Little Zion: A Church Baptized by Fire

Author/Contributor(s):	O'Foran, Shelly
Publisher:	University of North Carolina Press
Date:	09/30/2006
Binding:	Paperback
Condition:	NEW

In the mid-1990s, dozens of African American churches were struck by probable arson, including Little Zion Baptist Church in Boligee, Alabama. This book draws on the voices and memories of church members to share a previously undocumented history of Little Zion, from its beginnings as a brush arbor around the time of emancipation, to its key role in the civil rights movement, to its burning and rebuilding with the help of volunteers from around the world. Folklorist O'Foran, a Quaker who went to Boligee as a volunteer in the church rebuilding effort, shows how the spiritual and social traditions that the residents of Boligee practice and teach their children have assured the continued vitality of the church and community.