Recognizing Prince Hall: An Eleven Year Journey to Honesty

This was an interesting journal of one group of Freemasons dealing with Racial prejudice and attitudes. The book is an easy read. The only criticism that it does not give useful info to the Mason and Non Mason alike and that is Prince Hall Free and Accepted Masons have been Masons in America before America was even America! 1775 (15 Black Men) were initiated in Irish Military Lodge # 441 in Boston Common. Prince Hall Masons have always been listed in the Grand Lodge of England's roll of lodges (Now the United Grand Lodge of England). White Lodges called us Clandestine but we were never not REGULAR or LEGAL we were segregated like Black Folks everywhere else in this country and the benefits of True Brotherhood that Freemasonry holds as its central tenant was denied but most of the country has now righted the ship although there are a few holdouts in the American South such as Mississippi and Louisiana.

It's hard for someone who didn't live through the middle of the 20th century to understand how separate black and white societies were, especially in the south and how it was possible to be a basically good person but still accept the widely held societal stereotypes of the time. Masonry is a fellowship that honors the inner qualities of a man, not the external, but for far too many years ingrained societal racist attitudes led to separate black and white masonic organizations that didn't even officially recognize each other as "real masons". This book documents the struggle, difficult at first but soon gathering unstoppable momentum, to get North Carolina's white masonic organization (the AF&AM) to recognize the black (Prince Hall) organization. This isn't just a story of power struggles between a few leaders, it's about changing the attitudes of the rank and file that make up the AF&AM. This effort to shift a group's world view is a microcosm of the larger societal struggle that was going on at the same time, so the book does an excellent job of demonstrating that the lasting successes of the civil rights era are likely more due to enlightening and winning over the "good-hearted majority" than to defeating the extremist anti-progress elements.Since the names are changed to protect the not necessarily completely innocent it's also great fun for North Carolina masons to try to match up the characters in the book to the actual men in North Carolina masonry.

As a 26 year Prince Hall mason and Past Master, I often wondered if the members of American Grand Lodges that did not recognize Prince Hall lodges realized how unmasonic they were. This book opened my eyes to the struggle within those lodges to acquire true Masonic light. It is my sincere hope that my brethren find the courage to rid themselves of the foolish concept known as bigotry, learn to love all mankind and thereby make themselves better men. Reading this book may assist them in their journey, I will keep them in prayer, they need it.

This book is a narrative of what the process was like OR could have been like during a difficult process within a Grand Lodge. Although this is not a scholarly depiction of historical facts, it is a very readable story set during a process of two Grand Lodges establishing amity with each other. Even if the actual process didn't happen while including the names named in the book, it probably provides Freemasons in foreign jurisdictions a useful depiction of attitudes seen in the south-eastern USA towards the subject.

This book was honest about the trials associated with the recognition of Prince Hall Masons in NC. Retrospectively humorous at times but serious never the less. The Great thing about Masonry is that in the end the morally correct thing triumphs in the ultimately. Being a black mason from the Caribbean our acceptance of Prince Hall Masonry took a different path. We were always aware of the connection to the UGLE so when UGLE accepted Prince Hall Masonry, visits were a foregone conclusion.A great read. It makes me proud to be mason when our basic concepts come out on top.

Brother Weatherington did a fantastic job with his personal chronicle of involvement with bringing in a new day of Masonry in the State of North Carolina. It was a long eleven year fight with his lodge Brothers and friends over the issue of formally respecting Prince Hall Masonry in the Tar Heel State. A personal story well worth being told.

This is a quick read with excellent background. The use of the N word in various quotations was uncomfortable, however, this is the history and it is impactful in communicating a place and time in which I was not present. The Kindle version had some various formatting issues, but were only a slight impediment.

This book is a good book that gives the reader the history behind Prince Hall Recognition in North Carolina. The author gives vivid details on the 11 year journey towards recognition. I am a little disappointed that the book does not mention anything about the roles that Prince Hall Masons played in the recognition process. Recognition in North Carolina was pushed and achieved through the efforts of Prince Hall and Mainstream Masons who wanted to see the bigotry and racism in Freemasonry in the state end. I would recommend it to readers, it definitely gives a baseline for one's knowledge on how recognition occurred in North Carolina.