[African Americana]. Beck, Charles

Sermon Preached by Elder Charles Beck August 26, 1951 on WKBW-ABC Buffalo, N.Y. Text Psalms 68:31...[wrapper title]

[N.p., likely Buffalo, NY: 1951]. [14]pp. Original loose sheets, 11 x 8.5 inches, stapled. Uniform tanning, mild soiling, top edge chipped and with closed tears, with tears just touching text on a few leaves but not costing any text. Good. Item #4608

An unrecorded radio sermon given by Elder Charles Beck, an important African-American gospel musician based in Buffalo, New York. In addition to compiling a prolific gospel discography, Beck was an evangelist and minister at the Church of God in Christ in Buffalo, and later served as a missionary to Ghana, where he died in 1972. The present work begins with a biography of Beck that notes "He was born in Mobile, Ala....of native African parents.... Elder Beck is a militant preacher, who believes in the rights of all people.... Among the Elder's personal friends are the Duke of Harrai, Emperor Haille Selassie's oldest son...H Fireston, Jr., of Firestone Rubber Co., Philip Murray of the CIO and a thousand other celebrities." Beck's sermon is titled, "Meet the Negro As He Is," in which he celebrates the ancestry and successes of the Black race, tracing its origins from the Biblical Ham. The conclusion notes: "The ancient Hamites, the progenitors of the modern Negro, led the world for centuries in all that related to civilization and human progress.... The story shows emphatically that the Negro has a rich ancestral background of which he need not be ashamed." Beck delivered the address on Buffalo radio station WKBW on August 26, 1951. We could locate no copies of the sermon in OCLC or auction records.

Price: $750.00