Photograph of Bishop Shaw standing at the altar of an African Methodist Episcopal Zion (A.M.E.Z) church.
Bishop Herbert Bell Shaw (1908-1985) was born in Wilmington, NC and received his early education from local public schools. He later graduated from Fisk University in Nashville, TN and Howard University in Washington, D.C. He was the pastor of St. Luke A.M.E.Z. church in Wilmington from 1929 to 1937. From 1937 on, he served in numerous leading positions in both religious and secular organizations on the local, national, and international level. He was known as an international religious leader and educator. He became presiding Bishop of the First Episcopal District fof the A.M.E.Z. Church, and was twice named one of the most infuential African-Americans in the United States by Ebony magazine. He also worked at the family funeral business, John H. Shaw's Sons Mortuary, which is still in business today and is one of the oldest continuous African American-owned business in North Carolina.
Subject
Shaw, Herbert Bell, 1908-1980; African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church; African Americans--North Carolina--Wilmington
Format
black-and-white photograph
Identifier
00.470
Source
Reaves, Bill. Strength Through Struggle. Wilmington: New Hanover County Public Library, 1998.
Provenance
Donated to the New Hanover County Public Library by Bill Reaves in 1999
Rights
Copyright is owned by the New Hanover County Public Library. For commercial or other use, permission must be granted.
