According to the farmer mayor of Philadelphia, nothing should stand in the way of helping the homeless, the hungry, and the struggling black male in America.
Elected as Philadelphia’s first African-American mayor in 1984, W. Wilson Goode served for two terms. Not all Philadelphians were initially aware of Goode’s fervent commitment to Christ, but Goode’s faith continued to influence his leadership throughout his tenure as mayor. That faith was formed while he was growing up as the son of an alcoholic sharecropper in North Carolina, the story of which he recounts in his recent autobiography, In Goode Faith (Judson).
The most troubling event of Goode’s first term as mayor was the MOVE tragedy involving a commune perceived as radical and disruptive by the broader community. A web of tangled circumstances, poor communication, and questionable judgments resulted in the police destroying several city blocks, thus killing a number of MOVE members, including some of their children. As Goode reveals below, a series of prayer vigils held in Philadelphia on his behalf helped him endure.
After his terms as mayor, Goode accepted a teaching position in political science at Eastern College where he also heads the Institute for the Advancement of the African-American Male.
You have described God as “the God who comes out of nowhere.”
I’ve learned that God responds to us when we least expect it and in ways that surprise us. When I was young, my mother’s God was all I understood of who God was and how God acted. I did not have a relationship with God. But I carefully watched my mother pray, sing, and meditate. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, God would come. There would be food, peace in our home, clothing that we badly needed—sometimes even toys ...
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