I was a black child raised in a white supremacist cult. When doomsday didn’t come, I had to learn how to live

🌈 Abstract

The article is a biographical account of Jerald Walker's childhood, growing up in a doomsday cult called the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) and the challenges he faced in overcoming his upbringing to become a successful writer and professor.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Jerald Walker's Childhood in the Worldwide Church of God (WCG)

1. What were some of the key beliefs and practices of the WCG that shaped Jerald Walker's childhood?

• The WCG was a doomsday cult that believed the world would end in 1972, and that only members of the church would be saved and transported to a place of sanctuary.
• The church had white supremacist views, believing that white people were superior to black people and that heaven would be segregated.
• Walker's family did not celebrate holidays like Christmas or Halloween, and they were not allowed to socialize with people outside the church.
• Both of Walker's parents were blind, which the church saw as an affliction that would be fixed when Christ returned.

2. How did Walker's upbringing in the WCG impact his childhood and adolescence?

• Walker hated not being able to celebrate holidays and felt different from his peers at school.
• He was convinced the world would end and that he wouldn't have an adulthood, which led to a sense of hopelessness and confusion.
• As a teenager, Walker dropped out of school, became involved in drugs and crime, and contemplated suicide, struggling to find purpose after realizing the WCG was a scam.

[02] Jerald Walker's Journey to Becoming a Writer

1. How did Jerald Walker eventually break free from the influence of the WCG?

• After a close call with a robbery and the death of a friend, Walker decided to turn his life around and pursue education.
• He started attending community college and was encouraged by a teacher to apply to the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop, where he was accepted and received financial support.
• Walker's first book, "Street Shadows," chronicling his "thug life," was well-received, leading him to write a memoir, "The World in Flames," about his childhood in the WCG.

2. What was the impact of Jerald Walker's upbringing on his later life and career?

• Walker's upbringing in the WCG "ruined" his youth and led to significant challenges, including dropping out of school and getting involved in drugs and crime.
• However, he was able to overcome these obstacles and become a successful writer and professor of creative writing, using his experiences as the basis for his work.
• Walker's memoir, "The World in Flames," allowed him to confront and process the trauma of his childhood, though he found the process difficult and painful.