Progressive Community Church records, 1948-2018
The Progressive Community Center: The People’s Church (Chicago, IL) Records includes administrative records, correspondence, church publications, CD-R, VHS, and cassette recordings of sermons, services, and the Voices of Progressive choir, photographs, and substantial biographical materials about Reverend Dr. B. Herbert Martin, Sr. The bulk of the materials are from the pastorate of the Reverend B. Herbert Martin, 1981 to 2016. The collection provides a comprehensive look at the declared church home of the late Mayor Harold Washington and its roles and transformations, with a specific focus on the 1980s, 1990s and the pastoral and political influence of Reverend Dr. Martin.
Dates
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1948-2018
- Creation: 1948-2018
Creator
- Progressive Community Church (Chicago, Ill.) (Organization)
Conditions Governing Use
This collection is currently unavailable for research use while it undergoes processing.
Collection Size
900 Videos
7650 Photographs
22 Boxes (Manuscript files)
280 cassettes
Biographical / Historical
Progressive Community Center: The People’s Church was established in 1922 by the late Reverend Joseph Winters at 56 E. 48th St. in Bronzeville, a historical neighborhood in the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois. While most notorious for its designation as the declared church home of the late Mayor Harold Washington (served 1983-1987), PCC has been involved in organizing the surrounding African-American communities and welding political influence in the Greater Chicago area since its founding. The Reverend Dr. B. Herbert Martin, a leader in ecumenical relations and progressive politics both in Chicago and nationally, has led the Progressive Community Church since 1981. Martin went on to serve in the Washington administration as Chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority (1987-1988), and in 1988-1989 was Chairman of the Chicago Commission on Human Relations. While acting as Senior Pastor, Martin was invited to President Obama’s first inauguration, to a meeting with Desmond Tutu, to international conferences, and is recognized as a leader in Chicago’s Interfaith community, and as a representative of the community of African-American Christians from the Near South and South Sides of Chicago.
Creator
- Progressive Community Church (Chicago, Ill.) (Organization)
Part of the Paul V. Galvin Library. University Archives and Special Collections Repository