The Library of Congress has acquired the Omar ibn Said Collection, including an exceptional artifact, the autobiography of Omar ibn Said, written in ancient Arabic by an African enslaved man. In this article, I analytically examine the role of literacy in Omar ibn Said's life as informed by African cultures, ethnicities, histories, languages, and…

Highlights religious themes in Alice Walker's "The Color Purple," especially Celie's struggle with traditional Christianity, which here serves to reinforce oppression. Her journey toward spiritual independence reflects much of the actual religious experience of Black women in America. (DM)

This paper traces the development of the Protestant day-school movement, examining its present day status as a rapidly growing phenomenon in American education and delineating some of the issues that must be addressed if such schools are to successfully negotiate the path toward excellence. (Author/SM)

This paper explores how feelings of self-hatred in African Americans are perpetuated through media and the standard physical and ideological manifestations of Christianity. The notion that skin that is closer to white and hair that is closer to white are both more desirable attributes is a dominant theme underlying the African American experience.…

The church school teacher has the ability to strengthen or weaken the overall effectiveness of the church school program. In many cases, loss of interest, church school dropout, and the decline of the church school result from poor teaching. A model is proposed that can address the problem of the declining church school through a teaching and…