Francis J. Grimké

Francis James Grimké (1852–1937) was a black Christian minister and prominent activist who advocated for equal rights for African Americans. He was active in the Niagara Movement and helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Francis J. Grimké, c. 1902

Quotes

• Racial prejudice can't be talked down, it must be lived down.
  • The Works of Francis J. Grimke (1942), edited by Carter Godwin Woodson, Associated publishers, Incorporated, vol III, page 323

• I place my hope not on government, not on political parties, but on faith in the power of the religion of Jesus Christ to conquer all prejudices, to break down all walls of separation, and to weld together men of all races in one great brotherhood.
  • Rev. Francis J. Grimké in 1899; As Quoted in Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. (2003), African American religious thought: An Anthology, page 398; and in Rael, Patrick (2008), African-American activism before the Civil War: The freedom struggle in the Antebellum North page 207.

• [W]hen it comes to a question as between the Word of God and the State, the only safe, the only right thing to do is to take our stand with the Word of God...
  • The Works of Francis J. Grimke (1942), edited by Carter Godwin Woodson, Associated publishers, Incorporated, vol. II, page 252

• In our day, the scribes and Pharisees would be represented by the clergy, the professors in our theological seminaries, and all high church officials.
  • The Works of Francis J. Grimke (1942), edited by Carter Godwin Woodson, Associated publishers, Incorporated, vol. II, page 260

• A pretty good test of a man's religion is how it effects [sic] his pocketbook; if he gives liberally to religion and benevolence, and gives willingly, his religion means something. But if he is mean, close-fisted, and when he gives gives grudgingly, not of a willing mind, never mind what his profession may be, however unctuously he may speak about religious matters, you may put it down that his religion is a sham, a mere pretense.
  • The Works of Francis J. Grimke (1942), edited by Carter Godwin Woodson, Associated publishers, Incorporated, vol III, page 75