This book is an attempt to make sense to myself; and to help other people understand themselves. Additionally, this works seeks to resurrect the souls of the ancestors, so we may draw from their knowledge, their power and their strength. It is to assist in putting our lives in perspective and provide a context that is meaningful and holistic. This work is for other ethnic and cultural groups as well, in an effort for them to gain some clarity and appreciation for the spiritual and cultural heritage of African Americans. In truth, there are some universal truths and principles that transcend culture. Perhaps this work can bring to light an understanding of how very fascinating human beings really are, particularly when viewed from a historical, cultural and spiritual context.

Black Magic looks at the origins, meaning, and uses of Conjure—the African American tradition of healing and harming that evolved from African, European, and American elements—from the slavery period to well into the twentieth century. Illuminating a world that is dimly understood by both scholars and the general public, Yvonne P. Chireau describes Conjure and other related traditions, such as Hoodoo and Rootworking, in a beautifully written, richly detailed history that presents the voices and experiences of African Americans and shows how magic has informed their culture. Focusing on the relationship between Conjure and Christianity, Chireau shows how these seemingly contradictory traditions have worked together in a complex and complementary fashion to provide spiritual empowerment for African Americans, both slave and free, living in white America. As she explores the role of Conjure for African Americans and looks at the transformations of Conjure over time, Chireau also rewrites the dichotomy between magic and religion. With its groundbreaking analysis of an often misunderstood tradition, this book adds an important perspective to our understanding of the myriad dimensions of human spirituality.

EBONY is the flagship magazine of Johnson Publishing. Founded in 1945 by John H. Johnson, it still maintains the highest global circulation of any African American-focused magazine.

Traces the author's and African Americans in general, historical roots and personal and professional understanding of her culture.

Soul Theology distills the core beliefs that have provided and sustained a healing and balancing force in the black community throughout its history in North American.

How do young African Americans approach their faith in God when continued violence and police brutality batters the news each day? In The Spiritual Lives of Young African Americans, Almeda M. Wright argues that African American youth separate their everyday lives and their spirituality into mutually exclusive categories. This results in a noticeable division between their experiences of systemic injustices and their religious beliefs and practices. Yet Wright suggests that youth can and do teach the church and society myriad lessons through their theological reflections and actions. Giving special attention to the resources of African American religious and theological traditions, Wright creates a critical pedagogy for integrating spirituality into the lives of African American youth, as well as confronting and navigating spiritual fragmentation and systemic injustice.

This book, The Fundamentals, Principles and Practices of African American Spirituality, traces the evolution, development, and practices of a large segment of African American Spiritual life, found within the Black Church. It seeks to provide a road map and link to traditions that made for highly evolved Spiritual Beings, while at the same time embraces the cultural legacy of African Americans, that is near and dear to this group of people. Dr. Baker is also the author of A Dreamer's Journey, and African American Spirituality Thought & Culture. She is soon to publish the book, The Sociology of Art, Religion and Culture.

Offers both a theoretical and concrete example of what W. E. B. Du Bois called “spiritual strivings.”

African American Psychology: From Africa to America provides comprehensive coverage of the field of African American psychology. Authors Faye Z. Belgrave and Kevin W. Allison skillfully convey the integration of African and American influences on the psychology of African Americans using a consistent theme throughout the text—the idea that understanding the psychology of African Americans is closely linked to understanding what is happening in the institutional systems in the United States. The Fourth Edition reflects notable advances and important developments in the field over the last several years, and includes evidence-based practices for improving the overall well-being of African American communities

Given the ways in which spirituality functions in the work of such Black women writers and filmmakers as Toni Morrison, Ntozake Shange, Maya Angelou, Julie Dash, and Euzhan Palcy, Judylyn Ryan proposes in this challenging new study that what these women embrace in their narrative construction and characterization is the role and responsibility of the priestess, bearing and distributing life-force to sustain the community of people who read and view their work. Central to these women's vision of transformation is what Ryan calls a paradigm of growth and an ethos of interconnectedness, which provide interpretive models for examining and teaching a broad range of artistic, cultural, and social texts. The focus on theology provides a new way of viewing the connections among New World African diaspora religious traditions, challenging the widespread and reductive assumption that Afro-Christianity shares no philosophical commonalities with Santeria, Candomble ...