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| author | Christopher Lee Scott Whitaker |
| title | The Episcopal Awakening: Black Power and the Struggle for Racial Inclusion |
| abstract |
As shouts for "Black Power" rang through the air in 1966, the disenfranchisement of black Americans was no longer a nuanced reality. Black Power became a
national movement focused on the self-development and self-sufficiency of all black Americans. This thesis looks at how the Black Power Movement evolved
within the Episcopal Church from the mid-1960s through the early 1970s. Through the use of primary texts and archival materials, this research provides
insights into the creative use of Black Power ideology and the philosophies of Black Power advocates in the Church, most notably, the Rev. Nathan Wright.
Wright was an Episcopal priest, an architect of the Black Power Movement, and chair of the National Conference on Black Power in 1967. His work is crucial
in analyzing how the Church viewed its role in the larger American society and how it answered the calls for Black Power. With a focus on the Episcopal
Diocese of Newark in the aftermath of the deadly black rebellion in 1967, this thesis provides a history of the evolution of Black Power within the larger
Episcopal Church as it grappled with the question of the Church's role in social issues and the black freedom struggle. These tensions proved contentious
through what one bishop called the decade of "Episcopal Awakening."
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| school | The Theological School, Drew University |
| degree | M.A. (2019) |
| advisors | Dr. J. Terry Todd
Dr. James Carter |
| full text | CLWhitaker.pdf |
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