The Black Church : This is Our Story, This is Our Song

The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is a companion to the PBS documentary series of the same name, tracing the history of the Black Church in America across more than five centuries, from the intersection of Christianity and the transatlantic slave trade to the present day.

Gates examines how Black churches became centres of resistance against slavery and white supremacy, incubators of Black culture and leadership, and vital spaces for addressing community needs, even as they faced surveillance, bombings, and violent suppression.

Weaving in his own childhood memories of a segregated West Virginia town, Gates presents a sweeping, clear-eyed history that honours both the Black Church's profound contributions to American life and the internal tensions within it, culminating in its role in the freedom struggle up to today's movements for justice.