The Sacred Black Feminine with Christena Cleveland

What this episode covers

There are over 450 Black Madonnas found all over the world, and they are known and beloved by millions of people. But all too often, the Black Madonna is described in archetypal, disembodied language that completely omits a powerful truth: She is Black. This is a critical distinction, because as my latest guest has written, “the divine feminine alone will not liberate us from white patriarchy. She. Must. Be. BLACK.” Dr. Christena Cleveland is a social psychologist, public theologian, activist and author of the new book, God is a Black Woman, which recounts her epic 400-mile walking pilgrimage to the ancient shrines of Black Madonnas in France, and explores how America’s collective idea of God as a white man has perpetuated hurt, disillusionment, and racial and gender oppression. A former professor at Duke University’s Divinity School, Christena is also the founder and director of the Center for Justice + Renewal as well as its sister organization, Sacred Folk, which creates resources to stimulate people’s spiritual imaginations and support their journeys toward liberation. On the latest episode, we discuss what inspired Christena’s pilgrimage, how conservative Christianity’s “whitemalegod” functions as a tool of white patriarchy, how white feminism causes harm to Black women and stunts our understanding of the Sacred Feminine, and how sacred imagination can help us dream new possibilities for our future.

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