Now Ya Preaching: A Critical Gendered Analysis of Juanita Bynum’s 'No More Sheets'

• In Event: Faith, Religious Traditions, and the Church

Abstract

2025 NCBS Proposal Summary:
Title:
Now Ya Preaching: A Critical Gendered Analysis of Juanita Bynum’s 'No More Sheets'
Abstract:
The perpetuation of patriarchal systems within the Black church has historically empowered men to lead while encouraging women “to remain silent in the churches”. This persistent ideology of silence has been inculcated within Black church traditions, further marginalizing Black women both in her community and in faith institutions. Throughout the life of the Black church, women were often prohibited from being ordained or licensed in ministry, preach from pulpits, holding leadership roles, or expressing their “real” life experiences, as modesty and subservience were regarded as integral virtues. The basis of my research will examine Juanita Bynum’s famous sermon, “No More Sheets” offered as a groundbreaking act of transparency that challenged women to be “real” in the church context. Using a critical gendered analysis methodology, this study will explore Bynum’s practice of storytelling and narrative techniques to engage her conference audience. To contextualize the analysis, the academic works of Monique Moultrie and Marla F. Frederick will be included, alongside reflections on my encounter with Bynum’s sermon and its impact on empowering Black women in the Black Church.
Author
(Presenter) Dr. Sharon Hunter, sl-hunter2@wiu.edu;
Western Illinois University-Instructor, African American Studies
Western Illinois University-Student, Ed. D, Educational Leadership: Organizational Justice, Equity & Inclusion Track

Author

• Sharon L Hunter, Western Illinois University