 0:09:30.439 Would I feel the presence of God? Would it feel 0:09:30.559 --> 0:09:31.160 like a coat? 0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:32.840 Or worse? 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:39.679 What if I felt nothing at all? I once heard 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:42.360 a story. Daddy Grace never intended to live in the 0:09:42.480 --> 0:09:46.480 United States. He only meant to come here seasonally, do 0:09:46.640 --> 0:09:49.679 some work, and return to Kabovid with fresh coin in 0:09:49.760 --> 0:09:53.640 his pockets. This was long before he was known as 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:57.160 Sweet Daddy Grace. He was happy on his home island 0:09:57.200 --> 0:10:02.160 of Brava, where he was already al vocal celebrity. Young 0:10:02.280 --> 0:10:06.640 Marcellino Manuel de Grasa was known for his storytelling abilities. 0:10:07.679 --> 0:10:08.679 People would come. 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:11.560 From around the island to hear him tell folk tales. 0:10:12.559 --> 0:10:16.439 He was determined to stay in Brava right up until 0:10:17.320 --> 0:10:22.559 God told him this wasn't an option. To convey this message, 0:10:23.040 --> 0:10:28.319 God turned to fire one day out of nowhere, Marcellino's 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:33.680 hair started burning. He immediately knew it was God speaking 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:36.760 to him. God told him that if he did not 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:39.760 go to America and spread the word, he would have 0:10:40.000 --> 0:10:45.480 no hair left. Marcellino had no choice. In nineteen oh four, 0:10:45.920 --> 0:10:52.079 he left cabuverd and he'd never return. Weeks later he 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:56.640 arrived in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It may have eased the 0:10:56.760 --> 0:11:00.280 transition that much of his family was in fact already there, 0:11:00.920 --> 0:11:04.920 including his brother Joseph, who had founded a church. And 0:11:05.160 --> 0:11:09.400 still thinking, probably about his burning hair, he began to 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:13.559 look for a place to worship. Cape Verdeans were unwelcome 0:11:13.640 --> 0:11:17.199 in the local Portuguese Catholic church, so he explored the 0:11:17.280 --> 0:11:22.760 area's Protestant churches, including his brothers. As Marcelino Manuel de 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:26.920 Grasa settled into life in America, he began to carve 0:11:27.040 --> 0:11:32.240 out a new identity for himself. First step a new name. 0:11:33.440 --> 0:11:37.199 His new last name, Grace, was simply a translation of 0:11:37.440 --> 0:11:41.439 the Grasa from Portuguese to English. He kept his middle 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:46.080 name Manuel, but for his new first name, he dreamed 0:11:46.160 --> 0:11:51.360 big Charles, the King of Portugal, the colonial ruler of 0:11:51.480 --> 0:11:57.480 Capoved was named Carlos. The root of Charles it means freeman. 0:11:58.679 --> 0:12:04.199 Daddy Grace was writing his story, so Charles Manuel Grace 0:12:04.520 --> 0:12:06.000 attended church service. 0:12:06.360 --> 0:12:08.079 After church service. 0:12:08.559 --> 0:12:14.959 Pentecostal Baptist, Methodist studying the Bible and sometimes even preaching 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:16.360 at his brother's chapel. 0:12:17.240 --> 0:12:20.760 He was searching for a church that spoke to his soul. 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:26.760 He also got married to a Cape Verdian woman named Jeanie. 0:12:27.480 --> 0:12:31.439 They had a daughter, Irene and a son, Norman, but 0:12:31.840 --> 0:12:35.360 the marriage was rocky, and shortly after Norman was born, 0:12:35.880 --> 0:12:40.320 Daddy Grace left the family. According to him, his wife 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:44.680 Genie was not cut out for the spiritual life. She however, 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:49.079 said that their discord was because Daddy Grace was paying 0:12:49.160 --> 0:12:53.439 attention to another woman. Whatever the reason for the demise 0:12:53.520 --> 0:12:57.160 of their relationship, it set Charles M. Grace on a 0:12:57.320 --> 0:13:00.800 new path, a journey to find a church where he 0:13:00.920 --> 0:13:04.079 could fulfill the mission that God sent him to complete, 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:09.600 to spread the Gospel in America and save souls. Finally, 0:13:09.720 --> 0:13:14.600 one day he found his religion. Quite literally, he decided 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:20.920 to found his own religion. In nineteen nineteen, Charles Grace 0:13:21.120 --> 0:13:25.800 founded a church in West Wareham, Massachusetts. He dubbed it 0:13:26.240 --> 0:13:29.600 the United House of Prayer for All People and gave 0:13:29.720 --> 0:13:33.800 himself the title of Bishop. Just two years later, he 0:13:34.000 --> 0:13:37.640 opened a second church in New Bedford. He joined the 0:13:37.760 --> 0:13:42.959 growing African American Holiness Pentecostal movement sweeping across the country. 0:13:43.640 --> 0:13:47.720 Black people in America were looking for liberation and hope. 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:51.120 But this was not just a time of spiritual awakening 0:13:51.360 --> 0:13:56.040 among Black Americans. It was also a time of religious change. 0:13:57.120 --> 0:13:59.760 In the wake of World War One and the ravages 0:13:59.800 --> 0:14:03.880 of the Spanish flu, people were hungry for a spiritual 0:14:03.960 --> 0:14:08.120 message that could sustain their souls. It was the time 0:14:08.240 --> 0:14:13.640 of charismatic pastors, itinerant preachers, and the radio evangelists like 0:14:13.840 --> 0:14:18.240 Amy Simple McPherson and Billie Sunday. Through the power of 0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:23.520 mass communication, they broadcast their messages far beyond the tent 0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:28.000 poles of the revivals. So Bishop Grace took his church 0:14:28.080 --> 0:14:32.720 on the road, heading south along the Eastern seaboard. By 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:36.000 nineteen twenty three, he made his first trip in what 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:40.240 he called a gospel car. Daddy Grace didn't invent this idea. 0:14:40.720 --> 0:14:45.120 Other preachers before him had traveled in special cars. What 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:49.360 Daddy Grace did was take the gospel car to another level. 0:14:50.280 --> 0:14:54.200 He plastered his car with Bible verses. He also decorated 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:58.160 it with enormous signs announcing when he'd be in town. 0:14:59.080 --> 0:15:01.640 There was even a figure on top of the car. 0:15:02.400 --> 0:15:07.320 It was of himself, robed and winged. The man knew 0:15:07.560 --> 0:15:12.520 how to make a memorable appearance. He even ventured overseas, 0:15:13.040 --> 0:15:15.920 spent two months in the Holy Land of Jerusalem, where 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:20.320 he preached, healed, and converted people. He built a house 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:23.880 of prayer in Egypt. When he returned to the States, 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:28.720 he had grown a full beard. Reinvigorated with purpose, Daddy 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:32.080 Grace got back on the road to continue his mission 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:34.560 and grow his following in America. 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:38.920 It is not typical of the time the way he 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:42.560 was able to expand in an age when communication was 0:15:42.640 --> 0:15:46.640 quite difficult. He would travel with little groups of followers 0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:50.400 and set up this huge experience that turned into a 0:15:50.480 --> 0:15:51.200 new congregation. 0:15:51.880 --> 0:15:55.840 Doctor Marie Dallam is a professor of American religion and 0:15:56.000 --> 0:16:00.880 associate dean at the University of Oklahoma, also the author 0:16:01.080 --> 0:16:04.040 of one of the few published books about Daddy Grace. 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:09.920 Doctor Dollom has always been particularly impressed by Daddy Grace's 0:16:10.200 --> 0:16:16.280 marketing abilities. For instance, she marvels at his stagecraft. He 0:16:16.360 --> 0:16:19.440 would travel from town to town, careful to send a 0:16:19.560 --> 0:16:23.360 small advanced group ahead of him. They'd typically show up 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:29.040 armed with musical instruments and loudspeakers. Basically, he invented his 0:16:29.200 --> 0:16:30.880 own version of the hype man. 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:33.880 They'd find a place to set up the tent, they'd 0:16:33.920 --> 0:16:37.120 do the advertising. They would be the first people at 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:41.080 the service to make sure that there were exuberant, enthusiastic 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:42.360 people paying attention. 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:46.880 This worked for a while, but Daddy Grace had a greater. 0:16:46.800 --> 0:16:51.680 Vision for his church. He became a master of using 0:16:51.760 --> 0:16:54.680 the press to get his message out to bigger and 0:16:54.800 --> 0:16:58.800 bigger crowds. When he'd hit town, Daddy Grace would invite 0:16:58.920 --> 0:17:02.480 local newspaper men to his sermons. He'd also pay for 0:17:02.640 --> 0:17:06.879 ads in the same paper touting his healing abilities and 0:17:07.040 --> 0:17:12.479 his mysterious foreign origins. Sometimes he'd announced that he had 0:17:12.560 --> 0:17:16.440 returned from the Holy Land. Other times he claimed that 0:17:16.560 --> 0:17:19.879 he was from the Holy Land. It worked. 0:17:20.280 --> 0:17:22.560 People came in large numbers. 0:17:23.320 --> 0:17:26.200 They had to know more about this flashy man with 0:17:26.359 --> 0:17:30.280 the gospel car the man who claimed he possessed the 0:17:30.359 --> 0:17:35.119 power to heal and to save them all. Who was 0:17:35.320 --> 0:17:39.240 this sweet Daddy Grace. It's a question that's not easy 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:43.439 to answer, and this enigma was central to his appeal 0:17:43.680 --> 0:17:47.639 and to his power. He was a pleasing mystery. Daddy 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:50.600 Grace may have been happy for others to wonder about him, 0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:54.639 but he knew who he was and he acted like it. 0:17:55.480 --> 0:17:59.520 To him, the answer was simple. It was self evident. 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:04.080 He was God's disciple sent to save America. 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:08.520 It's part of the whole free market of American religion. 0:18:08.880 --> 0:18:11.360 And he had a product, and he had a message, 0:18:11.359 --> 0:18:14.560 and he had a style, and it was compelling to 0:18:14.720 --> 0:18:15.440 lots of people. 0:18:16.040 --> 0:18:21.440 That's doctor James Fisher, Professor Emeritus of Theology and American 0:18:21.520 --> 0:18:23.720 Studies at Fordham University. 0:18:24.720 --> 0:18:27.240 All the people are skeptical about new religious movements like that. 0:18:27.600 --> 0:18:30.200 People say, oh, it's a cult and that kind of thing, brainwashing, 0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:32.600 But I always point out that you got to get 0:18:32.600 --> 0:18:36.560 people more credit for exercising their own free will. 0:18:37.680 --> 0:18:40.280 Part of what made Daddy Grace so appealing was that 0:18:40.440 --> 0:18:43.080 both what he said in his sermons and how he 0:18:43.240 --> 0:18:45.680 said it offered something to almost everyone. 0:18:47.000 --> 0:18:51.359 You may be black, black as stole, we may be 0:18:51.640 --> 0:18:54.600 white black milk, we may. 0:18:54.560 --> 0:19:00.760 Be rich black, I don't know where going have it. 0:19:02.480 --> 0:19:07.160 For shee God's him. On the one hand, he's really 0:19:07.240 --> 0:19:10.240 in that holiness Pentecostal tradition. But you can't help but 0:19:10.400 --> 0:19:15.000 notice there's elements of Catholic ritual. He has almost a 0:19:15.119 --> 0:19:18.639 Catholic preaching style. So it's a blend, which is everything 0:19:18.680 --> 0:19:21.360 to be back is, it's a blend. He's just really 0:19:21.480 --> 0:19:25.600 relatable for many people I think who are seeking, you know. 0:19:27.359 --> 0:19:30.960 Thinking about it now. The tent revival I attended with 0:19:31.080 --> 0:19:34.000 my parents back in Boston, the one where I spoke 0:19:34.040 --> 0:19:38.480 in tongues, It was probably very similar to Daddy Grace's revivals. 0:19:39.240 --> 0:19:44.600 Joyful praise and powerful music, led by an African immigrant preacher, 0:19:45.040 --> 0:19:50.480 pulling from many traditions, compelling his audience with rolling tones. 0:19:51.440 --> 0:19:57.359 His crowd was hopeful, eagerly awaiting salvation. But Daddy Grace 0:19:57.560 --> 0:20:01.800 wasn't met with open arms everywhere. Some people just trusted 0:20:01.880 --> 0:20:06.679 this mystery, this fluidity. After all, this was the nineteen 0:20:06.760 --> 0:20:11.200 twenties and nineteen thirties, a time of the snake oil salesman, 0:20:12.000 --> 0:20:15.960 of illusionists, of hucksters who were just in it for 0:20:16.040 --> 0:20:16.440 the money. 0:20:17.880 --> 0:20:20.640 He comes out on the religious scene in the late twenties. 0:20:21.560 --> 0:20:26.200 This whole jack leg preacher debate going on in American culture, 0:20:26.320 --> 0:20:30.080 where you get things like that Charlatan preacher who goes 0:20:30.080 --> 0:20:33.160 from city to city, town to town and robs the people, 0:20:33.400 --> 0:20:35.840 promises them all these fantastic things. 0:20:38.000 --> 0:20:43.480 That's Xavier Sivell's. He's a doctoral student at Mississippi State studying, 0:20:43.640 --> 0:20:50.440 among other things, African American history, including the intersection of race, class, 0:20:51.200 --> 0:20:53.320 sexual identity, and gender. 0:20:54.480 --> 0:20:57.320 And I think those are the things that people stuck to, 0:20:58.080 --> 0:21:01.280 you know, and maybe that's how we get interesting stories. 0:21:02.560 --> 0:21:06.040 Xavier is familiar with these stories about Daddy Grace. He's 0:21:06.200 --> 0:21:09.400 even heard some of them from his own grandmother, whose 0:21:09.480 --> 0:21:12.480 parents were members of the House of Prayer in Norfolk, Virginia. 0:21:13.800 --> 0:21:16.679 My grandmother used to tell this story about she had 0:21:16.760 --> 0:21:19.280 heard from her parents that he went out on the 0:21:19.359 --> 0:21:22.400 James River and had set up some sort of contraction 0:21:22.680 --> 0:21:24.560 to where it looked like he was walking on water, 0:21:25.520 --> 0:21:28.359 and people were amazed, like, oh, my goodness, crisis returned 0:21:28.400 --> 0:21:29.520 to the figure of Daddy Grace. 0:21:30.520 --> 0:21:33.080 I've actually seen footage of this, at least a version 0:21:33.160 --> 0:21:35.960 of it. It's from an old newsreel, the kind that 0:21:36.040 --> 0:21:38.520 they used to play in a theater before a movie. 0:21:41.920 --> 0:21:43.840 Rolled up to date with an amphibious jeep. 0:21:44.119 --> 0:21:47.199 The pictures of Negro baptism with Newport News, Virginia are 0:21:47.280 --> 0:21:51.360 here again. Bishop Grace conducting his annual setimony of salvation. 0:21:55.280 --> 0:21:56.320 Total immersion is the. 0:21:56.359 --> 0:21:57.000 Older of the day. 0:21:59.000 --> 0:22:02.600 He wasn't walking on water, per se. He was seated 0:22:02.720 --> 0:22:06.399 in this kind of white boat like vehicle, except it 0:22:06.560 --> 0:22:10.840 had wheels and a convertible roof. On the side of 0:22:10.880 --> 0:22:15.080 the car, there was a painted message, Grace's Gospel must 0:22:15.200 --> 0:22:18.840 go over the land and sea, which it did. The 0:22:18.960 --> 0:22:23.320 car drives down into the water and then starts floating. Honestly, 0:22:23.680 --> 0:22:27.480 it's still pretty cool to see, But Daddy Grace isn't 0:22:27.520 --> 0:22:32.680 pretending to walk on water. He's seated baptizing people. It 0:22:32.840 --> 0:22:35.080 kind of seems like he just didn't want to get wet. 0:22:35.920 --> 0:22:38.760 But I can imagine how it might have looked a 0:22:38.880 --> 0:22:41.920 car that drives into the water and then Daddy Grace 0:22:42.040 --> 0:22:48.280 is out there baptizing the congregation. It's powerful imagery. Xavier 0:22:48.440 --> 0:22:52.080 can see that too. As the story gets told and retold, 0:22:52.359 --> 0:22:55.960 as it's passed down, how many of the details change. 0:22:56.840 --> 0:22:58.880 We've all played the game of telephone, right. 0:22:59.800 --> 0:23:02.360 My grandmother heard this from her parents, who were illiterate, 0:23:03.000 --> 0:23:05.000 who had friends who were illiterate, and you know, they 0:23:05.119 --> 0:23:08.760 just saw this happening. What didn't mean for him to 0:23:08.880 --> 0:23:11.240 be in a bigious vehicle, probably did feel like he 0:23:11.359 --> 0:23:14.880 was walking on water, right. I'm interested in how he's 0:23:14.920 --> 0:23:17.720 perceived by people because I think that's a huge. 0:23:17.560 --> 0:23:23.560 Part of the mystery perception. That's an interesting concept. Here's 0:23:23.600 --> 0:23:26.560 an example. In the early days of the United House 0:23:26.600 --> 0:23:29.320 of Prayer, Daddy Grace was doing a lot of healing. 0:23:30.280 --> 0:23:32.159 It was a big part of his message and a 0:23:32.240 --> 0:23:35.840 main draw. He practiced the act of laying hands on 0:23:36.000 --> 0:23:42.919 his parishioners, offering blessings, prayers, and the transmission of spiritual energy. People, 0:23:43.280 --> 0:23:47.240 mostly African Americans, flocked from near and far to marvel 0:23:47.359 --> 0:23:52.240 at his services. He was selling something that money couldn't buy. Sometimes, 0:23:52.400 --> 0:23:56.120 after he touched someone, that person might joelt having caught 0:23:56.200 --> 0:24:00.359 the spirit. But there was a rumor going around that 0:24:00.640 --> 0:24:05.240 actually Daddy Grace wore a battery powered electric belt under 0:24:05.280 --> 0:24:09.639 his shirt to physically shock people. Daddy Grace had an 0:24:09.680 --> 0:24:13.840 answer to this during a sermon in Wilmington, Delaware. He 0:24:13.920 --> 0:24:16.440 put his hand on his belly and he said, brethren, 0:24:17.040 --> 0:24:19.440 that's no battery. You know what that is. 0:24:20.160 --> 0:24:21.040 That's chicken. 0:24:23.600 --> 0:24:27.920 He then added, addressing the doubters even more pointedly, if 0:24:28.000 --> 0:24:31.440 you believe, then I'm right. Then to you, I'm right. 0:24:32.080 --> 0:24:35.200 If you believe that I'm wrong, then to you, I'm wrong. 0:24:35.720 --> 0:24:39.080 I am what I am. It is hard to prove 0:24:39.160 --> 0:24:42.720 whether or not Daddy Grace himself healed anyone. But in 0:24:42.840 --> 0:24:45.520 a time where hope and faith were means of survival, 0:24:46.160 --> 0:24:50.080 he gave his parishioners something to believe in. And if 0:24:50.119 --> 0:24:53.600 he offered hope, if their faith was there, does it 0:24:53.880 --> 0:24:55.879 actually matter how they were healed? 0:24:57.720 --> 0:25:01.440 So for me, the service is always had me hooked. 0:25:02.080 --> 0:25:03.160 That's Xavier again. 0:25:04.359 --> 0:25:06.480 They always had me wanting to go back to the 0:25:06.560 --> 0:25:10.400 next one or trying to somehow be around it. Every Sunday, 0:25:11.080 --> 0:25:13.440 especially when the bishop would come into town for the 0:25:13.520 --> 0:25:17.399 church's convocation season. You know, everyone shows up and you know, 0:25:17.560 --> 0:25:20.840 to be at this large church where it's standing room only, 0:25:21.119 --> 0:25:25.639 and it's an experience and I'd never seen anything like it. 0:25:26.119 --> 0:25:28.280 There's nothing that compares to it. A lot of people 0:25:28.440 --> 0:25:32.320 criticize the church for better or worse, but their faith 0:25:32.480 --> 0:25:34.040 is real, like you can feel it. 0:25:37.080 --> 0:25:41.080 Daddy Grace started the tradition of convocation in the United 0:25:41.119 --> 0:25:45.560 House of Prayer nearly one hundred years ago. It's still 0:25:45.600 --> 0:25:50.320 a big event traveling the country, going strong. Last year, 0:25:50.520 --> 0:25:54.520 it lasted for twelve weeks and went to twelve different cities. 0:25:55.119 --> 0:25:56.760 People book their hotel. 0:25:56.480 --> 0:26:02.280 Rooms months out and everything calledmates in Charlotte. Members come 0:26:02.359 --> 0:26:05.480 from all around the country to attend the Grand Finale, 0:26:06.080 --> 0:26:10.439 which has a huge parade, banned competitions, a closing sermon 0:26:10.520 --> 0:26:14.720 from the bishop, and a massive baptism. It's like a 0:26:14.880 --> 0:26:20.879 giant family reunion. Convocation is in many ways reminiscent of 0:26:21.000 --> 0:26:25.199 the types of religious celebrations that take place in Kabalvid, 0:26:25.760 --> 0:26:30.560 Saint Dave celebrations, Christmas, New Year's and even funerals end 0:26:30.960 --> 0:26:36.080 with giant processions through the street. There are decorated floats, horses, 0:26:36.280 --> 0:26:39.560 a king, queen and a royal court, and of course 0:26:39.840 --> 0:26:43.480 music heavy on the drums and horns, leading everyone to 0:26:43.600 --> 0:26:48.879 the church for dancing, food, and naturally more music. This 0:26:49.119 --> 0:26:53.320 influence is evident in the United House of Prayers convocations. 0:26:54.160 --> 0:26:58.600 In nineteen forty seven, The Charlotte Observer featured a lengthy 0:26:58.720 --> 0:27:01.840 article on that year's parade, which was believed to be 0:27:02.000 --> 0:27:05.240 one of the city's largest at that time. It describes 0:27:05.359 --> 0:27:09.560 boys selling peanuts and sodas to thousands of spectators lining 0:27:09.600 --> 0:27:14.840 the streets of Charlotte. It was vibrant, colorful, with Grace 0:27:14.920 --> 0:27:18.399 Flower girls dressed in white, gray, soul hunters in orange 0:27:18.440 --> 0:27:22.280 and green, and the Grace Jubilee Choir in blue ropes. 0:27:23.440 --> 0:27:26.800 Most people walk the route, but the lucky ones rode 0:27:26.880 --> 0:27:30.920 in or on one of the trucks, cars or horses 0:27:31.440 --> 0:27:36.760 decorated with red, white and blue streamers. One boy even 0:27:36.880 --> 0:27:39.680 danced a few steps of the Jitterbug on top of 0:27:39.800 --> 0:27:45.320 a horse, which the crowd apparently loved, and naturally, Daddy 0:27:45.400 --> 0:27:50.760