Black History Month: Honoring Black Religious Leaders, Then and Now
Black History Month is a time to honor the voices that have shaped our nation’s soul. Among the most powerful of these voices are Black religious leaders—those who preached liberation from pulpits, marched for justice in the streets, and carried the spiritual weight of a people determined to be free. Then: Prophets of Liberation From the earliest days of resistance, Black faith leaders have been central to the fight for dignity and equality. Richard Allen , founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, created a spiritual home where Black worshippers could gather free from white control. Sojourner Truth , both preacher and abolitionist, fused faith and feminism in her call for justice. Howard Thurman offered a theology of radical love that would later inspire the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the intersection of scripture and strategy, turning sermons into social change. These leaders didn’t just speak to congregations—they spoke to the con...