African American Presbyterians

Scope and contents This collection contains personal materials of James H. Costen, including correspondence, writings and speeches by himself and others, collected programs, photographs, and audio recordings of Costen interviewing administration and members of the Presbyterian Church.A bulk of the materials lie in the ITC administration files. These files were transferred to the archives after Costen retired, and not only contain correspondence and administration and development materials based on...

Scope note Edler G. Hawkins (b. 1908 d. 1977) was Pastor of St. Augustine Presbyterian Church in the Bronx, New York for over thirty years. Under his stewardship the congregation grew to over one thousand members. As Pastor, Rev. Hawkins was very active in the Bronx community and in responding to concerns in this increasingly diverse neighborhood. He demanded and worked for better housing and equal opportunities for minorities. His concern for the community led him to run for a New York State Assembly...

Scope and Contents The Hercules Wilson collection spans the years 1928 to 1971, and primarily highlights Reverend Wilson’s sermon writings (the bulk of these are in the 1940s and 1950s). These sermons reference bible passages and various topics on morality, Christian faith, as well as politics and world events of the times. Other items of interest are a photograph of Rev. Wilson, a small amount of correspondence between friends and school colleagues, and eulogies of church members written with personal care...