How do we really know God cares when Black people are still getting killed? How long do we have to wait for God鈥檚 justice?
Hearing聽her son ask those questions and seeing Black Lives Matter protests erupt nationwide after George Floyd鈥檚 death led theologian Kelly Brown Douglas to write 鈥淩esurrection Hope: A Future Where Black Lives Matter.鈥
On Dec. 9, she was named winner of the 2023 Grawemeyer Award in Religion for the book鈥檚 ideas.
, dean of Union Theological Seminary鈥檚 Episcopal Divinity School in New York City and a canon theologian at Washington Cathedral, is one of the first Black female Episcopal priests in the United States and the first Black person to head an Episcopal Church-affiliated educational institution.
In 鈥,鈥 she shows how a 鈥渨hite way of knowing鈥 came to dominate America through an anti-Black narrative tracing back to the Greek philosopher Aristotle. She also cites examples of how the bias persists today, from the refusal to dismantle Confederate monuments to attempts to discredit The 1619 Project, an effort to reframe U.S. history starting from the year the first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia.
While recognizing the prolonged suffering of Black people raises deep questions about the credibility of Christianity, she argues that faith, not despair, is the best hope for assuring Black lives are valued in the future.
鈥淒ouglas takes us on a captivating, painful journey with personal and erudite reflections on America鈥檚 corrupted soul,鈥 said Tyler Mayfield, religion award director. 鈥淗er insights are lucid and disturbing. Her remedies are bold and constructive. May we find the courage to walk into the future she envisions for us all.鈥
Douglas, who has doctor of philosophy and master of divinity degrees, has been a faculty member at Edward Waters College, Howard University and Goucher College. She has written five books, including 鈥淪exuality and the Black Church鈥 in which she addresses homophobia from a womanist perspective. Orbis Books published her Grawemeyer Award-winning book in 2021.
The University of Louisville and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary jointly give the religion prize. Recipients of next year鈥檚 s were named Dec. 5-9 pending formal approval by trustees at both institutions.
The $100,000 prizes also honor seminal ideas in music, world order, psychology and education. Winners will visit Louisville in the spring to accept their awards and give free talks on their winning ideas.