Paramhansa Yogananda is pictured with his first Afro-American Yogoda Study Goup in Washington D.C. 1927 zoom

First Afro-American Yogoda study group.

In 1927, Paramhansa Yogananda met the President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge while visiting Washington D. C. on a lecture tour. Swami Yogananda, as he was called in his early days, spoke in many prestigeous locations in Washington and thousands of people of all races began to follow his Yogoda or Self-realization teachings for self improvement in body, mind, and soul.

When he visited Washington, Jim Crow laws were in effect in those days. It was understood that black students should be separate from the majority. For these reasons, one could surmise that the Afro-American Yogoda Association was formed.

From research in the Yogananda’s East West Magazine from 1927 until 1932, Afro-American Yogoda Association was listed as being an active group.

Minnie Mayo, the group leader listed throughout that time seemed to have led the activities into the Great Depression. After the February 1932 issue, there was no longer any record of the groups activity, nor was there any listing of it.

Here is news clip, taken from May/June 1927 East West Magazine, reporting of the first meeting of Yogananda’s Afro-American Yogoda group:

“Swami gave a class in Washington for colored students and had earnest class of about fifty people. They held a social gathering on March 5th, where Swami played the Hindu Esraj, and the Burleigh Singers sang Negro spirituals. On this occasion, Swami appointed Mrs. Minnie C. Mayo as the leader of the Afro-American Yogoda Satsanga Association in Washington.

This center has a beautiful home of its own at 14 Iowa Circle, N.W. Public meetings are held each Sunday night at 5 o’clock with a lecture, music, and healing vibrations. On Wednesdays the Afro-American Yogoda Center students meet to transact business and review the Yogoda exercises.”

One wonders what might have happened to the Afro-American Yogoda Association? There was some research done on the group, but nothing was ever found. The two places that were researched were the archives of the Self-Revelation Church (founded by Yogananda, but later headed up by his representative Swami Premanada) and the Library of Congress.

Maybe if there was more time for an extended research on this subject, more could be found. If anyone tracks something down, please email the webmaster and we’ll post it.

Finally, an interesting thing about the above photograph, is that, when some people see it for the first time, they find themselves in it! One black lady, saw the picture and laughingly pointed herself out in it. She felt that she was connected to Yogananda in a previous incarnation. People of other races, too, who’ve seen the picture felt they were pictured in it with Yogananda. What do you see? Does it seem familiar to you?

Feel free to down load this picture and share it with friends, it’s apart of the historical record, in public domain, of Paramhansa Yogananda, the great man of God from India.

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