In June of 1970s Dick Gregory spoke at a Ministerial Interfaith Association sponsored event held that sale Methodist Church in Harlem. He told the audience, if churches had been carrying out Jesus’ call for his followers to feed the hungry there would be no need for Black Panther Party (BPP) food programs. He went on to say, if Jesus and his disciples had come in 1970 they would have likely been members of the BPP, feeding the hungry, and state officials would have arrested and assassinated them too. Gregory said the church is the local organization with the facilities and human resources best positioned to address the problem of feeding the hungry. He told the ministers in attendance; you need to be doing the work that the BPP are doing; 200 preachers could use their influence to elect leaders who want to serve and work with them to end hunger in your communities. He added, just tell someone in your congregation to go and feed their hungry neighbors.
