Philadelphia’s Black community overwhelmingly rejected colonization despite elite Black support

Evidence

In Philadelphia, at least 3,000 Black men packed into Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church on January 15, 1817, to discuss the ACS’s formation. Longtime colonization supporter James Forten, A.M.E. church founder Richard Allen, and two other Black ministers pledged their support for colonization and its missionary potential. Speeches concluded, Forten stepped to the pulpit to gauge the crowd. Those in favor? Forten asked. No one spoke. No one raised a hand. Nothing. All opposed? Forten nervously asked. Everything. A booming “no” rang out, shaking the walls of the church. — Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped from the Beginning, 391

Categorization

• SEED: A vivid narrative scene - elite Black leadership advocating for a policy their own community unanimously rejects - could anchor an essay on how leadership endorsement diverges from grassroots sentiment on contentious issues.
• XREF: Connects to the ‘Sacrifice’ article’s theme of elite-led ritual consensus vs. bottom-up will, and broadly to how spokespeople misrepresent constituencies.