Elizabeth A. Parkhill Gloucester (1817–1883) stood as one of the wealthiest African American women during the 19th century while achieving success as an entrepreneur and actively supporting the abolitionist movement. Although she did not live in Seneca Village, she engaged in strategic land transactions to amass her wealth through real estate investment. The Remsen House boardinghouse in Brooklyn was a financially stable business run by Gloucester and her husband James, creating avenues for Black economic progress. Gloucester advanced the anti-slavery cause significantly through her business expertise. In 1852, Gloucester and James hosted John Brown at their residence and contributed $25 to advance his abolitionist work. The Underground Railroad found a haven in their home while Gloucester supported Black education through financial contributions and donated $1,200 to the Colored Orphan Asylum. This discussion shows how Gloucester used her wealth as a success indicator and a resistance instrument to advance Black freedom and economic independence.

The segregation of American churches reflects deep-rooted cultural, historical, and social dynamics that persist despite broader societal moves toward integration. Using Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of Habitus and Field, this research explores why African Americans are more inclined to join predominantly White congregations, viewing it as a strategic move within social fields to acquire valuable capital—social, cultural, or symbolic. However, this integration is often met by challenges, including cultural dissonance and alienation. The historical context of church segregation, rooted in exclusionary practices, continues to influence contemporary religious experiences. Moving forward, fostering inclusive worship spaces requires an intentional balance of preserving cultural identity while embracing diversity.

This lecture is the first of 8 lectures in the Capital, Race, and Concordia: The African American Experience from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Era graduate level course which examines the foundations of racial roots by examining  class stratification in the U.S. through Pierre Bourdieu's Habitus and Field Theory. The lecture provides the context and rationale for the course. 

This video offers a commentary on the sermon ‘Shall the Fundamentalists Win?’ (1922) by Harry Emerson Fosdick preached at the First Presbyterian Church of New York City. Fosdick argued that the exclusionary methods of fundamentalism were wrong, that there was only one way forward and it was the modernist path – a reformulation of Christianity to reconcile the faith with scientific and historical knowledge. The presentation includes a summary of the cultural criticism that followed this sermon, as well as its long-term legacy, including a response from one of Fosdick’s most vociferous critics. It was filmed at The Riverside Church, where Fosdick eventually became pastor.