Have Christianity and Islam Helped Black Americans Survive?| AJ+

Summary

This video explores the historical and ongoing role of religion, especially Christianity and Islam, in the liberation of Black Americans. It highlights how religion, despite being used to justify slavery, also empowered Black communities through churches and mosques as spaces for organizing against oppression. The video covers the rise of African American denominations, the influence of leaders like Nat Turner and Malcolm X, and the religious foundations of the Civil Rights Movement. It also questions whether religion still plays a central role in modern Black activism, particularly in the face of secular movements like Black Lives Matter.

Takeaways

• ⛪ Religion has historically been a cornerstone for the black community, offering strength and unity against oppression.
• 📜 European colonizers used biblical justifications for slavery, promoting a racial hierarchy through religious teachings.
• ✊ Enslaved Africans adapted Christianity for survival and mobilization, creating what became known as the black church.
• 🔔 The Great Awakening in the 1740s sparked new forms of African-American Christianity focused on equality and liberation.
• 📖 Early black religious leaders, especially in Baptist and Methodist denominations, played critical roles in community leadership.
• 📅 After the Civil War, the formation of black denominations like the National Baptist Convention helped organize and mobilize freed black Americans.
• 🚶‍♂️ The Great Migration brought Southern black religious practices to the North, introducing more diverse religious movements like Islam.
• 🕌 The Moorish Science Temple and the Nation of Islam arose in the early 20th century, emphasizing black independence and rejecting white supremacy.
• 🏛️ Churches and mosques served as vital spaces for organizing during the civil rights movement, with many leaders being ministers or religious figures.
• 📉 Today, the role of religion in black activism has shifted, with younger generations being more secular, though religious activism still persists in movements like Moral Mondays.

Q & A

What role did houses of worship play for the black community historically?

Houses of worship historically provided black Americans with a space to preserve their sanity, organize, and find spiritual strength during times of persecution and oppression. They were central to mobilizing efforts against slavery and later, for civil rights.

How did slaveholders use Christianity to justify slavery?

Slaveholders used Christianity to justify slavery by promoting a version that mandated a divinely ordained racial hierarchy, claiming it was God’s will for people of African descent to be slaves. They altered Christian teachings to support this belief.

How did black slaves adapt Christianity for their own purposes?

Black slaves adapted Christianity as a tool for survival, empowerment, and mobilization. They incorporated it into their own spiritual traditions, creating a version that highlighted their humanity and hope for liberation.

What was the significance of the Great Awakening for African Americans?

The Great Awakening brought a wave of religious enthusiasm that emphasized individual piety and religious devotion. Its egalitarian message allowed black Americans to interpret Christian teachings in ways that reinforced their humanity and inspired a vision of liberation from slavery.

Who was Nat Turner, and how did religion influence his rebellion?

Nat Turner was a religious visionary and preacher who led a slave rebellion in Virginia in 1831. His religious beliefs inspired his revolt, making him one of the key figures who demonstrated how faith could be used as a tool for resistance.

How did the National Baptist Convention impact African-American communities?

Founded in 1895, the National Baptist Convention became the largest African-American denomination, with nearly 2 million members. It served as a central organizing space for black communities, addressing issues such as the abolition of slavery and the fight for civil rights.

What role did Islam play in the religious landscape of black Americans after the Great Migration?

Islam reemerged in black communities through movements like the Moorish Science Temple and the Nation of Islam, both of which sought to provide black Americans with a sense of independence and rejected the perceived role of Christianity in supporting white supremacy.

How did the Nation of Islam and leaders like Malcolm X influence black liberation efforts?

The Nation of Islam, under Elijah Muhammad, promoted self-reliance and black empowerment, with Malcolm X as one of its most influential figures. His message focused on uplifting black Americans and rejecting the role of Christianity in perpetuating white supremacy.

What role did religious spaces play during the civil rights movement?

Religious spaces such as churches and mosques were central to the civil rights movement, serving as community and organizing centers. Many leaders of the movement were religious figures, using these spaces to teach skills like public speaking and fundraise for the cause.

What challenges does religion face today in black activism?

While religion historically played a significant role in black activism, younger generations of black Americans are becoming less religiously affiliated. There are also tensions between traditional religious institutions and modern activist movements, especially concerning issues like LGBTQIA rights and reproductive rights.

Outlines

00:00

⛪ The Role of Religion in Black American History

This paragraph explores the historical significance of religious institutions, especially Christianity, in the black community. It highlights how religion served as both a tool for persecution and a means of emancipation. The black church emerged as a space for spiritual survival and mobilization during and after slavery, despite initial resistance from slaveholders who feared that Christianity might lead slaves to see themselves as equals. The Great Awakening and the rise of African-American Christianity, particularly in Baptist and Methodist denominations, are discussed as pivotal in fostering black leadership and providing tools for resistance, including slave revolts like Nat Turner's rebellion. The foundation of independent black denominations and the establishment of the National Baptist Convention are also covered, emphasizing the church's role in organizing and mobilizing against oppression.

05:05

🕌 The Rise of Islam in Black American Communities

This paragraph delves into the resurgence of Islam in black American communities during the early 20th century, driven by Muslim missionaries and scholars. It highlights the establishment of the Moorish Science Temple by Noble Drew Ali, which rejected white supremacy and promoted the idea that black Americans were descendants of Moroccans with Islam as their original faith. The paragraph also discusses the founding of the Nation of Islam by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930, which aimed to uplift black Americans through self-reliance and rejected Christianity as a tool of white supremacy. Under Elijah Muhammad's leadership, the Nation of Islam grew into a significant political force, influencing key figures like Malcolm X, who emphasized black self-worth and independence.

10:05

✊ Religion's Evolving Role in Black Activism Today

This paragraph examines the changing role of religion in contemporary black activism. It notes the decline in church attendance among black Americans and the shift away from religious institutions as central organizing forces, particularly among younger generations. Tensions between religious institutions and modern activist movements, such as Black Lives Matter, are explored, especially regarding social issues like LGBTQIA rights and women's representation. Despite these shifts, religious groups continue to play a role in activism, as seen in movements like Reverend William Barber's Moral Mondays. The paragraph concludes with reflections on the enduring spiritual strength religion has provided to black Americans throughout history, even as its role in activism evolves.

Keywords

💡Black Church

The term 'Black Church' refers to Christian congregations that were formed by Black Americans during and after slavery. These churches played a crucial role in the Black community, serving as centers for social, political, and spiritual life. In the script, the Black Church is highlighted as a space that allowed Black people to organize against oppression, maintain a sense of community, and foster leadership, especially during the Civil Rights Movement.

💡Great Awakening

The Great Awakening was a series of Christian revivals in the American colonies during the 18th century that emphasized individual piety and a personal connection with God. This movement had a significant impact on enslaved Black people, as it presented a more egalitarian version of Christianity that differed from the racially hierarchical faith promoted by slaveholders. It allowed for new forms of African-American Christianity focused on liberation and equal standing before God.

💡Moorish Science Temple

The Moorish Science Temple is a religious organization founded by Noble Drew Ali in the early 1900s, which identified Islam as the original faith of Black Americans and rejected terms like 'Negro' and 'colored.' The Temple’s teachings combined elements of Islam, Black identity, and anti-colonial sentiment. In the video, it is presented as part of the broader revival of Islam within Black communities during the Great Migration, reflecting a rejection of white supremacy and Christian dominance.

💡Nation of Islam

The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and political movement founded in 1930 by Wallace Fard Muhammad and later led by Elijah Muhammad. It aimed to uplift Black Americans by promoting self-reliance and rejecting the racial hierarchy of Christianity as practiced by slaveholders. In the video, the NOI is noted for its significant influence on figures like Malcolm X and its role in the Black liberation struggle, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement.

💡Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement was a pivotal period in American history during the 1950s and 1960s that aimed to end racial discrimination and segregation against Black Americans. Religious spaces like churches and mosques were crucial in this movement, serving as mobilization centers for activists. The video highlights how many civil rights leaders, such as ministers and religious activists, used their faith to inspire and organize protests against racial injustice.

💡Great Migration

The Great Migration refers to the mass movement of over 6 million Black Americans from the rural South to urban centers in the North between 1916 and 1970. This migration transformed Black religious life by introducing a wider variety of religious beliefs, including Islam, to northern cities. In the script, the Great Migration is presented as a catalyst for the rise of new religious movements that offered alternatives to Christianity, such as the Moorish Science Temple and the Nation of Islam.

💡Black Liberation Theology

Black Liberation Theology is a theological perspective that interprets Christianity through the lens of the struggle for Black liberation. It asserts that the Christian gospel is fundamentally about freedom from oppression, aligning the fight against white supremacy with the teachings of Jesus. The video references theologians like James H. Cone, who argued that Black power is not alien to the gospel but is its true expression in the context of American racism.

💡Systematic Racism

Systematic racism refers to the entrenched practices, policies, and social structures that perpetuate racial inequality and discrimination against Black Americans. The video explores how religion historically played a dual role in both supporting and opposing systematic racism, from the biblical justifications for slavery to the use of religious spaces as centers for civil rights activism. The ongoing relevance of religion in contemporary anti-racist activism is also questioned.

💡Religious Decline in Activism

The script notes a decline in the role of religious institutions, like the Black Church and mosque, in modern Black activism. Younger generations of Black Americans are less likely to attend church or identify with a specific religion compared to older generations. This shift reflects broader tensions between religious institutions and contemporary activist movements, such as disagreements on LGBTQIA rights, women's representation, and other progressive social issues.

💡Moral Mondays Movement

The Moral Mondays Movement is a social protest campaign led by Reverend William Barber, starting in 2013, which involves weekly demonstrations against policies that negatively impact marginalized communities. This movement is an example of how religious groups remain active in progressive social activism, despite the declining role of religious institutions in Black political movements overall. The video uses it to illustrate that religion still has a role in fighting for social justice today.

Highlights

Houses of worship have historically helped the black community maintain sanity and resilience in the face of persecution.

Religion has been both a tool of oppression and liberation for black Americans, shaping their history and identity.

Christianity was used by European colonizers to justify slavery, but black slaves transformed it into a faith for survival and resistance.

Despite the slaveholders' efforts to control religious teachings, black slaves developed their own forms of Christianity focused on liberation.

The Great Awakening in the 1740s introduced more egalitarian Christian messages that emphasized individual piety and equality before God.

The Baptist and Methodist denominations licensed black men to preach, fostering early black religious leadership and community organization.

Nat Turner, a religious visionary, led a significant slave rebellion in 1831 inspired by his interpretation of Christian teachings.

The National Baptist Convention, founded in 1895, became the largest African-American denomination, playing a key role in post-slavery black organization.

During the Great Migration, millions of black Americans moved North, transforming both black Protestant churches and the religious landscape.

The Moorish Science Temple and the Nation of Islam emerged in the early 20th century, promoting Islam as the true faith for black Americans.

The Nation of Islam, under Elijah Muhammad, became a powerful force for black liberation, emphasizing self-reliance and independence.

Malcolm X used the Nation of Islam’s teachings to uplift black Americans and challenge white supremacy, rejecting Christianity as a tool of oppression.

Religious institutions like churches and mosques were pivotal in the civil rights movement, serving as mobilization centers and training grounds for leaders.

James H. Cone’s black liberation theology argued that black power is central to the gospel, reshaping Christian thought in the context of racial justice.

Religion’s role in black activism is changing, with younger generations being less religiously affiliated and movements like Black Lives Matter being more secular.

Despite declining church attendance, some religious groups continue to engage in progressive activism, such as Reverend William Barber’s Moral Mondays movement.

Transcripts

Historically, houses of worship for the black community, I believe, is what has

allowed us to keep our sanity as a people.

Religion in the United States has been used throughout history not only as the bedrock of the persecution of

black Americans, but also as the bedrock of their emancipation.

They made meaning of Christian teaching about salvation, of biblical traditions regarding liberation.

Hey guys, I’m Sana, and today I’m going to explore the role of religion –

especially Christianity and Islam – in the black American history of liberation.

And I want to ask if religion still has a role to play today in the fight against systematic racism.

European colonizers justified slavery through the Bible. There was this idea

that biblically, through the story of Noah’s curse, Africans were meant to be

slaves. But black slaves also went on to adopt Christianity and make it into

a faith for survival and mobilization. What we know as the black church today formed

through what happened during slavery and the period after it. Now, slaveholders

didn’t really want their slaves to be exposed to Christianity. There was a fear

that by exposing them to it, they’d see themselves as, well, equal to the

slaveholder since they would share the same faith. So they adjusted their faith’s

teachings. The version of Christianity that slaveholders spread usually mandated a

divinely ordained racial hierarchy. That slavery was God’s will for people of African descent.

And it’s not like the stolen Africans didn’t have their own

spiritual traditions before they were enslaved in the colonies.

I’ll let Dr. Judith Weisenfeld of Princeton University explain.

Enslaved Africans were not interested in converting to Christianity, for example.

Enslaved peoples produced religious community on their own, maintaining connections to

African traditional resources and creating new versions of those.

Their own beliefs included a variety of traditional religions in west Africa and central Africa,

but also Islam and Christianity, and they ended up practicing their faith in secret gatherings.

But in the 1740s – decades before the United States even existed – a wave of religious enthusiasm among

European Protestants spread across the colonies. It’s known as the Great Awakening.

The Christian revivals, as they were called, focused on renewed individual piety and religious devotion.

And they had a more egalitarian message than the one the slaveholders espoused.

People felt free to interpret the scripture and the teachings of Christianity

for themselves in ways that highlighted their humanity, their equal standing before God

and the notion that God would someday liberate them.

And so we begin to see new forms of African-American Christianity emerge that are focused on this experience

of being born again and on a more direct access that doesn't require the oversight of white clergy.

It's out of this movement that you start to see the emergence of black leaders.

A lot of them came out of the Baptist and Methodist denominations because those denominations

actually licensed black men to preach. And Weisenfeld says sometimes religion

even provided tools for slave revolts.

One of the most famous examples, that comes much later, is that of Nat Turner,

a religious visionary and preacher who led a rebellion in Virginia in August of 1831.

Now, back in the late 1700s, free black people in the North had already begun to develop

their own denominations. In many cases, these denominations were in direct response

to the racism black Americans experienced in their predominantly white congregations.

But it wasn’t until after the Civil War and the end of slavery that newly freed black people who were part of

the Baptist churches and communities in the South were able to organize more formally.

When the National Baptist Convention was founded in 1895, it became the nation’s largest

African-American denomination, with almost 2 million members.

So why is all this important?

Well, these new institutions became central spaces for black organizing and public discussion of issues

like the abolition of slavery, and then later the status of free black people.

It gave them a means to mobilize against their oppression.

Control of religious life was always fraught under slavery, but it was sometimes the only arena in which

people could exercise authority and control.

Black preachers, black ministers, other kinds of black religious leaders,

have always been central figures in black communities.

During the Great Migration, millions of Southern black people moved to Northern cities in search of better

opportunities, and to escape the Jim Crow South.

It’s estimated that between 1916 and 1970, more than 6 million black Americans left their homes in the South

and relocated to Northern cities.

This influx of Southerners not only transformed Northern black Protestant churches,

but also created interactions that would offer black Americans a range of religious beliefs

outside of Christianity.

In our interview, Weisenfeld notes that out of the Great Migration came two major revivalist movements

that identified Islam as the proper religion of black people:

the Moorish Science Temple and the Nation of Islam.

While Islam was one of the religions of the African slaves, it kind of disappeared as a conscious

faith and practice because slaves were forced to practice in secret.

And it was through the work of Muslim missionaries, scholars and activists that versions of Islam

began to reemerge in black communities in the early 20th century, versions that reflected the

fight against white supremacy and a search for independence.

A lot of those immigrant preachers propagated the idea of universal brotherhood – an idea that appealed

to many black Americans.

Noble Drew Ali, who is considered the father of the first modern black Muslim movement,

established the Moorish Science Temple in the early 1900s.

The Moorish Science Temple rejected the idea of tolerating white supremacy through the black church

and rejected the idea of black inferiority.

The Temple didn’t reject Christianity, but it did see it as a European religion.

Among the Temple’s central beliefs was the idea that black Americans were descendants of Moroccans

and their original faith was Islam.

Ali rejected terms of the day like “Negro,” “colored” and even “black,” believing the term “Moor”

was more accurate. The Moorish Science Temple had thousands of members in the 1920s

across northern cities like Detroit and Philadelphia.

And it’s important to note that it was far from mainstream or orthodox Islam.

Even the Quran used by the Temple was written by Ali and derived from various sources.

While the Moorish Science Temple was taking root, a man named Wallace Fard Muhammad established

another non-orthodox black Islamic movement in 1930. One that you’re probably familiar with:

the Nation of Islam.

The world sees the problem in America as some gang-banging, dope-selling, crack-using black people.

The Nation’s purpose was, according to Wallace Fard Muhammad, to use the faith to uplift black Americans

and make them self-reliant. And it was under the leadership of Elijah Muhammad,

who assumed leadership in 1934, that the Nation grew into a great political force.

I represent to you, not a prophet. But I represent to you, God in person.

It created one of the most influential black liberation figures of the 20th century.

We don’t advocate violence, but our people have been the constant victims of brutality

on the part of America’s racists, and the government has found itself either unwilling or unable

to do anything about it.

Malcolm X, a minister in the Nation of Islam, propagated a simple message:

uplift black Americans’ worth in their own eyes and make them independent.

And the Nation of Islam was the foundation of his message, especially as it rejected Christianity

and how it had been used by white supremacy.

Religion, whether Islam or Christianity, was a big deal during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s.

Religious spaces like mosques and churches became mobilization centers.

Because churches and mosques were community centers and financially independent,

they also were places where people were able to learn skills like public speaking,

fundraising and organizing meetings.

And it’s also why so many of the leaders of the civil rights movement were either ministers or active

members in their churches and mosques.

There were also efforts, by the likes of ministers and theologians like James H. Cone,

to create a black liberation theology.

In a 2017 talk at the Yale Divinity School, Cone summarized the core of black theology in this way:

Black power is not only not alien to the gospel,

it’s not alien to the gospel, but rather it is the gospel of Jesus and 20th century America.

So we’ve talked about how religion has been for hundreds of years a central part of black liberation

and how black communities have dealt with white supremacy.

But what role does religion have to play today in the fight against systematic racism?

Well, I asked Dawud Walid, a Muslim activist, if he thought there was a place for religion in activism today,

and here’s what he had to say.

The movement towards black liberation in the United States of America has become less religious.

If we look back at the 1950s and 1960s, it was the black church, but also the mosque under the nation of Islam,

that were the most potent organizing forces. When we look at what's going on right now,

the black church is seen as less of a means or a base for organizing.

According to Pew, while black Americans are the most religiously inclined racial and ethnic group in the country,

their church attendance has declined.

The idea of religion as a central, organizing force has also shifted.

In fact, black Americans under 30 are three times more likely to be religiously unaffiliated

than black Americans over 50.

And some of this may have to do with tensions that may seem to exist between religious institutions

and activism, especially on social positions on issues like LGBTQIA rights,

women’s representation and reproductive rights.

We can look at the Black Lives Matter movement, for instance, which is a very left-orientated,

a much more secular organization or movement. And in fact, there are many within the religious community

that actually are proponents of “black lives matter” as a slogan, but don't agree with the tactics

of the actual Black Lives Matter movement and the 501 (c) nonprofit organization.

And even though there may be some tension, some religious groups are still involved in progressive social

activism. Take, for example, Reverend William Barber’s Moral Mondays movement.

Ain’t no stopping us now! Say it again!

Moral Mondays is a campaign started in 2013 where church congregants have been leading protests

every Monday, in several state legislatures, against policies negatively impacting everything

from voting rights to the climate.

And even if the future of religious institutions in black activist movements is uncertain,

Walid is quick to point out what he sees as the central role religion has played

throughout black American history.

It is this religiosity and this connection to the church and to the mosque that I believe has granted us the spiritual

strength and spiritual power to continue existing and struggling in these United States of America.

Hey guys, thanks for watching our video. Don’t forget to like, share and subscribe,

and look who's here with me, it's Dena!

Hi everybody, make sure you check out the Direct From playlist, where I bring you underreported stories from all over the world.

And we'll see you guys next Sunday.