A review by sarahfowlerwolfe
Crowned with Glory: How Proclaiming the Truth of Black Dignity Has Shaped American History by Jasmine L Holmes

5.0

So much richness of primary source material! Absolutely wonderful stories and beautiful words. Hard truths are found here; read with an open heart. We get to see the experience of both Black men and women, Christianity, and a basic introduction to some of the nuances of things we may have reduced to textbook paragraph face value (Reconstruction, civil rights, etc). I cannot recommend it highly enough.

"I share these words to point out that they are part of a robust legacy that has so often been forgotten and obscured by focusing our historical inquiry on the oppressor instead of looking at the fruit so often born by the oppressed. The enslaved had a well-rounded theology of suffering and victory in Christ that modern christians would do well to learn from and emulate."

"Will these pages inspire you in your own life? Absolutely. Have they inspired me in mine? Most assuredly. But the inspiration isn't the central facet of the story we are telling here, because even that inspiration can center our experience of history more than the important history itself and that is never my intention."

{I was given an ARC on NetGalley by Baker Publishing Group}