After doomsday: I outgrew a cult and became a professor
It’s New Year’s Eve 1972. 8-year-old Jerald Walker peeks anxiously into the dark, convinced the world’s about to end. When it doesn't, he's desperate for something to believe in.
Jerald Walker grew up in the predominantly white, Worldwide Church of God – a doomsday cult that convinced its followers the world would end in 1972. Raised by blind, African American parents and under the cult's strict teachings, which preached racial segregation and an imminent apocalypse, Jerald’s life was dominated by fear, isolation, and the belief that his future didn’t exist.
When the promised doomsday never came, Jerald and his family were left grappling with shattered beliefs. As his life unravelled, Jerald fell into addiction and crime, struggling to escape the mental and emotional grip of the cult. But through education, an extraordinary teacher and a passion for writing, he found a path to redemption.
Presenter: Asya Fouks
Producer: Thomas Harding Assinder
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
(Photo: Jerald Walker Short text description of photo. Credit: Samuel Williams)
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