a message to the colored people of the United States Grimké, Francis J. (Francis James) 1850-1937 creator text utu 2015 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats "Gideon Bands for work within the race and for work without the race" by Francis J. Grimké is a discourse delivered in 1913, likely reflecting the early 20th century American context. This religious and motivational text addresses the struggles faced by African Americans in the United States, drawing parallels between biblical narratives and contemporary social issues. Grimké emphasizes the call for unity, moral integrity, and active resistance against the forces of oppression. In this address, Grimké calls upon the African American community to form their own "Gideon Bands," likened to Gideon's warriors from the biblical story, as a means to combat both internal and external challenges. He identifies moral decay and the denial of civil rights as two sets of adversaries threatening the well-being of the race. He urges readers to have courage, faith, and reliability, emphasizing the importance of organization and collective effort in confronting these challenges. By invoking the qualities exhibited by Gideon's 300 men—awareness of the situation, courage to act, faith in a higher power, and reliability—Grimké highlights the necessity for a concerted effort towards achieving moral and civic equality, advocating for proactive engagement in the fight against injustice. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Release date is 2015-08-10 Produced by Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) Original publication data not identified African Americans E151 Original publication data not identified 13012039 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/49664 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/49664 UtSlPG 260607 20260610134136.0 49664