Medium post (12/2/2020)

I found Dubler and Lloyd’s reading particularly resonated with many of the readings and themes we have discussed thus far, particularly Dr. Cone and the necessity for a more modern approach to fighting anti-Black racism. Denmark Vesey, Nat Turner and other slave rebels exemplify Dr. Cone’s idea that making change is inherently religious and that it is God’s will that Black people gain equality. Dr. King also emphasizes that religion is essential to progress. But, as we have read in Womanist theology and discussed in class, different times call for different methods. Today, Black people are “not subjugated to the language of comfort and convenience” that Black religious leaders used in the Civil Rights movement of the mid-20th century.

However, while today’s activists no longer use the religious terminology, the spirit of religion lives on. While Dr. Cone’s ideal rebellion carried out explicitly in the name of God is no longer the reality (and has not been for a long time), the ideas of his rebellion are still visible in the more modern spirituality that Dubler and Lloyd describe. Activism is still inherently religious, according to the “Spirit of Abolition.” For example, Hashtag activism is described as a form of “witness.” So, while Black preachers are no longer the face of social movements like Black Lives Matter, the ideas of Cone still bear relevance in today’s movements.