The Azusa Street Revival was remarkable in American history because it was a multi-racial revival started amongst economically poor Americans and led by an African-American leader. This multiethnic and multi-class revival was marked by the “move of the Spirit” and became a key ingredient to the birth of “soul music.” As the Pentecostal movement and Soul music matured, America’s original sin, racism, took the movement down a winding road of racial healing. David M. Bailey will explore the complex history of this movement, its influence on music, and share the work he has been doing over the last decade inspired by The Azusa Street Revival, called the Urban Doxology Project.
