Holy Words, Hidden Histories: Black Religious Publishing and the Pedagogy of Liberation

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Black Christian Identity and Praxis: Past and Present

Abstract

This presentation explores how Black religious publishing functioned as a vehicle for educational and spiritual liberation in the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras. Focusing on the National Baptist Publishing Board, the study reveals how sacred texts and pedagogical resources cultivated literacy as a technical skill and as a transformative practice rooted in faith, identity, and resistance in the face of systemic exclusion. Drawing on archival sources and historical analysis, the project frames Black religious education as a “pedagogy of liberation” - a tradition that empowered learners to read the Word and the world critically. This work reclaims the legacy of Black religious publishing as a foundational force in shaping educational justice and spiritual resilience.

Author

• Patricia Haggler, York College, City University of New York