First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh

Founded in 1808, it is the oldest Black church in Pittsburgh. Initially located in the Lower Hill District, it was once a thriving congregation and center of learning and social activism. However, as part of the Lower Hill redevelopment project of the 1950’s, the Urban

Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh seized the church by eminent domain and demolished it.

Since that time, the more the congregation learned about the situation – that is, the value of the seized property versus the compensation they received, and the fact that a neighboring white church wasn’t torn down – the more they understood the demolition as an act of racism. Now Bethel members are seeking reparations under the leadership of Pastor Dale Snyder. They are challenging the city, the redevelopers of the Lower Hill, and local white faith communities to acknowledge how they have participated in, or profited from, racist systems and to compensate Bethel AME Church for its losses.

PUBLICSOURCE, April 14, 2021 www.publicsource.org/bethel-ame-black-church-history/