Black Families and Religious Beliefs, Practices, and Communities

While there are an array of systemic inequalities that Black families face, our charge in the present chapter is to focus on a particular system that (although not perfect) has provided multi-faceted strength to Black and African American families . That system, or rather this collection of systems, is religion. In this chapter, we will discuss three dimensions of religious systems: (a) systems of religious belief, (b) systems of religious practice and ritual, and (c) the system of faith communities. We will also outline research-documented supports that each of these systems have offered to Black families, as well as some challenges that have arisen at the crossroads of religious systems and Black family systems. Our goal is to provide a rich and detailed picture of the interaction between the systems of Black families and the aforementioned systems of religion.