African American Women Roles In The Baptist Church: Equality Within the National Baptist Convention, USA

This paper examines the role of African American women in the black Baptist churches from the late nineteenth century through the early twentieth century, with emphasis on four women associated with the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A. - Virginia Broughton, Mary Cook Parrish, Sarah Layten, and Nannie Burroughs. Historically, men have had dominant leadership roles in the black Baptist Church, most obvious in the development of the National Baptist Convention in the early twentieth century. Although women were present and active in the work of the church and community, they were not able to achieve leadership equality within the organized religious structures of Baptist life. African American women experienced a system of oppression, racism, and sexism, yet remained supportive of the National Baptist Convention. Even though they used their voices, intellect, and anointing as leaders within the Woman’s Convention, an independent and often unrecognized organization that served the churches and communities, these women never achieved equality within the leadership of the National Baptist Convention. This work raises the voices of forgotten women by exploring the life and work of four important women-- Broughton, Parrish, Layten, and Burroughs.

Grantor dc:publisher

Wake Forest University

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Hamilton, Shirley

• Black Baptist Women

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/14761

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:wakespace.lib.wfu.edu:10339/14761