Fashion & Faith in Church Hats

The Tradition of Church Hats

The African American tradition of wearing special head coverings to church goes back to the early days of slavery. One historian has argued that the practice was not an imitation of hats worn by white men and women slave owners, but a statement of dignity. "During the week they belonged to Ole Massa, what they looked like was of little importance. On Saturday night and Sunday, among themselves, they asserted themselves as proud men and women."

Craig Marberry, author of Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats, describes the flamboyance, boundless passion, and singular flair African American women have brought to the act of wearing hats to church in order to meet Apostle Paul’s decree mentioned in I Corinthians. Marberry writes, "These captivating hats are not mere fashion accessories. Neither, despite, their biblical roots, are they solely religious headgear. Church hats are a peculiar convergence of faith and fashion that keeps the Sabbath both holy and glamorous." Miss Annie Mae and her hats fall comfortably into this tradition.

Miss Annie Mae McClain

(née Robinson)

Annie Mae Robinson, born in 1913, grew up in Belzoni, Mississippi and at the age of twenty married Terry McClain, a father of three boys. A few years later Miss Annie Mae’s brother encouraged the McClains to move to Milwaukee for the great job opportunities. At the time Milwaukee had a population of approximately 13,000 African Americans. After World War II Southern blacks migrated to Northern cities in large numbers and within a few years Milwaukee’s black population had grown to 105,000. Most of them lived on the city’s North Side in a community known as "Bronzeville."

According to her stepson, Joe McClain, Miss Annie Mae grew up in a strong Christian environment. He recalls, "Her whole life besides her work was built around her church." Choosing a church to attend once they arrived in Milwaukee was a significant decision for the McClains. There were ten African American churches to select from, but in the end they became members of the Tabernacle Community Baptist Church, primarily because a large part of the congregation was also from Belzoni. At the time the church was just a store front, but it has moved twice since into successively larger buildings. Miss Annie Mae became an important and beloved member of the church during the over 60 years she attended it.

After living in Milwaukee for a few years, Miss Annie Mae decided she wanted to work, much to the consternation of her husband. She insisted, however, stating, "I’m tired of being broke, I gotta go to work, find me a job." Her first job was at a tannery, but she soon realized that she could make a living as a beautician since friends, family and neighbors always wanted her to fix their hair. She worked at a beauty parlor on Walnut Street until her retirement, but her customers would not let her retire, so she turned the basement of the McClain home into a beauty parlor.

With the money Miss Annie Mae made at her job, she bought new outfits—and hats. First she shopped at department stores, but in later years went to specialty shops, especially Heads Up Hat Shop on West Silver Spring Drive where she may have purchased the red and pink Jack McConnell hat now in the Society’s collection.