"Jehovah's Witnesses—United States and Europe during 1930s to 1980s"

[bvr]

I’ve been reading some old publications published by the organization and also watching documentaries online about world society from the 1930s to the 1980s over the past few days. 

 

I noticed that after 1950, the English language evolved significantly, and words like thou, thee, thy, art, hath, doth, and shalt disappeared from common usage. 

 

I’m curious about what congregations in the United States and Europe looked like during these times, especially with segregation and other societal challenges. These are aspects we rarely hear about in modern times, and I wonder how our organization managed to find workarounds despite the hostility of society toward certain groups.

 

Looking forward to hearing everyone's fascinating stories.

Edited Thursday at 06:20 PM by bvr

[Jwanon]

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1952088?

[Qapla]

It is best, when we post a link, to say something about why it was posted. Why we posted it. What value we feel it adds to the thread. Not to just post a link and figure it speaks for itself.

 

I would gather, since the word "segregation" is highlighted in the link, that this is the portion of the comment, "I’m curious about what congregations in the United States and Europe looked like during these times, especially with segregation and other societal challenges."

 

While segregation was one social issue that was around during that time, there were many other social issues during the 1930's to 1980's that had to be dealt with - including, but not limited to, nationalism, military service, war, prayer in schools, "free love" and a few more.

 

Edited yesterday at 02:25 AM by Qapla

[jwhess]

When I was in the Key West, Florida congregation in 1957-1960, we had an English congregation composed of mostly White and Hispanic publishers.  We had a Spanish congregation that shared our same Kingdom Hall.  They were mostly Hispanic (Cuban) brothers.  Then we had a Negro congregation that did not meet with us due to segregation.  Since this was the 'South', that congregation was referred to as the "Colored Congregation".  They were not allowed to meet with us in the same building.  The English brothers could go to their meetings and give a talk but not the reverse.

 

As I remember, when we met for District Assemblies we all could meet together.

 

The Civil Rights Act and integration came a little later (1965-1970).

[Hope]

What about Black Hispanic brothers, I wonder? 

[Tsheppar]

My dad ( now awaiting ressurection) went to prison for not joining the war effort in the early 1950s. I think it was the Korean war ? 

 Anyways , after he got out,  there was a huge convention in New York at yankee stadium . I forget the year.

 He went along with a good many from my local congregation . I remember him telling me it was a time of segregation. Different water fountains had to be used and there was a separation  of whites and blacks. etc .  After the long convention on the way back he somehow  ended up joining a school bus with black brothers heading back south. That bus broke down  all along the way. The white and black brothers  and sisters all worked together.

 

Jehovah was the common denominator of love, when the world was not. 

 

   I dont know the details but my dad ended up with the school bus. He drove it on to Texas and it got parked way out in the middle  of nowhere off of a country road. Years and years later if we happened to drive that road , trees and brush  had grown up all around that school bus and he would say ..there is the bus I rode back from New York with the colored brothers in. 😂It was a good memory for him. 

 

A few years ago the bus was removed and junked. It was kinda sad for me. The people junking it had no idea of its history. A worn out bus for Jehovah's people. 

Edited yesterday at 04:20 AM by Tsheppar

[Dustparticle]

 Basically white, no matter how bad racism in early my days, I intermingled with all. We play, fight, hang out everywhere. It is sad that I see racism at school, work, etc. I could not put up with it.

 

 It was wrong, when I was a young, I saw a white boy beating up a black girl because she was black across the street from me by the school. I went over across the street and beat him up. Oh well.

Edited yesterday at 04:51 AM by Dustparticle

[jdcarlson]

I come from a background with mixed experience in the area of persecution and segregation.

 

I started Field Service in October 1949 (76 years ago this month).

 

At the time I was in Illinois (the "Land of Lincoln" and "The Land of Emancipation"). The congregations were integrated for meetings, assemblies, etc. At least once a month there would be a gathering of brothers and sisters at my parents' home listening to jazz LPs with energetic discussion of various jazz musicians popular at the time. Of course many of those who were jazz afficiandos were "colored" (as was the expression then), or nowdays "persons of color." Thus I "grew up" thinking that integration was normal.

 

In 1959 my father's job moved us to Texarkana, Texas. Talk about "culture shock"!!!!!

 

I still remember the first time we went to the local Sears store. I wanted a drink of water. I saw a drinking fountain on the wall and proceeded to go get a drink. All of these people were staring at me with a "wierd" expression. When I walked away I saw the sign over the drinking fountain that said "COLORED."  About 20 feet down the wall there was another fountain with a sign that said "WHITE ONLY."

 

I learned how to say "yall" very quickly.

 

I also quickly learned that the last thing the locals wanted was a "smart-alec Yankee teenager" telling them what he thought.

 

The congregations in the area were segregated, as were the Circuit Assemblies.

 

In 1961 my father's job moved him to Pensacola for about three months (just long enough for me to meet a certain young lady). The congregations and circuit assemblies were segregated there as well.

 

After the three months in Pensacola, my father's job moved him to St. Louis. There the congregations and circuit assemblies were integrated.

 

In 1963 I moved back to Pensacola and married the young lady I had met in 1961 (we had our 62nd anniversary this past August). The congregations were still integrated.

 

In 1966 our Congregation was "Host Congregation" for the Circuit Assembly that fall. As "Host Congregation" at that time we were visited by the District Servant and the Circuit Servant for two weeks (the week before the assembly and the week after the assembly). I was "Bible Study Servant" at the time, and as such on the "Congregation Committee" (this was before the Elder arrangement). At a meeting before the assembly between the District Servant and Circuit Servant with the Congregation Committee, the Congregation Servant asked if we could invite the "colored friends" to join us at the assembly.

 

The venue for the Circuit Assembly at that time was the Municipal Auditorium that was built on a pier erected over Pensacola Bay, with parking on two sides (still on the pier over the Bay). The District Servant's comment was to the effect that "What you want to do is a VERY loving thing. But, how would we feel if a colored family was pushed off of the pier into the bay in their car by some locals who were opposed to integration?"

 

A year later there was a District Convention in Montgomery, Alabama. When we arrived the attendants directed us to where to park. After we parked the car and went into the assembly venue we found all of the colored (now black) friends were on one side of the auditorium, and the white friends on the other side.

 

Many years later, when at Brooklyn Bethel for temporary Bethel service, I had the opportunity to talk with the brother who was Convention Servant at that Convention. He told me there had been a bomb threat that if the Convention was integrated the facility would be bombed. After consulting with the Society's headquarters the solution of separating the seating was the best way to avoid any problems with local individuals and still have a Convention.

 

Back to my historical account  ---

 

In 1972 the Elder arrangement was instituted for the Congregations. There was a meeting of all elders in Pensacola. At that time there were 25 Elders in all of Pensacola. At that meeting the elders decided to integrate all congregations starting Janurary 1973. 

 

This required a group of brothers to get together with a map of the whole county and mark on the map where each member of each congregation lived. Then there were six congregations formed based on where the individuals and Elders lived, to give the same number of publishers and Elders in each congregation as evenly as practical.

 

I was assigned to draft a letter to the Society telling them of the decision of the combined Body of Elders for the city (25 Elders in total at that time) and give the Society a description of territory boundaries for each Congregation along with a map showing the boundaries for the Congregations. All 25 Elders signed the letter to the Society.

 

I was also assigned to go the the Circuit Overseer and tell him what the combined Body of Elders had decided.

 

Thankfully there were no incidents of trouble with "locals" as far as I know.

 

When I talked with the Circuit Overseer about the plan to integrate the Congregations in Pensacola, he said that the Society had been trying to integrate the congregations throughout the South. At that time there was a triangle with it's apex at Birmingham, Alabama, and with its base along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico where congregations were still segregated (with segregated Circuit Assemblies). He said with Pensacola at the center of that triangle base integrating the congregations, it probably would not be long before the rest of the area became integrated.

 

In a few short years all congregations were integrated.

 

I have a cousin who, along with her now deceased husband, spent over 50 years in "the traveling work." She commented one time that in part of the area they were then serving (he was District Servant at the time) that previously integrated congregations had to be segregated because of the Black Panthers (and other similar militant groups) physically attacking brothers because they were in integrated meetings. This situation eventually went away, but it was interesting that at times segregation was the preference from "both sides."  

 

Thankfully, those situations have passed. As far as I know there are no more segregated congregations in the U.S., and there have been none for many decades.

 

Reflecting on these memories makes me remember how Jehovah's earthly organization has always wanted equality among his people. But there are times when Satan's system has created problems. When Satan's system creates these difficulties, Jehovah's organization makes the needed adjustments to protect his dear ones and still give all the spiritual food we need.

 

Thanks,

 

Jim

Edited 20 hours ago by jdcarlson

[jwhess]

Br. Jim, you can personally appreciate the apostle Peter's conundrum when he went to Cornelius' house.  The first time we had a 1st century integrated meeting...♥️