"Shall we start, pilgrims . . . Yeah! Yeah! ... by taking the people of Harlem, pilgrims . . . Yeah! Yeah! ... up the long stairway to heaven, pilgrims. Yeah! Yeah! Preach that word brother!
"Now Harlem's no worse than any place else. You Bet! But you gotta get your mind out of Harlem into Heaven! Amen! You can do it by singing. And I've come to sing hell out of Harlem! Praise the Lord!
"Is everybody happy, pilgrims? Yeah! Yeah! If so, sing Hallelujah, pilgrims! Yeah! Yeah!"
Three thousand Negroes stirred restlessly on their wooden chairs in Harlem's huge Golden Gate Ballroom....
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