Yesterday she said that yes, she wanted to talk to me.  We agreed to meet this afternoon and eventually did, from 5:30 for more than half-an-hour.  She seemed extremely eager to talk.

She has been, and continues to be, an active member of the Convent Baptist Church for 30 years since her parents moved in the area.  She went to high school at 135th & Convent.  She mentioned that all her life was conducted in a 10 block area between 145th and 135th.  She mentioned “the changes” including seeing the first white person walking in the afternoon on 145th about five years ago, and then the first white person pushing a shopping cart in the evening.  She gave as an example the evolution of Sylvio’s restaurant, and the creation of the “Manna’s” chain of soul food restaurants (owned by a Korean woman) where you can buy collar greens and such by the pound and which are replacing the older restaurants.

She talked about various blocks in that area–including what was named the “strivers’ row” (because the people there were ‘striving’ to live a middle-class life).

She talked about her church that moved 10 years ago into an old high school that they have not maintained very well, leading to some tension with the neighbors who think of it as an eye sore.  This was in the context of explaining the building being used by the Boys & Girls club.  She talked about managing the tour buses that come with white tourists to listen to the singing in the churches.  At Abyssinian, these are made to sit in a special area of the church.  This has not been done yet at her church though she talked about how disruptive it is for people to leave after the singing as the preaching starts.  “It is very rude.” She does not quite mind but that it is difficult when one is attempting to focus on one’s personal spiritual life to see others there just looking at you.

She described her church as being “traditional” with a congregation of about 3,000 but shifting somewhat to becoming “more relevant” to the times.  In response to some comments from me she talked about some of her friends moving to a different, more evangelical church, and how this remains something they talk about with some tension five years after the move occurred. As I mentioned our interest with people educating themselves about their conditions, she started talking about the “contentious issues” that arose during the selection of their new pastor around homosexuality and same sex unions.  She said that there are a lot of homosexuals (“everyone in the choir”) but that the congregation as a whole did not want a pastor that would approve of same sex unions.  She wondered how homosexuals can listen to the fire and brimstone sermons against homosexuality and remain the church.  In this context, she mentioned people moving to Riverside which is more liberal on the issue.

Another issue has to do with status and income differentials.  She told the story of the woman who keeps telling that she bought her brownstone for $20,000 in the 70s that is now worth $2,000,000.

She both thought that she could introduce us to one or another of the deacons (“the pastor is new” and does know much) and that it could be difficult.  She mentioned knowing a woman who is starting a church for ex-convicts (or ex-addicts?) but who does not yet have her own building.  She said it would be easier for her to get us to meet her.

She also talked about the meeting that all Baptist ministers in New York have regularly (on Monday afternoons).

She also mentioned the weekly open meeting the Al Sharpton’s group has somewhere on 145th.  She said that people do not like Rangel much because he is not very helpful on routine matters.

She also mentioned the “Harlem School for the Arts” which she described as a private after school academy with an emphasis on the arts.

She took notes and is expecting calls from Linda whom she is meeting for lunch again soon.