Andre E . Johnson
University of Memphis, Communication, Faculty Member
- Memphis Theological Seminary, Rhetoric and Religion, Faculty Memberadd
- Andre E. Johnson, Ph.D., is the Benjamin W. Rawlins Professor of Rhetoric and Media Studies in the Department of Comm... moreAndre E. Johnson, Ph.D., is the Benjamin W. Rawlins Professor of Rhetoric and Media Studies in the Department of Communication & Film and holds the University Research Professorship at the University of Memphis. He is also the Andrew Mellon Just Transformation Senior Satellite Partner at the Center for Black Digital Research at Penn State University, a Visiting Scholar at Memphis Theological Seminary, and an Affiliate Faculty member at Christian Theological Seminary. Grounded in a transdisciplinary understanding of scholarship, Dr. Johnson studies the intersection of rhetoric, race, and religion. He teaches classes in African American public address, rhetorical criticism, religious communication, prophetic rhetoric, homiletics, and the rhetoric of social movements. Additionally, along with his academic titles, he currently serves as Senior Pastor of Gifts of Life Ministries, an inner-city church built upon the servant leadership philosophy.
Dr. Johnson is the author of three national award-winning books: "The Forgotten Prophet: Bishop Henry McNeal Turner and the African American Prophetic Tradition" (2012), "The Struggle Over Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter" (with Amanda Nell Edgar, Ph.D., 2018), and "No Future in this Country: The Prophetic Pessimism of Bishop Henry McNeal Turner" (2020). He is also the editor of "Urban God Talk: Constructing a Hip Hop Spirituality" (2013), "The Speeches of Bishop Henry McNeal Turner: The Press, the Platform, and the Pulpit" (2022), and "Preaching During a Pandemic: The Rhetoric of the Black Preaching Tradition" (with Kimberly P. Johnson, Ph.D. and Wallis C. Baxter IV, Ph.D., 2023). His latest book (with Amanda Nell Edgar) is "The Summer of 2020: George Floyd and the Resurgence of Black Lives Matter Movement (2024).
Dr. Johnson has presented academic papers at national, regional, and state conferences, winning awards at each level. He has published essays in the Howard Journal of Communications, Southern Communication Journal, Black Theology Journal, The New York Times, Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric, and The Journal of African American History. He holds membership in several national, regional, and state associations in the areas of Communication, History, African American Studies, and Religious Studies.
In addition to what many consider groundbreaking work on Bishop Turner, Dr. Johnson maintains an eclectic research agenda. Ongoing research projects include examining the Black Lives Matter movement and the oratory of the Colored Convention Movement. Dr. Johnson is also working on a history of African American public address in the United States.edit
As a field, and especially for those of us who are religious communication scholars, we have addressed notions of civility. We have used civility to understand our research, pedagogical practices, and dialogue construction. When... more
As a field, and especially for those of us who are religious communication scholars, we have addressed notions of civility. We have used civility to understand our research, pedagogical practices, and dialogue construction. When addressing the uncivil acts on social media and in our political discussions, many scholars have cited the scholarship in "civil communication" as a starting place for inquiry. Many institutions have turned to creating entire programs in "civil communication" or "civil dialogue." However, much of this grounds itself in a Western understanding of communication and rhetoric. For instance, our understanding of ethics, morality, good judgment, civility, and the like spring from our readings of Aristotle, Plato, and others in the classical Western tradition of our field. Only recently has there been an effort to draw from non-Western, non-European writings and scholarship. I argue that the ethical dilemma for our time is as follows: How do we communicate with people who are not telling the truth? How do we form community with people who are living and perpetuating a lie? What do civility, morality, and justice look like amid incivility, immorality, and injustice? How are harmony, balance, reciprocity, and order maintained amid disharmony, imbalance, and disorder? In this presentation, I suggest that an understanding of the Africana communication paradigm grounded in Maat would be helpful when addressing and discussing conceptions of civil communication. Using the January 6, 2021, insurrection and the continued fallout from the riot at the United States Capitol as a case study, I call for a civility grounded in an ethical and moral presentation and articulation of a Maatian understanding of truth.
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This article introduces a special issue of the Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric addressing the rhetoric of Hip Hop. The essays that follow address a wide range of salient issues, showcasing both how scholars of rhetoric contribute to a... more
This article introduces a special issue of the Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric addressing the rhetoric of Hip Hop. The essays that follow address a wide range of salient issues, showcasing both how scholars of rhetoric contribute to a richer understanding of Hip Hop and rhetoric and how Hip Hop helps to shape our understanding of rhetoric.
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In 1925, Herbert Wichelns published The Literary Criticism of Oratory. By many accounts, the essay would become the founding document of the academic study of rhetoric and public address. However, in that same year, historian Carter G.... more
In 1925, Herbert Wichelns published The Literary Criticism of Oratory. By
many accounts, the essay would become the founding document of the academic study of rhetoric and public address. However, in that same year, historian Carter G. Woodson published Negro Orators and Their Orations, which focused on the study of the African American oratorical tradition. In this essay, by way of speculative history and using my sanctified imagination, I wonder what an alternative or speculative history would look like if
we can conceive Woodson as challenging the dominant (exclusively white) notions of public address and rhetorical praxis. By paying particular attention to Woodson’s introduction in Negro Orators and Their Orations, I submit that not only would we have been introduced to the richness and power of the African American public address tradition earlier but, more importantly, who we start to see as scholars and what we call scholarship would be different as well.
many accounts, the essay would become the founding document of the academic study of rhetoric and public address. However, in that same year, historian Carter G. Woodson published Negro Orators and Their Orations, which focused on the study of the African American oratorical tradition. In this essay, by way of speculative history and using my sanctified imagination, I wonder what an alternative or speculative history would look like if
we can conceive Woodson as challenging the dominant (exclusively white) notions of public address and rhetorical praxis. By paying particular attention to Woodson’s introduction in Negro Orators and Their Orations, I submit that not only would we have been introduced to the richness and power of the African American public address tradition earlier but, more importantly, who we start to see as scholars and what we call scholarship would be different as well.
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What I would like to do in this essay is to turn my attention to what I call prophetic rhetoric’s listening function. In other words, how does the prophet know what the prophet declares? How does the prophet know that God is calling the... more
What I would like to do in this essay is to turn my attention to what I call prophetic rhetoric’s listening function. In other words, how does the prophet know what the prophet declares? How does the prophet know that God is calling the prophet to do the work of God? How does the prophet know what to say, when to say it, and how to say it? How does the prophet know when a rebirthing moment is taking place? How does
the prophet get this revelation and thereby become empowered to share this “new” vision of the deity with society?
I argue that, before the prophet speaks or offers a prophetic witness, the prophet must do work. All prophets must engage in what Elizabeth O’Connor calls the “inward journey.” For her, the inward journey is composed of three elements: the engagement with self, the engagement with God, and the engagement with the other. However, the inward journey can only start when we enter a space of deep silence, which leads to what I call prophetic listening. It is with this type of listening that the prophet begins to create ethos that ultimately leads to logos.
the prophet get this revelation and thereby become empowered to share this “new” vision of the deity with society?
I argue that, before the prophet speaks or offers a prophetic witness, the prophet must do work. All prophets must engage in what Elizabeth O’Connor calls the “inward journey.” For her, the inward journey is composed of three elements: the engagement with self, the engagement with God, and the engagement with the other. However, the inward journey can only start when we enter a space of deep silence, which leads to what I call prophetic listening. It is with this type of listening that the prophet begins to create ethos that ultimately leads to logos.
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In a speech given to students at Grosse Pointe High School on March 14, 1968, just three weeks before his death, Martin Luther King addressed the uprisings that consumed America during this time. During the same time that King delivered... more
In a speech given to students at Grosse Pointe High School on March 14, 1968, just three weeks before his death, Martin Luther King addressed the uprisings that consumed America during this time. During the same time that King delivered this speech, plans were underway for a retreat that would have brought King together with the Trappist monk Thomas Merton. While we will never know what both men would have talked about or what they would have done, I do believe-at least in so far as King is concerned-that he would have undoubtedly spoken about his concept of the Beloved Community.
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In this essay, we will explore the variances in Madea's character and presence on stage and on screen in both productions of Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail: The Play and Madea Goes to Jail. Specifically, we examine the multiple and... more
In this essay, we will explore the variances in Madea's character and presence on stage and on screen in both productions of Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail: The Play and Madea Goes to Jail. Specifically, we examine the multiple and varying ways in which the character of Madea performs for different audiences by examining how the roles of violence, religion and wisdom operate on stage and screen. Exploring the subtle-and at times, not-so-subtle-ways in which Madea's performances differ from stage to screen, we suggest that Madea also performs as a text that Perry then uses to impart different messages to audiences of both stage and screen.
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On June 17, 2015, white supremacist Dylann Roof walked into Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) in Charleston, South Carolina with a .45 caliber Glock handgun while members conducted their Wednesday night bible study.... more
On June 17, 2015, white supremacist Dylann Roof walked into Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) in Charleston, South Carolina with a .45 caliber Glock handgun while members conducted their Wednesday night bible study. After sitting through the mid-week bible study, near the close of the meeting and after praying with them, Roof shot and killed nine people who became known as the Emmanuel Nine. Black pain again was on full display in the media, and so were calls for forgiveness.
In this essay, we examine the rhetoric of forgiveness and how forgiveness, as a trope, performs in public when expressed through black pain. Further, we maintain that the wider public not only expects a rhetoric of forgiveness when racial ghosts of the past (and present) manifest in ways that cause black pain but also those grief-stricken black families must offer the forgiveness in non-threatening and expeditiously ways that eases public consciences. This leads us to examine the rhetoric of (un)forgiveness and how it functions through black pain as well.
In this essay, we examine the rhetoric of forgiveness and how forgiveness, as a trope, performs in public when expressed through black pain. Further, we maintain that the wider public not only expects a rhetoric of forgiveness when racial ghosts of the past (and present) manifest in ways that cause black pain but also those grief-stricken black families must offer the forgiveness in non-threatening and expeditiously ways that eases public consciences. This leads us to examine the rhetoric of (un)forgiveness and how it functions through black pain as well.
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During the last year of King's life, his ability to persuade and to gain a national consensus around issues of war, poverty, economic injustice, and the inequality suffered by blacks and all people of color had waned. Faced with... more
During the last year of King's life, his ability to persuade and to gain a national consensus around issues of war, poverty, economic injustice, and the inequality suffered by blacks and all people of color had waned. Faced with increasing hostility to him and the movement along with the rising white backlash, King knew that moral suasion would not give him the results that he had hoped. This lead King, to launch the Poor People's Campaign as a movement of massive civil disobedience that would lead to economic boycotts and the shutdown entire cities. By doing this, King hoped that the government, sensitive to the dislocation and shutdowns would eventually do the " right thing. " I conclude by arguing that BLM whether knowingly or not, have adopted many of the ideas that King argued during the last year of his life becoming the natural extension of King's vision in the last year of his life.
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In this essay, we examine King's rhetoric during the last year of his life, (April 4, 1967-April 3, 1968)—focusing specifically on the issues of race. In examining several texts of King, we argue that King adopts a prophetic persona of a... more
In this essay, we examine King's rhetoric during the last year of his life, (April 4, 1967-April 3, 1968)—focusing specifically on the issues of race. In examining several texts of King, we argue that King adopts a prophetic persona of a pessimistic prophet—especially when addressing issues of race and racism. In exploring King's rhetoric and noting King's directness and firmness when addressing the race issue, we argue that King's rhetoric found a home in the African American prophetic tradition in his attempt to dismantle hegemonic politics and institutional racism. Specifically, we argue that Martin Luther King was radically dismantling white hegemony; and becoming one of the most hated men in America.
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In this article, the author argues that Obama’s speech after the Zimmerman verdict also signaled a change on how Obama addressed Black audiences. In short, although Obama generally eschewed race after the Gates incident, his messaging to... more
In this article, the author argues that Obama’s speech after the
Zimmerman verdict also signaled a change on how Obama
addressed Black audiences. In short, although Obama generally
eschewed race after the Gates incident, his messaging to
African Americans about race led him to become, as Ta-Nehisi
Coates called him, the “scold of Black America.” Therefore, first,
the author examines Obama’s rhetoric when talking to or about
African Americans after the Gates incident. In short, although
some may argue that Obama adopts a prophetic persona and
engages in prophetic speech when addressing Black Americans,
he suggests that Obama politically engages in a perpetual Sister
Souljah moment. Second, he moves to Obama’s rhetoric after the
Zimmerman verdict and after a Missouri grand jury decided not to
indict Darren Wilson for shooting to death Michael Brown. Specifically,
by examining 2 speeches—the 50th anniversary of Selma
and the eulogy for the Emanuel Nine as rhetoric of commemoration,
the author argue that Obama’s rhetoric of race indeed shifted
and issues germane to African Americans found their way into the
national spotlight again.
Zimmerman verdict also signaled a change on how Obama
addressed Black audiences. In short, although Obama generally
eschewed race after the Gates incident, his messaging to
African Americans about race led him to become, as Ta-Nehisi
Coates called him, the “scold of Black America.” Therefore, first,
the author examines Obama’s rhetoric when talking to or about
African Americans after the Gates incident. In short, although
some may argue that Obama adopts a prophetic persona and
engages in prophetic speech when addressing Black Americans,
he suggests that Obama politically engages in a perpetual Sister
Souljah moment. Second, he moves to Obama’s rhetoric after the
Zimmerman verdict and after a Missouri grand jury decided not to
indict Darren Wilson for shooting to death Michael Brown. Specifically,
by examining 2 speeches—the 50th anniversary of Selma
and the eulogy for the Emanuel Nine as rhetoric of commemoration,
the author argue that Obama’s rhetoric of race indeed shifted
and issues germane to African Americans found their way into the
national spotlight again.
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In this essay, I briefly examine the prophetic rhetoric of W.E.B. Du Bois. By examining his editorials while editor of The Crisis and other writings, I argue that DuBois employed different types of prophetic discourse grounded primarily... more
In this essay, I briefly examine the prophetic rhetoric of W.E.B. Du Bois. By
examining his editorials while editor of The Crisis and other writings, I argue that DuBois employed different types of prophetic discourse grounded primarily within the African American Prophetic Tradition (AAPT). For purposes of this essay, I specifically highlight Du Bois’ use of mission-oriented prophecy as a way to call African Americans
to a divine mission of social uplift. In so doing, my aim is three-fold. First, I seek to build upon the fledgling rhetorical scholarship on Du Bois. Second, following Zuckerman and Blum, I seek to (re)introduce to readers and (re)claim Du Bois as a religious rhetor. Finally, I seek to add to the scholarship on prophetic rhetoric
examining his editorials while editor of The Crisis and other writings, I argue that DuBois employed different types of prophetic discourse grounded primarily within the African American Prophetic Tradition (AAPT). For purposes of this essay, I specifically highlight Du Bois’ use of mission-oriented prophecy as a way to call African Americans
to a divine mission of social uplift. In so doing, my aim is three-fold. First, I seek to build upon the fledgling rhetorical scholarship on Du Bois. Second, following Zuckerman and Blum, I seek to (re)introduce to readers and (re)claim Du Bois as a religious rhetor. Finally, I seek to add to the scholarship on prophetic rhetoric
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In January 2015, I took a class of Memphis Theological Seminary students to Ferguson, Missouri, for a one-week immersion class. The class consisted of predominately Christian pastors, church leaders, and lay members representing multiple... more
In January 2015, I took a class of Memphis Theological Seminary students to Ferguson, Missouri, for a one-week immersion class. The class consisted of predominately Christian pastors, church leaders, and lay members representing multiple denominations and various theological perspectives. This essay aims to provide my personal theological reflection as I share my own experience in putting together and
being a part of this immersion class. Second, some of the students in the class reflect on their experiences. Finally, this essay outlines how some of the students are moving from theological reflection to concrete praxis here in Memphis, Tennessee
being a part of this immersion class. Second, some of the students in the class reflect on their experiences. Finally, this essay outlines how some of the students are moving from theological reflection to concrete praxis here in Memphis, Tennessee
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In this essay, I argue that Obama frames the killing of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent acquittal of George Zimmerman as a national tragedy and worthy of commemoration. In short, Obama articulates to the American people the pain that... more
In this essay, I argue that Obama frames the killing of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent acquittal of George Zimmerman as a national tragedy and worthy of commemoration. In short, Obama articulates to the American people the pain that African Americans felt after the verdict and invites all Americans to mourn. Moreover, I suggest that
by framing black pain at the center of this "American tragedy," Obama invited all Americans to see "blackness" and its pain as part of the American fabric. However, I also argue that part of Obama’s about face had to do with the mounting pressure and protests from the people who took to the streets and social media to not only condemn the
verdict but also call Obama into question. Therefore, I examine the rhetoric of some of the protests and the calls for Obama to “do something.”
by framing black pain at the center of this "American tragedy," Obama invited all Americans to see "blackness" and its pain as part of the American fabric. However, I also argue that part of Obama’s about face had to do with the mounting pressure and protests from the people who took to the streets and social media to not only condemn the
verdict but also call Obama into question. Therefore, I examine the rhetoric of some of the protests and the calls for Obama to “do something.”
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This essay provides an introduction to a special issue of Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric on rhetoric and race. This introduction provides a brief overview of the essays and provides some context for the issue.
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This article introduces a special issue of the Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric addressing the rhetoric of Hip Hop. The essays that follow address a wide range of salient issues, showcasing both how scholars of rhetoric contribute to a... more
This article introduces a special issue of the Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric addressing the rhetoric of Hip Hop. The essays that follow address a wide range of salient issues, showcasing both how scholars of rhetoric contribute to a richer understanding of Hip Hop and rhetoric and how Hip Hop helps to shape our understanding of rhetoric.
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With this special issue of Listening, we wanted to examine African American call narratives. While literature in the field of communication on call narratives is scant, research becomes even more negligible when focused on African... more
With this special issue of Listening, we wanted to examine African American call narratives. While literature in the field of communication on call narratives is scant, research becomes even more negligible when focused on African Americans. This is surprising because if one is to study the African American rhetorical tradition in any serious way, one will come across many accounts of call narratives. Enslavement narratives, nineteenth-century African American women preacher narratives, African American biographical treatments, and a host of other writings all have elements of call in them. While scholars have acknowledged these call narratives, they have not studied them rhetorically. Therefore, this issue asks and explores: What are the rhetorical effects of call narratives? What do they propose to do and how do they in and of themselves function as pieces of rhetoric?
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This collection of essays appeared in a special issue of Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric on rhetoric and race.
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This essay serves as the foreword for the book "The Civil War and the Summer of 2020" edited by Hilary N. Green and Andrew L. Slap.
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In this chapter, I call on us to understand how we use rhetoric as a method and to explore how rhetorical approaches to religion can contribute to a deeper and more meaningful conception of both religion and race. I use the term... more
In this chapter, I call on us to understand how we use rhetoric as
a method and to explore how rhetorical approaches to religion can contribute
to a deeper and more meaningful conception of both religion and race. I use
the term "rhetoric" here to refer to language and other forms of symbolic activity that motivate or guide people in matters of belief. I see rhetoric as what
communicators invite their audiences to do. I argue that scholars must begin to
address rhetoric, race, and religion from both a historical and a contemporary
perspective and to examine explicit and implicit warrants in religious discourse
that help us theorize ways in which religion(s) and race operate.
a method and to explore how rhetorical approaches to religion can contribute
to a deeper and more meaningful conception of both religion and race. I use
the term "rhetoric" here to refer to language and other forms of symbolic activity that motivate or guide people in matters of belief. I see rhetoric as what
communicators invite their audiences to do. I argue that scholars must begin to
address rhetoric, race, and religion from both a historical and a contemporary
perspective and to examine explicit and implicit warrants in religious discourse
that help us theorize ways in which religion(s) and race operate.
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In this chapter, I chart this change by examining Du Bois within the African American prophetic tradition. I argue that Du Bois’s rhetorical trajectory from advocating voting to his decision to abstain from voting in the 1956 election... more
In this chapter, I chart this change by examining Du Bois within the African American prophetic tradition. I argue that Du Bois’s rhetorical trajectory from advocating voting to his decision to abstain from voting in the 1956 election coincided with his shift from a mission-oriented prophet to a pessimistic one. To demonstrate this shift to a pessimistic prophet, I offer a close reading of his “Why I Won’t Vote” editorial published in 1956. I argue that while Du Bois’s hope in American institutions and the democratic process had waned during this time in his life, he was not hopeless or nihilistic. On the contrary, Du Bois continued to believe in “democracy.” I suggest that it was the use of the lament tradition within this pessimistic prophecy that gave Du Bois hope to keep speaking, writing, and visioning a better day.
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In this chapter, I examine how supporters of BLM appropriate their own understanding of faith and spirituality to describe their involvement with the movement. In short, I discuss how participants say that their faith, religion, or... more
In this chapter, I examine how supporters of BLM appropriate their own
understanding of faith and spirituality to describe their involvement with the movement. In short, I discuss how participants say that their faith, religion, or spirituality led them to support #BlackLivesMatter both online and "out in the streets." I do this by offering an examination of one of the participants' understanding of God and how that understanding led her to join this movement. In understanding that the God she serves is "Black" and "Female," I suggest that this person offers us an example of what I call "rhetorical theology."
understanding of faith and spirituality to describe their involvement with the movement. In short, I discuss how participants say that their faith, religion, or spirituality led them to support #BlackLivesMatter both online and "out in the streets." I do this by offering an examination of one of the participants' understanding of God and how that understanding led her to join this movement. In understanding that the God she serves is "Black" and "Female," I suggest that this person offers us an example of what I call "rhetorical theology."
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In this essay, I bring attention to this particular institution—the Israel AME Lyceum—and its founder, Henry McNeal Turner. Instead of a traditional rhetorical history where I would “offer insights that are central to the study of... more
In this essay, I bring attention to this particular institution—the Israel AME Lyceum—and its founder, Henry McNeal Turner. Instead of a traditional rhetorical history where I would “offer insights that are central to the study of communication and unavailable through other approaches,” this is more of a recovery project of a rhetorical institution. While I attempt to engage in this recovery project, I do it with the understanding that I have limited access to the history of this institution. Although we know that the Israel AME Lyceum existed, like many “absent archives” there is no written history of the organization. Therefore, there are no significant studies about the institution, and thus, what was said, and how it was said; full extant speeches and debates are lost to history. I find myself echoing Melbourne Cummings as she notes in her essay on the problems of researching Black rhetoric: “some of the greatest and most representative speeches were made without even a partial manuscript that could attest to the speaker's subject, the speech's motivational appeal, [and] what part it or the speaker played in influencing action or other people.” While sources for the study of African American rhetoric and public address have become more available since Cummings' writing in 1972, a recovery project like this one reminds us that there is still much discovery left to do.
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In this chapter, I examine Turner’s role in the Colored Conventions movement. As I demonstrate, Turner had always been part of and played significant roles in national, state, and local conventions. The 1893 National Colored Convention... more
In this chapter, I examine Turner’s role in the Colored Conventions movement. As I demonstrate, Turner had always been part of and played significant roles in national, state, and local conventions. The 1893 National Colored Convention held in Cincinnati from November 28 to December 2 is one of the very last, if not the last, to claim that title. I examine Turner’s role as the president of the convention, analyze his keynote address and posit why Turner believed that a national Colored Convention would be the best medium to again advocate for emigration.
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In a denomination with two female bishops, the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church seems to be progressive in the trajectory of women's roles in the Church. However, there is still more work to do as women's voices are continuously... more
In a denomination with two female bishops, the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church seems to be progressive in the trajectory of women's roles in the Church. However, there is still more work to do as women's voices are continuously bombarded, overlooked, or even pushed out of the conversation. With this in mind, how can women work to advance their position in the denomination? While some men, such as Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, fought for the inclusion of women in every aspect of the leadership of the AME Church, the seeds of inclusion were planted, watered, and harvested by the women of the denomination. This chapter will focus on historical examples of women pushing forth as rhetors in the AME Church—Jarena Lee, Sarah (Sallie) Ann Copeland Hughes, Hallie Quinn Brown, and Jamye Coleman Williams.
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This chapter applies Robert S. Cathcart’s rhetorical form of confrontation and Darrel Enck-Wanzer’s concept of intersectional rhetoric to Black Lives Matter as a social movement. I argue that Black Lives Matter as a social movement is... more
This chapter applies Robert S. Cathcart’s rhetorical form of confrontation and Darrel Enck-Wanzer’s concept of intersectional rhetoric to Black Lives Matter as a social movement. I argue that Black Lives Matter as a social movement is best understood as a confrontational and intersectional movement that squarely fits within the Black Liberationist tradition. This confrontational/intersectional rhetoric, I argue follows the mandate of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who, in the last year of his life, called for this type of action.
In the second part of the chapter, I examine the action on the bridge. I do this in two different ways. First, by way of reviewing media accounts of the direct social action, I attempt to tell a narrative of what happened that evening. Second, drawing from the Facebook Live video I took, through an autoethnographic framework, I examine the march that occurred after protesters left the bridge. Not covered by the media as much as the bridge shut down, I argue that the march is important to share because, it symbolized for most protesters, a reclamation of agency.
In short, many people felt as if “they did something that night.” They felt empowered. Many celebrated the fact that the protest was “peaceful” in that police did not arrest anyone, but more importantly, police did not kill anyone that night either. I close the chapter my sharing some results of the bridge protest and reflections on Black Lives Matter as a social movement.
In the second part of the chapter, I examine the action on the bridge. I do this in two different ways. First, by way of reviewing media accounts of the direct social action, I attempt to tell a narrative of what happened that evening. Second, drawing from the Facebook Live video I took, through an autoethnographic framework, I examine the march that occurred after protesters left the bridge. Not covered by the media as much as the bridge shut down, I argue that the march is important to share because, it symbolized for most protesters, a reclamation of agency.
In short, many people felt as if “they did something that night.” They felt empowered. Many celebrated the fact that the protest was “peaceful” in that police did not arrest anyone, but more importantly, police did not kill anyone that night either. I close the chapter my sharing some results of the bridge protest and reflections on Black Lives Matter as a social movement.
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In this chapter, we examine the presidential candidacy of Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm. We argue Shirley Chisholm’s political campaign discourse is one example in a small sample of Black female public [and private] figures who make up... more
In this chapter, we examine the presidential candidacy of Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm. We argue Shirley Chisholm’s political campaign discourse is one example in a small sample of Black female public [and private] figures who make up what we call a womanist rhetorical genre. We focus our analysis on Chisholm’s words through her campaign announcement speech and her text Unbought and Unbossed. We also examine other texts, journals, and reports to augment our claims and fully explore the rhetorical legacy of political communication of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.
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In this chapter, however, I focus on the rocky political career of Turner primarily by examining two speeches that helped shape his political persona. In the first of these, the Emancipation Day speech, Turner demonstrates his willingness... more
In this chapter, however, I focus on the rocky political career of Turner primarily by examining two speeches that helped shape his political persona. In the first of these, the Emancipation Day speech, Turner demonstrates his willingness to reconcile after the war. When Turner
returned to the South after a Union victory and serving as the first African American chaplain in the armed forces, Turner was optimistic about the future of the country. It was with this optimistic tone that Turner began his work in the South.
However, he did not stay optimistic for long. In the second speech, after white members of the house of representatives made a motion to remove all the black elected officials, Turner’s conciliatory tone shifted to one of disgust and indignation. In an impassioned speech, “On
the Eligibility of Colored Members to the Seats in the Georgia Legislature,” delivered from the floor of the Georgia statehouse, Turner said he needed to “fight the devil with fire” and offered a prophetic rebuke of his opponents as he defended the right of blacks to serve in the legislature. I argue that this speech began Turner’s shift that would grow more pessimistic as America continued to default on its promise to African Americans.
returned to the South after a Union victory and serving as the first African American chaplain in the armed forces, Turner was optimistic about the future of the country. It was with this optimistic tone that Turner began his work in the South.
However, he did not stay optimistic for long. In the second speech, after white members of the house of representatives made a motion to remove all the black elected officials, Turner’s conciliatory tone shifted to one of disgust and indignation. In an impassioned speech, “On
the Eligibility of Colored Members to the Seats in the Georgia Legislature,” delivered from the floor of the Georgia statehouse, Turner said he needed to “fight the devil with fire” and offered a prophetic rebuke of his opponents as he defended the right of blacks to serve in the legislature. I argue that this speech began Turner’s shift that would grow more pessimistic as America continued to default on its promise to African Americans.
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In this chapter, I examine Donald Trump’s rhetoric of religious freedom specifically aimed at appealing to black voters. I first examine briefly two speeches given to predominately-white audiences. In those speeches, while arguably... more
In this chapter, I examine Donald Trump’s rhetoric of religious freedom specifically aimed at appealing to black voters. I first examine briefly two speeches given to predominately-white audiences. In those speeches, while arguably focusing his appeal on economics and jobs, he did it by creating a dystopian view of the African American community. It was this dystopian view and his promise to “fix it” that helped him strengthen his suburban white base. However, when Trump appeared in black space and with a majority black audience, his approach and appeal was different. Still grounded in economics and jobs, Trump also included strong religious appeals. Moreover, examining Trump’s rhetoric in Black Spaces, I argue that while the appeal for better economics and job creation was still a major aim, Trump also appealed to religious freedom and the historical significance of the black church in hopes at inviting African Americans to consider his candidacy.
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Henry McNeal Turner delivered the lecture, “The Negro in All Ages” at the Second Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia on April 8, 1873. The lecture was billed as an “examination into several abominable, anti-scriptural, and... more
Henry McNeal Turner delivered the lecture, “The Negro in All Ages” at the Second Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia on April 8, 1873. The lecture was billed as an “examination into several abominable, anti-scriptural, and pseudo-philosophical theories” that was “designed as a degradation to humanity” and on the surface, the speech can be classified as a refutation. This chapter examines how Henry McNeal Turner engaged didactic oratory. By offering a close reading of the lecture, this chapter explores the ways that Turner navigated the intersections of race and religion; and furthermore, how Turner adopts a prophetic persona that refutes much of the science of the day that was injurious to African Americans. This chapter begins with a brief biography of Henry McNeal Turner.
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The latest offering in the publisher's "Great Lives" series comprises profiles of 841 individuals and is presented in five volumes. Essays range from two to four pages in length and are assembled according to a consistent format that... more
The latest offering in the publisher's "Great Lives" series comprises profiles of 841 individuals and is presented in five volumes. Essays range from two to four pages in length and are assembled according to a consistent format that includes basic biographical date, a synopsis of achievements, and an essay on the subject's life, work, and significance.
Below are the bios of James H. Cone, Henry McNeal Turner, and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.
Below are the bios of James H. Cone, Henry McNeal Turner, and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.
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Anthony Pinn and Benjamin Valentin, eds. Creating Ourselves: African Americans and Hispanic Americans on Popular Culture and Religious Expression. Reviewed in the Journal of African American History, Fall (2011)
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Vincent W. Lloyd , Ed. Race and Political Theology. Reviewed in the Journal of African American History Vol. 100 Spring 2015.
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Below is a presentation I gave on February 16, 2017 at the Violence and Memory: Memorializing Historical Traumas from the Holocaust to the Jim Crow South symposium at the University of Memphis. In the presentation, I offered a rhetorical... more
Below is a presentation I gave on February 16, 2017 at the Violence and Memory: Memorializing Historical Traumas from the Holocaust to the Jim Crow South symposium at the University of Memphis.
In the presentation, I offered a rhetorical history and trajectory of Bishop Henry McNeal Turner’s rhetoric in chronicling, describing and detailing racialized violence against African Americans. Starting in the early days of Reconstruction and lasting throughout his life, through his many editorials, letters, speeches, interviews and essays, Turner shared stories and eyewitness accounts of the brutality that many African Americans faced during the nineteenth century. His writings serve as a reminder of just how brutal the (post) reconstruction era was and in many ways, how we are still living that brutal legacy today. Click on the following link to read the rest. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rhetoricraceandreligion/2017/05/is-the-hell-the-mass-murder-of-blacks-during-post-reconstruction.html
In the presentation, I offered a rhetorical history and trajectory of Bishop Henry McNeal Turner’s rhetoric in chronicling, describing and detailing racialized violence against African Americans. Starting in the early days of Reconstruction and lasting throughout his life, through his many editorials, letters, speeches, interviews and essays, Turner shared stories and eyewitness accounts of the brutality that many African Americans faced during the nineteenth century. His writings serve as a reminder of just how brutal the (post) reconstruction era was and in many ways, how we are still living that brutal legacy today. Click on the following link to read the rest. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rhetoricraceandreligion/2017/05/is-the-hell-the-mass-murder-of-blacks-during-post-reconstruction.html
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To read this article, please click on the link provided. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rhetoricraceandreligion/2017/01/obama-doesnt-have-to-save-us.html
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To read click the following link: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rhetoricraceandreligion/2016/11/do-we-even-care-a-conversation-on-race-and-racial-tensions.html
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To read click the following link: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rhetoricraceandreligion/2016/04/burned-alive-the-lynch-murder-mutilation-and-mayhem-of-ell-persons.html
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To read click the following link: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rhetoricraceandreligion/2016/12/state-sponsored-violence-black-bodies.html
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To read click the following link: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rhetoricraceandreligion/2017/01/black-faith-ou.html
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Critical Race Theory (CRT), the academic study in which students and scholars examine how race and racism function, is under attack by conservatives who claim that CRT promotes a distorted view of American history through a racial and... more
Critical Race Theory (CRT), the academic study in which students and scholars examine how race and racism function, is under attack by conservatives who claim that CRT promotes a distorted view of American history through a racial and ideological lens. According to the Washington Post, conservative activists and politicians use the term as a “catchall phrase for nearly any examination of systemic racism in the present.” It’s often “portrayed as the basis of race-conscious policies, diversity trainings and education about racism, regardless of how much the academic concept actually affects those efforts.” But how did an academic theory, taught primarily to upper-division undergraduates and graduate students, about how racism has impacted the nation and world become this iniquitous thing ‘ruining’ America?
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Sometimes I can have a good time all by myself. I can get away from everything and everybody and enjoy the peace and quiet that only being alone can bring. I meditate or pray or read scripture or read a book. It is a time of renewal and... more
Sometimes I can have a good time all by myself. I can get away from everything and everybody and enjoy the peace and quiet that only being alone can bring. I meditate or pray or read scripture or read a book. It is a time of renewal and refreshment as I relax in the Lord and enjoy God's presence in the stillness and quiet of the day. There is a difference, however, between being alone and being lonely.
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The story of Stephen shows us that many times the mob and the coat watchers are us. It teaches that we good church folks are the ones who stand in need of forgiveness and mercy. It also demonstrates something else we don’t talk about... more
The story of Stephen shows us that many times the mob and the coat watchers are us. It teaches that we good church folks are the ones who stand in need of forgiveness and mercy. It also demonstrates something else we don’t talk about enough in our churches: sometimes the mob wins, at least for the moment.
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Despite being born as an overt secular movement, I argue that BLM is not void of spirituality or faith commitments. Even though in their protest activism, they will practice an embodied solidarity and tenants of an incarnational ministry,... more
Despite being born as an overt secular movement, I argue that BLM is not void of spirituality or faith commitments. Even though in their protest activism, they will practice an embodied solidarity and tenants of an incarnational ministry, this spirituality is in many ways not orthodox to many mainstream religious traditions—especially Christianity. However, what one cannot dispute is that through their bodied witness, a spirituality that moves from moral suasion to bearing witness, activists are discovering new and transformative ways to handle issues, problems, and concerns that Black people face daily. As a liberative and prophetic movement, BLM activists have drawn of the Black liberationists movements of the past and discerned the contextual realities confronting them today. In so doing, they have discovered a spirituality that works for and speaks to them.
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On December a lawsuit was filed against the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City claiming that the artwork of Jesus hanging on the museum’s walls is “racist propaganda” because the pieces depict Jesus as white. Noting that the Met... more
On December a lawsuit was filed against the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City claiming that the artwork of Jesus hanging on the museum’s walls is “racist propaganda” because the pieces depict Jesus as white.
Noting that the Met receives “millions in taxpayer funds,” Justin Joseph, the New York City resident who filed the federal lawsuit, argues that this makes it “government speech” and that the government should not support speech that is racist.
Noting that the Met receives “millions in taxpayer funds,” Justin Joseph, the New York City resident who filed the federal lawsuit, argues that this makes it “government speech” and that the government should not support speech that is racist.
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Henry McNeal Turner, the first black chaplain in the Union Army and one of the most prominent religious and political leaders of Civil War era black America, was born a free black on Feb. 1, 1834, in New Berry Court House, S.C. Turner was... more
Henry McNeal Turner, the first black chaplain in the Union Army and one of the most prominent religious and political leaders of Civil War era black America, was born a free black on Feb. 1, 1834, in New Berry Court House, S.C. Turner was the oldest child of Hardy Turner and Sarah Greer Turner, and while we do not know much about Turner’s other siblings, we do know that Turner’s father died while he was still young.
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n September 20th, mere hours after the police shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina, pastor and professor Andre E. Johnson took to Twitter and started the hashtag #WhiteChurchQuiet to address the inadequacy of... more
n September 20th, mere hours after the police shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina, pastor and professor Andre E. Johnson took to Twitter and started the hashtag #WhiteChurchQuiet to address the inadequacy of the white church in responding to police brutality and the harm that silence does to black communities. The hashtag soon went viral, generating hundreds of tweets and retweets and quickly becoming a Twitter trending topic.
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How America's first black army chaplain fought for freedom, justice, and democracy.
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In 1925, Herbert Wichelns published The Literary Criticism of Oratory. By many accounts, the essay would become the founding document of the academic study of rhetoric and public address. However, in that same year, historian Carter G.... more
In 1925, Herbert Wichelns published The Literary Criticism of Oratory. By many accounts, the essay would become the founding document of the academic study of rhetoric and public address. However, in that same year, historian Carter G. Woodson published Negro Orators and Their Orations, which focused on the study of the African American oratorical tradition. In this essay, by way of speculative history and using my sanctified imagination, I wonder what an alternative or speculative history would look like if we can conceive Woodson as challenging the dominant (exclusively white) notions of public address and rhetorical praxis. By paying particular attention to Woodson’s introduction in Negro Orators and Their Orations, I submit that not only would we have been introduced to the richness and power of the African American public address tradition earlier but, more importantly, who we start to see as scholars and what we call scholarship would be different as well. I examine this by fi...
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The goal of this dissertation is two-fold. The first aim of this dissertation is to present Henry McNeal Turner as a figure worthy of rhetorical study. Henry McNeal Turner was one of the leading African American figures during the second... more
The goal of this dissertation is two-fold. The first aim of this dissertation is to present Henry McNeal Turner as a figure worthy of rhetorical study. Henry McNeal Turner was one of the leading African American figures during the second half of the nineteenth century. Despite Turner’s voluminous corpus of material, Turner has received little attention. Within the field of rhetoric, there has been even less interest in Turner. Aside from two published articles, there has not been any scholarly attention that focuses exclusively on the rhetoric of Henry McNeal Turner. This dissertation aims to address this oversight by examining Turner’s orations as examples of prophetic rhetoric.
Since I locate Turner within the prophetic tradition, the second aim of this dissertation is to examine prophetic rhetoric. By examining the oratory of Turner, I intend to demonstrate that not all prophetic rhetoric fits neatly into the apocalyptic or jeremiad models of prophetic discourse, and I will demonstrate that there is a need for further development of new subgenres within the rubric of prophetic rhetoric. Therefore, drawing from Turner’s texts, I intend to demonstrate that while these texts are examples of prophetic rhetoric, there is a need to establish alternative approaches that bring out the richness and diversity of the prophetic genre.
Since I locate Turner within the prophetic tradition, the second aim of this dissertation is to examine prophetic rhetoric. By examining the oratory of Turner, I intend to demonstrate that not all prophetic rhetoric fits neatly into the apocalyptic or jeremiad models of prophetic discourse, and I will demonstrate that there is a need for further development of new subgenres within the rubric of prophetic rhetoric. Therefore, drawing from Turner’s texts, I intend to demonstrate that while these texts are examples of prophetic rhetoric, there is a need to establish alternative approaches that bring out the richness and diversity of the prophetic genre.