Independent Historian

Kayla Schott-Bresler earned her MA in history from the
University of Washington in 2013 and her BA from Occidental College in 2009.
She studies inequality, policy, and the market in the twentieth-century United States. She is also working on a side project about motherhood and anti-communism during the Cold War.

Pilgrim Baptist Church, Saint Paul, Minnesota (1863- )

Pilgrim Baptist Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is the oldest African American church in the state of Minnesota. A group of escaped slaves began worshiping together in 1863, and under the leadership of fellow escaped slave Robert Thomas Hickman, the church officially became Pilgrim Baptist … Read MorePilgrim Baptist Church, Saint Paul, Minnesota (1863- )

Wheat Street Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia (1869- )

Along with its neighbors Ebenezer Baptist and Big Bethel AME, Wheat Street Baptist Church has been a major contributor to the social, economic, and cultural fabric of Atlanta, Georgia, particularly within its African American community. A group of parishioners from First Baptist Church founded Wheat … Read MoreWheat Street Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia (1869- )

Columbus Avenue African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Boston, Massachusetts (1838- )

The Columbus Avenue African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church in Boston, Massachusetts is most famous as the site of the July 30, 1903 Boston Riot. Although it is not the oldest African American church in the state of Massachusetts, it represents a critical moment in … Read MoreColumbus Avenue African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Boston, Massachusetts (1838- )

Vanoye Aikens (1917-2013)

“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Vanoye Aikens was a star dancer and choreographer for the famous Katherine Dunham Dance Company. The Dunham Company popularized African American dance and pioneered the Dunham Technique, which combined Caribbean and African dance with European ballet. A native of Georgia, Aikens … Read MoreVanoye Aikens (1917-2013)

Second Baptist Church of Detroit (1836- )

The Second Baptist Church of Detroit, located in the Greektown district of downtown Detroit, is the oldest African American congregation in Michigan and, according to some sources, the Midwest. The church has been active in struggles for freedom and equality since its founding in 1836 … Read MoreSecond Baptist Church of Detroit (1836- )

Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia (1847- )

Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church is the oldest African American church in Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. Like Wheat Street, First Congregational, and the King’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, Bethel A.M.E. has been a religious, social, economic, and cultural pillar of the African American community in … Read MoreBig Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia (1847- )

Olivet Baptist Church, Chicago, Illinois (1850- )

The Olivet Baptist Church (OBC), founded on April 6, 1850, was at one time the largest Protestant church in the world, reaching 20,000 members under the leadership of Pastor Lacey Kirk Williams. It is the second oldest black church in Chicago, Illinois and the oldest … Read MoreOlivet Baptist Church, Chicago, Illinois (1850- )