Sacred Ground: Unearthing Religious Freedom of African-American Slaves

• In Event: Reexamining Minority Religious Rites in the Context of Crises (Virtual Session)

Abstract

At a time of racial reckoning in the United States, how might the nation’s troubled history of race adjust understanding of its treasured heritage of religious freedom? The religious freedom narrative in the United States tells a story that often relies heavily on U.S. civil religion to color the perspectives of this cherished liberty. Even when taking account for the experience of minority groups, such as African American slaves, these experiences are often framed within a lens the minority group did not choose. This article contributes an account of religious freedom for African American slaves based on a shared, crucial component of West African indigenous religions: burial rituals. This analysis highlights the ways that minority groups need not be persecuted or reviled to have their religious freedom removed. Simply failing to understand and accommodate their beliefs ultimately had the same effect. After explaining how these religious practices offer a genuine look into the religious freedom experience of African American slaves in the U.S., the article then traces this religious freedom challenge in modern day minority religious groups such as Native Americans, Santería, and others. Each of these examples suggests that authorizing incidental violations of religious freedom will create disproportionate burdens on the free exercise of religious minorities. As a result, the case is made for proactive protection of religious freedom through focusing on responsibilities before making reactive repairs to rights violations.

Author

• Brady Earley