The Commonweal Podcast

Ep. 139 - Detroit’s Black Christian Utopia

The Commonweal Podcast

Show Notes

The Trump campaign has made us all too familiar with the ideology of Christian Nationalism, with its violent rhetoric and racist undertones. Far less well-known, though, is the tradition of Black Christian Nationalism, a radical social and religious movement founded by Rev. Albert Cleage, Jr., in civil-rights-era Detroit. On this episode, associate editor Griffin Oleynick speaks with writer Aaron Robertson, author of The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America. Blending history and memoir, Robertson’s book traces the untold story of Black Christian Nationalism while grappling with a question: what does Utopia look like in black? For further reading:

Tia Noelle Pratt on Black Catholic parishes

Shannen Dee Williams on Black nuns in Baltimore

Gary Dorrien on the theology of Sen. Raphael Warnock

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