Before us stands Rainbow Baptist Church a beacon of faith in Los Angeles. This church sits at N34.05279 degrees and W118.29146 degrees. It stands 213 feet above sea level.
Rainbow Baptist Church appears on the USGS 1:24K topographic map. The map is called Hollywood CA.
The Department of Children and Family Services knows Rainbow Baptist Church. You can even find directions to it.
Let’s delve into the story of another Baptist church. It is Second Baptist Church of Los Angeles. Its history runs deep with civil rights milestones. Though we are here to talk about Rainbow Baptist Church. It is good to know about the wider history of baptist churches in Los Angeles.
Second Baptist Church was the first African-American Baptist Church in Southern California. It began on May 13 1885. People wanted their own church. They wanted free expression of worship. Reverend S. C. Pierce organized Second Baptist Church. He ministered there for two years.
The Second Baptist Church building became a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1978. In 2009 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. From the 1920s to 1950s Central Avenue was the cultural hub. It was a business hub for African-Americans in Los Angeles.
Second Baptist Church played a vital role in the Civil Rights Movement. It could seat over 2000 people. It was the largest meeting space owned by African-Americans. This was in the Western United States before World War II. The church hosted the NAACP national convention three times. These were in 1928 1942 and 1949. The 1928 convention was the first NAACP conference in the western United States. Writer W. E. B. Du Bois and poet Alice Dunbar Nelson spoke there.
The congregation fought racial discrimination. This included housing beaches swimming pools and restaurants. In 1954 the congregation gave $1500 to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The money printed briefs for Brown v. Board of Education. The church also gave scholarships to Ralph Bunche. He later won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Second Baptist was the West Coast home for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He spoke there many times from 1956 to 1968. Malcolm X also spoke at Second Baptist. This was after several Muslims were shot in 1962.
The neighborhood around Second Baptist Church changed. In 2007 it was 40% African American and over 50% Latino. Many Second Baptist members moved away. Rev. William Epps kept Second Baptist in its building. The church remains mostly African-American.
On January 3 1926 Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Sr. spoke at the dedication. He called Second Baptist the most elaborate Baptist church on the West Coast.
In June 1928 the NAACP held its 19th annual conference at Second Baptist. W.E.B. Du Bois James Weldon Johnson and Arthur B. Spingarn attended.
In January 1953 Second Baptist Church opened its membership to all races. Rev. J. Raymond Henderson said they opposed race prejudice.
On July 12 1961 a group left Second Baptist to join the Freedom Riders in Mississippi. Parishioners donated $2500 for bus tickets.
On May 13 1962 Malcolm X spoke at Second Baptist. He spoke at a meeting about violence after a shooting.
On February 16 1964 Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at Second Baptist. He called for a new Jefferson to proclaim equality.
On March 17 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at Second Baptist again. He spoke against the Vietnam War.
Rainbow Baptist Church stands as a testament to faith and community. It will be here for generations.