Hat Sunday at First Central Baptist Church

Wearing their loveliest chapeaux along with their Sunday Best, the congregation of First Central Baptist Church (FCBC) in Staten Island showed up and showed out on April 26, Hat Sunday.

For generations, Black women’s church hats—often called “crowns”—have represented far more than fashion. Rooted partly in the biblical tradition of women covering their heads during worship—as required in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 11, verse 5—hats became enduring symbols of faith, dignity, and cultural identity within the Black church.

Among the humiliating practices female slaves suffered, owners shaved their heads as a way to strip them of their individuality and to show dominance. The women then used head dresses decorated with beads to distinguish themselves.

Following slavery and throughout segregation, Sunday worship offered Black women one of the few public spaces where they could express elegance, pride, and self-worth. Wearing “Sunday Best” became both a spiritual practice and a declaration of humanity.

The Smithsonian Institution’s Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats described the tradition as a reflection of “dignity and celebration.” Similarly, the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum in New Jersey calls church hats symbols of “freedom, commitment to spiritual life, and a love for fashion.”

Thanks to Rev. Dr. Demetrius Carolina and FCBC for keeping the rich history and traditions of the Black Church Community alive!