NYAME  NTI Literally: "By God's grace." a symbol of faith and trust in God

y father's religion was not something that he practiced; it was something that he lived. It comprised his world view.

In that respect, his spirituality was very African. In most traditional African cultures, life is revered as a blessing from the Creator, and that reverence is displayed in people's daily habits, routines, and attitudes.

In America, slaves weren't allowed to practice their traditional religions and were forced to became Christians. But that doesn't mean they gave up their African spirituality. It manifested itself in more subtle, less overt ways. So, for a descendant of slaves to be raised to be "rugged and determined," rather than "Aya," does not eliminate the African spiritual source of that value.

Lafayette Presbyterian Church (circa 1955)

All of this is not to diminish the role that black Christian churches played in his life, however.

As a youth, he attended the Lafayette Presbyterian Church in Jersey City. He was a member of the church's Brotherhood Fellowship Basketball Team. His father coached the team and was the athletic director for the church.

So Lafayette was more than a place where his family attended services on Sunday. It was an essential part, if not the heart, of his community life.

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