Each year, we celebrate Black History Month and honor the richness of God’s creation, knowing we are all made in His image and are one family in Him. Recognizing the struggles and triumphs of Black people in our nation’s history fosters greater understanding that leads to unity among God’s people.
Worship & Arts transforms our hearts, bridges divides, fosters the love of God and builds a future that reflects His Kingdom of peace and harmony. Each week in February, as we highlight the life and legacy of four creative pioneers from different artistic fields, we pray you find joy and wonder as you experience their unique, God-given talents.
Artist Bios
Pearl M. Bailey (1918-1990)
Pearl Mae Bailey was a force of nature, blending charisma, talent and grace to unite people in a deeply divided era. Born in Newport News, VA to an evangelical minister, she found her voice in church, where musical traditions and spirited worship shaped her lifelong passion for bringing joy to others through the arts.
Ms. Bailey’s rise to fame began in the nightclubs of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., where she won a teenage talent contest that led to her touring with Cab Calloway and Count Basie. However, it was Broadway that cemented her stardom. Pearl’s 1946 debut in St. Louis Woman earned her the Donaldson Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Redefining history in 1967, she smashed the role of Dolly Levi in an all-Black rendition of Hello, Dolly!, earning the actor a Tony Award during the turbulent Civil Rights Movement.
Beyond entertainment, Bailey was a fierce advocate for racial harmony. Marrying white jazz drummer Louis Bellson in 1952, she championed love over societal expectations. Her appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, where the host openly embraced her on national television, were groundbreaking — challenging social norms and pushing the boundaries of racial integration in entertainment.
Moreover, Ms. Bailey was a humanitarian who performed tirelessly for American troops through the USO, and in 1975, President Gerald Ford appointed her Special Ambassador to the United Nations. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan honored her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, recognizing her impact on culture and diplomacy.
Defying age as a limitation, Bailey pursued her passion for learning and earned a degree in theology from Georgetown University at age 67. Other achievements include the authoring of several books, where she shared candid insight and hilarious humor.
Pearl Bailey was more than an artistic genius. She was a cultural bridge and an enduring inspiration. Truly, her joyful spirit has left an indelible impression on the world. Through her extraordinary life, Ms. Bailey reminds us that generosity, kindness determination and the arts have the far-reaching power to heal, inspire and unite.
Rev. Charles Albert Tindley (1859-1937)
Tindley was a pioneering Methodist minister and composer whose influence extended far beyond his church. Blending Negro spirituals, blues and traditional hymns, he created a powerful, expressive style that spoke to the struggles and hopes of Blacks while resonating across racial and cultural lines.
Born to a free mother and an enslaved father, he faced poverty, loss and limited opportunities. Yet, where others saw barriers, Tindley saw stepping stones. With no formal education, he taught himself to read, later mastering Greek and Hebrew through sheer will and determination. In an almost poetic turn of fate, he found work as a janitor at Calvary Methodist Church in Philadelphia. He would later ascend as its beloved pastor in 1902. His rise from obscurity and hardship to a place of great impact was a testament to his unshakable faith and the Lord’s plan at work in Tindley’s life.
As the church’s pastor, Tindley ignited a spirit of harmony and revival. His hymns pulsed with energy, drawing from African American worship traditions. His music combined distinctive preaching, call-and-response singing, shouting, hand-clapping and improvised melodies, all backed by rhythmic keyboard accompaniments. His boundless generosity to the poor, powerful sermons and soul-stirring musical compositions drew people into uncommon unity. Under his leadership, Calvary Methodist Church became a beacon of hope for Blacks, Europeans, Jews and Hispanics alike and where his congregation flourished beyond 7,000 members.
Having written over 47 hymns, Tindley’s ability to inspire change and trust in God through both music and ministry set him apart as a true visionary. Over a century later, his influence still echoes around the world, proving that the power of God’s message transcends time, race, and denomination. In fact, Tindley’s hymn "I’ll Overcome Someday" carried a message of resilience and faith, later evolving into the powerful anthem of the Civil Rights Movement, "We Shall Overcome." Moreover, Tindley’s "Leave It There," written in 1916, is still sung by people of all backgrounds, including this heartfelt rendition. You can listen to it here.
This remarkable legacy is evidence of Tindley’s ability to unite hearts, minds and voices through faith and song, leaving an indelible mark on American religious and social history.
Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937)
Tanner was an influential African American painter whose artwork is celebrated for its emotional depth and technical skill. The cultural significance of his paintings has successfully bridged disparate people groups through faith and art.
Tanner was born in Philadelphia, PA to a father who was a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and a mother who bravely escaped enslavement through the Underground Railroad. A product of resilience and faith, Henry rose from these humble beginnings to study at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under the artistic giant, Thomas Eakins, who mentored Walt Whitman and revolutionized American realism.
Feeling constrained by racial barriers in the U.S., Tanner journeyed to France in 1891 to continue his studies at the Académie Julian where he discovered a world of personal and artistic liberation. There, his immense talent blossomed, earning him widespread acclaim and the French government’s highest award, the Legion of Honor.
Tanner was a remarkable trailblazer whose early works beautifully captured the dignity and tenderness of African American life, offering a powerful counter to prevailing racial stereotypes. However, it was a profound spiritual awakening, resulting from a period of immense struggle coupled with multiple visits to the Holy Land, that inspired his expressions of faith, where he portrayed Biblical scenes with dramatic realism. Proof of this supernatural transformation is seen in his paintings Nicodemus Visiting Christ (1899) and The Savior (circa 1900-1905).
In The Annunciation (1898), his unconventional, light-filled depiction of the angel Gabriel’s revelation to Mary portrays humility, faith and Divine mystery. For your enjoyment, the fruit of Tanner’s extraordinary life and God-inspired painting may be found on the Philadelphia Museum of Art website here.
Touting Tanner as a remarkable artist who has made significant contributions to Black history and the global art world only scratches the surface of what God has done to make Himself known through a seemingly unlikely messenger.
Phillis Wheatley (Circa 1758 – 1784)
A devout Christian, Wheatley was the first published African American female poet whose forename was derived from the slave ship, The Phillis, that carried her to a fledgling America.
While Phillis’ creative and eloquent writings were designed to draw people to Christ, dissuade enslavement and bring attention to the intellect of enslaved Blacks, she is most recognized for her poem to George Washington in 1775. With spirited pen in hand, the poignant poetess impetuously posted prose of petition to the preeminent Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.
This was an ambitious achievement for a young woman who had been kidnapped from her African homeland of Gambia and enslaved from the age of 7. Her master, John Wheatley, who purchased Phillis for the purpose of personal servitude to his wife, poised the youngster for greatness by enabling her tutelage in the Scriptures and ancient classics.
Knowing subjugation herself, her poem praises the impending President for his noble pursuit of liberty and encourages him to continue the resistance against oppression (from the British). Washington wrote back to Phillis where he lauded her poetic prowess and thanked her for her encouraging words. In a grand gesture, the powerful politician closed his letter by referring to himself as her ‘obedient [sic], humble servant’.
With Protestantism as a key influence, her poem insisted Washington stay steadfast in the fight for freedom but with God’s continued righteousness. Washington forwarded her writings to a friend who published her Scripture-inspired poem in Pennsylvania Magazine and the Virginia Gazette. Phillis was later escorted to London by Wheatley’s son, Nathaniel, where she met Washington and where her volume of poems entitled "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral" was later published. Amazingly, this volume included a forward, which was signed by John Hancock and other notable Bostonians.
The influence of an enslaved, young Black woman like Phillis is attributable to God’s ability to make what seems impossible, possible. A link to Phillis’ historical poem to Washington and his response may be found on the National Archives website here.