Bishop Richard Allen

Black History Spotlight: Rev. Jarena Lee

Cora Jackson-Fossett, Religion EditorFebruary 19, 2020

Trailblazing preacher broke social barriers for Black women in the 1800s The Rev. Jarena Lee was a Black history trailblazer, who was the first woman to be authorized to preach by Richard Allen, the founder of the AME Church, and the first Black woman to have an autobiography published in the United States. Jarena was born in 1783 to free, but poor, Black parents. She was sent to work as a live-in servant at the age of 7 and was later exposed to Christian teachings. Jarena came to Philadelphia as a teenager and was changed after hearing a passionate sermon delivered

This Week in Black Faith History – Minister Jarena Lee

Blackpast.orgFebruary 27, 2019

Minister Jarena Lee was the first authorized female preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Lee, whose family or maiden name is unknown, was born to a poor but free black family on February 11, 1783, in Cape May, New Jersey. In 1790 at the age of seven, Lee was sent to work as a live-in servant for a white family named Sharp. Lee moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a teenager and continued to work as a domestic servant. One afternoon, Lee attended a worship service at Bethel Church where Bishop Richard Allen, founder of the AME Church, was scheduled to preach. After hearing the powerful sermon delivered by

History Religion

Activist Ministers Empowered By Faith, Battled Racism in U.S.

Cora Jackson-Fossett, Religion EditorJanuary 31, 2018

February is African American Heritage Month Bishop Richard Allen, the founder and first bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, was also a successful businessman, civic leader and social activist. Born a slave in 1760, Allen bought his freedom while in his 20s and was ordained as a minister in 1784. In 1787, Allen and fellow preacher, Absalom Jones, established the Free African Society to assist freed slaves and migrants. He also persuaded Black Philadelphians to serve as aid workers during a yellow fever epidemic in 1793 and prepared the Black community to