What Are Church Hats?
For many congregations, they’re more than just an elegant accessory.
In many Christian congregations across the country, statement-making hats are as synonymous with Sunday mornings as robed choristers and gospel readings. For writer Craig Marberry, who grew up in a Chicago Church of God in Christ congregation, the spectacular toppers were just part of the sanctuary topography. "In my church, women only wore three types of hats," he says. "Large hats, larger hats, and 'why'd you have to sit in front of me?' hats."
The pastor's grandson took the tradition for granted as a boy. However, Marberry gained a new appreciation for the fabulous millinery of his youth when he partnered with photographer Michael Cunningham to produce a tome telling the stories of church-hat-wearing Southern women. Filled with portraits, their book, Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats, published in October 2000.
"I realized that church hats weren't merely fashion accessories," he says. "They are an expression of faith, as well as a celebration of fashion. Every woman has a different and compelling story about what church hats mean to them."
The Origins Of Wearing Hats In Church
Historically, men have taken their hats off when entering an indoor space as a sign of respect. But for men removing their caps in churches, there's also a biblical reason—a passage from one of Paul's letters to the Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 11:7, Paul writes that men should remove their hats while worshiping "as he is the image and glory of God."
The tradition of women wearing church hats has its roots in that same biblical scripture. In 1 Corinthians 11:5–13, the apostle declares women should cover their heads during worship to honor God. "In many religious denominations, women cover their heads for worship as a sign of respect for God and the church hierarchy," Marberry says. "But Black women alone have interpreted that edict with singular flair."
There's an important cultural element at play, too, he notes. "African Americans oftentimes think we were severed from our African culture, our heritage, because of slavery," the author says. "But there are a lot of things we do without realizing that they're connected to the motherland." Hats are one of them. "Many African societies believe that the soul is housed in the head, not in the heart, and therefore you adorn the head as a way of honoring it," he says.
Hats And The Civil Rights Movement
Wearing hats in church grew in popularity during the Harlem Renaissance and throughout the early 20th century. They became status symbols for the growing Black middle class. During the Civil Rights Movement, women leaders often marched in their church hats as a symbol of dignity.
"If you look at the photos of Civil Rights marches from the '60s, you'll see women wearing church hats: Dorothy Height, Coretta Scott King, and countless others," says Marberry. "Even Rosa Parks, the mother of the Civil Rights Movement, had on a hat the day that she refused to give up her seat to a white man."
Church hats, in other words, are a proud declaration of who you are, how you worship, and what you stand for. And the grander the hat, the better.
The Future Of Church Hats
Shortly before they finished shooting portraits and conducting interviews for their book, Marberry realized that they hadn't yet visited a Church of God in Christ, his childhood denomination, which is known for especially flamboyant hats. They visited a congregation in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he lived at the time. There, they showed the women some photographs of the other hat-wearing ladies set to appear in the book. One flipped through the photos, seemingly unimpressed. "I said, 'What's wrong? You don't like the photographs?'" Marberry recalls. "And she said, 'No, it's not that. Those are Baptist hats, honey.'"
And while these women of older generations may feel closer to God depending on the height and splendor of their hats, Marberry notes that younger church women he interviewed don't necessarily feel the same attachment to them, citing that they're uncomfortable or mess up their hair.
"Unfortunately, it's a tradition that's dying out with the current hat queens," Marberry says. "But I won't lose faith."
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