Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Florida BREAKING NEWS

Brothers, Sisters and Friends Around the World:

This has just come to my attention from Tim Bryce, who we all know as a reliable source of information via his Yahoo Group that he has it from a reliable source that last Monday, Florida's Prince Hall Grand Lodge has recognized the Grand Lodge of Florida (unilaterally). I offer this in the sincere hope that it is correct. I will post more as I hear it.

Below is the passed resolution which is being sent to the Grand Master of Florida prior to the upcoming Grand Communications:

Whereas, The Most Worshipful Union Grand Lodge Most Ancient & Honorable Fraternity Free and Accepted Masons, Prince Hall Affiliated of Florida; Belize, Central America Jurisdiction, Incorporated is a regular Grand Lodge originating from African Lodge No 459, which is descendant from the United Grand Lodge of England, and is the sole and supreme Masonic authority over its constituents and Jurisdictions; and

Whereas, the Grand Lodge of Florida F&AM is a regular Grand lodge and descendant from the United Grand Lodge of England and is the sole and supreme Masonic authority over its constituents and Jurisdictions; and

Whereas, both Grand Lodges have and shall by mutual consent and amity administer its own affairs and maintain independent autonomy within its respective jurisdictions;

Therefore, be it resolved that The Most Worshipful Union Grand Lodge Most Ancient & Honorable Fraternity Free and Accepted Masons, Prince Hall Affiliated of Florida; Belize, Central America Incorporated hereby recognizes the Grand Lodge of Florida F&AM and provides it as full and complete recognition as may be reciprocated by said Grand Lodge;

Be it further resolved that The Most Worshipful Union Grand Lodge Most Ancient & Honorable Fraternity Free and Accepted Masons, Prince Hall Affiliated of Florida; Belize, Central America, incorporated hereby recognizes, and will as of this date recognize without further Grand Lodge vote, each Grand Lodge that does not state that it does not want to be recognized by our Grand Lodge, and that is recognized, and continues to be recognized, by any sister Prince Hall Affiliated Grand Lodge, and/or the Grand Lodge of Florida F&AM, and/or the United Grand Lodge of England as long as our sister Prince Hall Affiliated Grand Lodge and/or the Grand Lodge of Florida F&AM does not object to our recognizing said Grand Lodge(s);

This recognition by The Most Worshipful Union Grand Lodge Most Ancient & Honorable Fraternity Free and Accepted Masons, Prince Hall Affiliated of Florida; Belize, Central America, Incorporated of a Grand Lodge in another jurisdiction will be to the same extent as the recognition by any Prince Hall Grand Lodge that is in amity with it.

Sounds like an interesting Grand Communications is coming up in Florida! May they make the right choice and accept the hand they are being offered in brotherly love.

May the blessing of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us!

Guest Editorial: Wr. Fred Milliken on Prince Hall Masonry

A comment from a reader of Theron Dunn’s Beacon of Masonic Light Blog writes:

Michael said...

These questions pertain to Masonry's interaction with biblical scripture, politics, religion and morals of every day life.

Brother, I'm curious: how do these square with the prohibition of discussing religion and politics in lodge meetings? Also, by requiring discussion of the Bible, how would you welcome a Mason (or prospective Mason) whose belief in God did not encompass the Bible? Again, I ask these questions because I'm curious, not because I'm inclined to argue.

The answer to your question goes way back in history. In fact you will find that many actions, styles and ways of doing things we do today not because of today’s reasons but because we have been doing them that way for so long that they have become part of the culture. As a Catholic I only have to think of my church. People ask, why all the statues, the stain glass pictures, the Stations of the Cross carvings mounted on the walls? It is because most people in early Christianity were illiterate. Written words were of no use to them. They learned from pictures and symbols, as did early Freemasons. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Many early Masons were also illiterate. Thus everything was passed down from “mouth to ear” and the lessons were taught by symbols with liberal use of The Tracing Boards. As time went on, the printing press was invented and more people began to read and write. Did these institutions change their ways? Did the Catholic Church then do away with their statues, engravings and stain glass depictions? Did Masonry abolish its symbols and go strictly with the written word? NO! WHY? Well these props, these accruements to the Institutions became part of the Institutions just like your arm is part of your body. They are the traditions of these Institutions and more modern ways are added on without removing them. Thus we have the age-old battle in Freemasonry, “we always do it this way.” More recent Protestant churches with a history of less than 200 years could start afresh without the centuries of traditions. Thus their architecture could reflect much less dependence on story and lesson telling through pictures and more upon the written word making their church buildings as some Catholics would say – “stark and bare”. And in Freemasonry some of the newer Appendant Bodies had less symbols and more lessons learned by drama or acting. Think of the Scottish Rite degrees here and how they differ from York Rite and Craft Lodge Masonry.

People have a hard time understanding this commitment to tradition and Masons are no different from the general public in this regard. To illustrate why I often point to the circular movement of vehicles. If I were to ask you why racecars go around the racetrack counter clockwise instead of clockwise what would you say? A good answer would be because that’s the way horses went around their racetrack. So why do horses travel counter clockwise (or dogs)? Would you believe it wasn’t always that way? Before the American Revolution all circular motion was done clockwise. It kind of makes sense that this would be the preferred style. But in our distaste for everything British in the late 1700s Americans changed all circular motion to counter clockwise. The birth of a new nation meant a separation from English ways. Now if I were to have the power to change it back, to pass a government decree that starting tomorrow all vehicles would now go around a rotary, all race cars, horse racers, all racing dogs, everything would move clockwise how popular do you think this decision would be? Well let me tell you there would be hell to pay. People would be up in arms. So ingrained in our culture today is the counter clockwise circular motion that to reverse or change it would be unthinkable. Why even when you go through the gates of Disney World the first inclination is to go to the right not the left.

But I digress with too much long-winded discourse. In regards to Prince Hall Masonry their style, their way of doing things is dictated by centuries of tradition. People forget how long Black Masonry has been around. Two Hundred & Thirty plus years is a long time to build up traditions and an ingrained culture style. In early Black Masonry Blacks did not have the freedom of association that whites had. Black men could not go down to the tavern or pub or coffeehouse or restaurant or movie theatre or dance hall or anything social like that at all. If they were free and unaccompanied by a white slave owner that was just not allowed. So how did a Black man meet other Black men? If there were no vehicles for Black association how did Black Masons recruit Black men into the Fraternity?

Well the one Institution where Black men, and Black families for that matter, could congregate was the Black church. Church gatherings were not prohibited by the dominant white culture of the time. And these churches were overwhelmingly Christian. Other religions within the Black community at this stage were unheard of. So the Black Mason limited in his areas of social contact recruited new members primarily from the church. Black Masonry tended to be poor. So most Black Lodges met at the church. The House of Worship was also the Masonic Temple. Thus did Prince Hall Masonry and Christianity become intertwined?

Because of this forced development style American Black culture and traditions emanated from the church and all Black activity became interconnected. Black culture does not recognize the strict observance of separation of church and state. Thus Black politicians and community leaders often came to the church to speak and influence people, Freemasonry and the church as we have seen were closely intertwined with most Masons coming from church membership, and Black Freemasonry was very community orientated working within the community for the betterment of the community. It was one big circle. Thus has Prince Hall Masonry become through its traditions very Christian orientated and very community charity orientated. But then again most Black development started with the church. Many Black ministers were community activists as were many Black Masons. I can remember growing up in the 50s and listening to Doo Wop groups who started and originated as church singers. Aretha Franklin and Della Reese were both first church singers before becoming popular professional paid singers. So what we can say about the Black community is that everything is interconnected. There is no sharp line of demarcation between what is one responsibility and what is another. And so Prince Hall Masonry is closed allied with church and political community life. It’s all one interconnected business or state of affairs with much sameness in thought and purpose. Everybody is on the same page. It lacks the diversity and variety of opinions and expressions of the white community. Thus if everyone thinks alike no one is there to object when Masonry is openly Christian because every Mason is a Christian. And it is not unusual for Evangelical Christians of Southern Baptist or nondenominational connections, who are the majority of Black Christian Masons, to openly express their Christianity in a manner not found in the more sedate, less vocal mainline churches.

But times are changing and have been changing in the Black community, especially since WWII. But as we have seen, traditions die hard. Northern Blacks tend to be more diverse today and Prince Hall Masonry there is drawing from many different cultures now. Less so is the South where Prince Hall still is closely associated with church and draws membership from the same.

But what needs to be noted here is, because of the interconnectiveness of this community, Prince Hall Masons merge their study of Institutions. Thus a Prince Hall Mason studying Freemasonry is also studying where Masonic thought and Biblical thought and political thought coincide. I for one think that many Mainstream Masons have forgotten how much of Masonic ritual comes directly from Scripture. We can find in the Biblical Books of Kings, Chronicles and The Book of Ruth, to name a few instances of this, much that is in the Masonic Monitor. And to point out this fact I don’t think can be construed as proselytizing Christianity inside the Masonic Lodge. So let me ask those Mainstream Masons who are reading this if they can tell me who Adoniram was and what was his involvement in the building of King Solomon’s Temple? Where can the man Boaz be found in the Bible, who was his son and what was his family lineage. These are all questions a Prince Hall Mason will know.

While there is mention of the Bible in Prince Hall Masonry and celebration of being Christian this is not the same as saying that other thought, other ways are excluded. It is only natural for those of like thought and belief to talk about their common shared heritage and lifestyle. But Prince Hall does not exclude other religions, races or creeds. There are some Muslim Prince Hall Masons. There can be other Holy Books besides the Holy Bible on the Prince Hall Masonic altar. Partisan Politics and sectarian religion are not discussed or debated in the Lodge. There is mutual celebration but the elimination of controversy.

So as we have seen Prince Hall has its traditions born of many years of separate Masonic observance forced upon it. Those Mainstream Lodges who have proposed a Prince Hall ~ Mainstream merger but only under the terms that Prince Hall practice Masonry the Mainstream way are asking Prince Hall to give up everything that has become common daily practice and tradition and that is not well received or a viable solution. Would you go around the traffic rotary tomorrow clockwise?

What we can do if we are Masons who practice differently is to understand what the differences are, how they got to be that way and if they are not my way then allow that they are another way of merit.

What's Wrong with this Picture??

So, what is wrong with this picture. Its a white and blue map of the United States. It’s not a Democrat/Republican white state blue state map. No, this map shows a deeper divide, one that should not exist among Masons. The blue states in this map represent states where the Mainstream Grand Lodges have at least recognized that Prince Hall Masonry is regular masonry. Most of these states have also instituted some kind of mutual intervisitation.

The ritual of the Grand Lodge of California, in the first degree, speaking of Brotherly Love states:

By the exercise of brotherly love, we are taught to regard the whole human species as one family, the high and low, the rich and the poor, who, as created by one almighty parent and inhabitants of the same planet, are to aid, support and protect each other. On this principle, Masonry unites men of every country, sect and opinion, and causes true friendship to exist among those who might otherwise remain at a perpetual distance.

This is pretty typical of the teaching in all grand lodges, and that is what makes the map above so wrong. You see, the states in red are those states that do not recognized that Prince Hall Masonry is FULLY REGULAR MASONRY. In some cases, for instance North Carolina, the issue has come up at their Grand Communication and received a majority vote, but has yet to receive the supermajority that Masonic tradition requires for changes to be implemented.

It is not the intention of the author to hold any one Grand Lodge, any brother, or any group of men up to ridicule, but to question a status that is simply unmasonic and untenable in this day and age. One of the Grand Lodges that, as of this writing, December 10, 2006, still do not recognize the legitimacy of Prince Hall Masonry stated, as recently as 1990 and upheld this in 1991:

… Grand Lodge adopted a resolution that included: "...the Grand Lodge of xxx ... has always considered ... Prince Hall affiliate, to be totally irregular and clandestine, having absolutely no Masonic authority, and the members thereof not to be Masons ... the Grand Lodge of xxx ... most strongly disapprove and condemn in the strongest terms available that action of any other Grand Lodge that may hereafter extend fraternal recognition to any Prince Hall affiliate organization at any time and anywhere located ... any contact or communication whatsoever between a xxx Mason ... and any Lodge under the jurisdiction of any Grand Lodge that does now or may hereafter make any fraternal recognition of any Prince Hall affiliate organization, or between a member of any Lodge under the jurisdiction of such a Grand Lodge ... shall be cleared through the ... Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of xxx ... and approved by the Grand Master of Masons in xxx, on a case-by-case basis."

So, you are a Mason as long as you are white… according to this Grand Lodge. Some of these Grand Lodges make the, weak, argument that Prince Hall is not regular Masonry because of its provenance. However, a cursory, or in-depth review of the facts of the matter show the Prince Hall Grand Lodges to predate the antecedents of most existing grand lodges today, AND their original charter was issued by the Grand Lodge of England, a charter still on display at the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts once per year.

Then, as we look at the map, we see among the states that do not recognize the legitimacy of the Prince Hall Masonry to be many of those that were members of the Confederacy, where a war was fought, in part, to end slavery. Is this a coincidence? This author will not go so far as to stipulate cause and effect, but a brother has to wonder why all the Grand Lodges of those states, including most recently (this year) the Grand Lodge of Texas, recognize the legitimacy of Prince Hall Masonry, and only the southern states, do not.

This situation needs to be remedied, but how can it be fixed from outside, and more importantly, should it? Each grand lodge is sovereign unto itself. This was settled in the late 1700’s when Wr. George Washington was offered the position of Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of the United States, and rejected the idea. The whole concept of a single, overarching United Grand Lodge of the United States died, though it is occasionally revisited, never very seriously. As American’s, we value our independence.

The whole idea of territorial sovereignty is a new one, created, it seems, out of whole cloth. The rationale for it was to deal with Prince Hall Lodges. It gave the “Mainstream” grand lodge a way to consider a Prince Hall Lodge as clandestine and irregular for violating its territorial sovereignty. This left African American men on the horns of a dilemma: They could not join a mainstream lodge because of racism, but if they joined a “black” lodge, they would be treated as clandestine and irregular, that is, not recognized as regular Masons, by their brother Masons. Their choice was one of: Give up Freemasonry or be an “irregular” Mason. Tough choice. Thankfully, many men chose to be considered irregular and to pursue Freemasonry anyway.

Territorial Sovereignty is ingrained in freemasonry today, at least in the United States, and it is unlikely that it can be addressed simply or easily. There is, however, a recent example of other grand lodges influencing the behavior of another grand lodge using recognition.

Strangely enough, this issue comes from the recognition of the Regularity of the Grand Lodge of France (GLdF) by the Grand Lodge of Minnesota. The GLdF is considered clandestine because they have mixed member lodges, women’s lodges, and do not require a profession of a belief in a deity to become a Mason. Almost immediately upon recognizing the regularity of the GLdF, United States Grand Lodges began withdrawing their recognition of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.

As Wr. Tim Bryce notes in Recognizing Prince Hall Masonry: To Be or Not To Be?:

…A few years ago the Grand Lodge of Minnesota created a stir in the fraternity when it recognized the GLdF which was considered clandestine by many grand jurisdictions. Consequently, many jurisdictions rescinded their recognition of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota until they finally revoked recognition of France. Using this same logic, if the Dixie jurisdictions truly consider Prince Hall Masonry as clandestine, they should revoke recognition of all grand jurisdictions who recognize Prince Hall (including the UGLE). Failure to do so is hypocrisy. This of course won't happen as the Dixie jurisdictions would face isolation in a remarkably similar fashion as the southern states did in the American Civil War.

If any grand lodge in the United States were to remove its requirement that a candidate acknowledge a faith in god, or allow women as members, the other 50 grand lodges in the United States (AT LEAST) would withdraw their recognition and declare them to be clandestine and irregular in their practice before the ink on the declaration had time to dry. That being the case, and seeing as the use of recognition DOES work, and keeping in mind that we are to WHISPER good counsel and thereby seek to bring about a reformation, perhaps something along the following lines might be offered:

At the Grand Master’s Conference on Regularity, the following resolution might be offered:

Resolved: That Prince Hall Masonry is regular Masonry in all respects, and Resolved: That the exercise of brotherly love requires that we extend the Masonic hand of friendship to all regular brothers;

Be it resolved that all Grand Lodges, whithersoever dispersed around the globe that two years from the date of this resolution that any grand lodge that has not extended and amended their constitutions, codes and rules as necessary to recognize Prince Hall Masonry as regular in ALL respects shall have its intervisitation rights withdrawn.

Be it further resolved that all Grand Lodges, whithersoever
dispersed around the globe that three years from the date of this resolution that any grand lodge that has not extended and amended their constitutions, codes and rules as necessary to recognize Prince Hall Masonry as regular in ALL respects shall have their recognition withdrawn entirely and that/those grand lodges deemed clandestine and irregular.

Be if further resolved that all Grand Lodges, whithersoever dispersed around the globe that four years from the date of this resolution that any grand lodge that has not extended and amended their constitutions, codes and rules as necessary to recognize Prince Hall Masonry as regular in ALL respects will have its lodges offered a new charter under this grand lodge and all members healed and action taken to ensure that good men of color are offered the ability to join the lodge by vacating the use of the SECRET ballot for a period of five years.

This resolution and practice would give the brothers of a grand lodge that does not recognize the regularity of Prince Hall Masonry four years to make the necessary changes so they can be considered regular. As has been noted before: “All it takes for evil to succeed is for men of good will to do NOTHING.” It is time Freemasons stood up and said in a loud and clear voice, NO MORE.

There may be brothers in these grand lodges that have not taken a stand against this practice of ignoring our Prince Hall brothers because they do not know about it, or because there are other issues before them, or because it does not affect them. Its time that we let them know about the issue, that we made it an issue before them, and that we make it affect them. If a man rejects a brother Mason because of the color of his skin, we must take the time to whisper good counsel in his ear.

Its time we stopped waiting on each other. Some GLs have stated they wanted to wait for the Prince Hall Grand Lodge to ASK for recognition. That should not be a condition, as brothers, we should extend unilaterally the hand of friendship. The whole map should be blue, for we are either all brothers before god, or none of us.

By the exercise of brotherly love, the very least we can do is extend our hand to our brothers.

By an extreme coincidence, the Burning Taper published a similar comment today. Please take a moment to read my brother's comment at the Burning Taper.

May the blessing of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons, may brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.