What is Black History Month in a white Christian nation?

By Andre Whitehead

Just in time for Black History Month, the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution have released a fascinating new survey about Christian nationalism that points to the ways that stories about race in American history get told and why these stories matter.

The PRRI/Brookings Christian nationalism survey adds to a host of research that demonstrates the historical repercussions of this powerful cultural framework. It shows that Christian nationalism can serve to rewrite history so that racial injustice and those responsible for it are rendered almost invisible.

A few of the survey’s findings:

• Two-thirds of white Americans who strongly embrace Christian nationalism disagree that white supremacy is still a major problem — compared with one-third of all Americans.

• Just over 80 percent of white Americans who strongly embrace Christian nationalism disagree that generations of slavery and discrimination make for an uneven playing field for Black Americans — compared with 45 percent of all Americans.

• 85 percent of white Americans who strongly embrace Christian nationalism believe discrimination against white Americans is as big of a problem as discrimination against Black Americans and other minorities — compared with 41 percent of all Americans.

• Just over 70 percent of white Americans who strongly embrace Christian nationalism disagree that a Black person is more likely to receive the death penalty for the same crime (an empirical reality in our current justice system) — compared with 36 percent of all Americans.

White Americans, in sum, who believe this country was founded as a Christian nation and desire to see a particular expression of Christianity privileged in the public square imagine a very different past and present when it comes to the experiences of Black Americans. Nonwhite Americans, interestingly, shared some notions of Christian nationalism, the survey found. But those Black Americans who strongly embrace Christian nationalism score anywhere from 23 to 37 percent lower than their white counterparts, depending on the question.

The gap is most obvious when

Black History Month

examining historical explanations for economic inequality experienced by Black Americans today. Only 46 percent of nonwhite Americans who strongly embrace Christian nationalism disagreed that generations of slavery and discrimination still affect Black Americans’ chances. More than 80 percent of white Americans who strongly embrace Christian nationalism disagreed.

These findings underscore why many social scientists add “white” when talking about “Christian nationalism.” The desire to see a particular expression of Christianity privileged in the public sphere and preserved by the government operates differently for white and Black Americans.

Another reason to add “white” before Christian nationalism is that it was white Christian denominations and religious institutions that created the narrative of a “Christian nation” and sustained it throughout American history. Recent historical work demonstrates that white Christians “baptized” slavery, Jim Crow and later iterations of racially inequality as God’s will for this Christian nation. Their theologies and religiou s explanations framed social injustice as an unfortunate reality of a fallen world. White America and white Christianity were thereby absolved of any guilt or responsibility.

Today, those who push back against teaching this history argue that we should all be judged by our character, not the color of our skin. But surveys like this one show that white Christian nationalism is not about skin color or even the race we identify with. Rather, it refers to “whiteness” — the values, habits, beliefs, behaviors and attitudes that result in the organization of society in such a way that white Americans, as a group, tend to have greater access to power, privilege, wealth and other benefits bestowed by various social institutions.

The writer is an associate professor of sociology at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at IUPUI.

Celebrating Black History Month

e Reverend John Jasper (1812-1901)

Born enslaved on July 4, 1812, John Jasper overcame slavery and became a prominent and renown preacher in Richmond and throughout the state of Virginia.

A er a religious experience on Richmond’s Capital Square, Rev. Jasper began his career as a slave funeral preacher. As a result of his unique preaching style and sincere belief in the scriptures, he was frequently in demand to speak at funerals and other occasions around the state.

A er emancipation, Rev. Jasper organized the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church in September 1867 in an abandoned horse stable on Brown’s Island along the north shore of the James River. e growing congregation moved to its present site in Jackson Ward in the summer of 1869. Rev. Jasper reached the height of his spiritual powers in 1878 with the introduction of his signature sermon, “De Sun Do Move.” Heard by thousands of people, the sermon was preached over 250 times. e Reverend John Jasper died in March 1901 and is buried in Woodland Cemetery.

Riverview Baptist Church

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

William Leon “BB” Prentiss Jr., who molded thousands of student musicians as the director of high school marching bands in Richmond, Chesterfield County, Norfolk and four other localities, has died.

Mr. Prentiss, most recently band and orchestra director at Meadowbrook High School in Chesterfield, succumbed to illness Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. He was 58.

Six days before his death, his family said he took his final turn at the bandstand as the guest conductor of the Henrico All-County Band and offered this advice to the audience in his closing remarks: “We just have to be kinder and gentler these days, less stressful.

“So, from me to you, don’t let the things that don’t matter too much, matter too much,” he concluded.

Family and friends celebrated Mr. Prentiss’ life Saturday, Feb. 11, at Second Baptist Church – Southside.

Those who knew him described him as humble, kindly man with a great sense of humor and a deep and abiding passion for enabling students to become proficient in performance and field maneuvers.

A Richmond native, Mr. Prentiss began his musical career while in fifth grade when he was introduced to the flute. He would later learn to play the piano, saxophone and tuba, but the flute remained his first love.

By middle school, he was performing with The Brass Connection, a band that his best friend, Anthony Anderson, organized. In high school, he played with the band and also was the drum major in the Jefferson-Huguenot-Wythe High School’s marching band.

He began his 27-year career in music education after graduating from Norfolk State University, where he performed with the

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Wilson Alexander “Bopper” Seaborn loved being an educator.

Known as a man who was easy to meet and get along with, Mr. Seaborn started out as a classroom teacher in Richmond and devoted himself to helping students become proficient in their studies.

Then he opened a travel business in which he helped adults and their families learn about the world.

Mr. Seaborn’s role in teaching others is being remembered

Marching Spartan Legion and other musical groups on the campus. He later added a master’s degree in music education from NSU and took additional courses at Shenandoah University and Longwood University.

Before joining Meadowbrook’s faculty, he was band director for Huguenot High School in Richmond and other schools, including Potomac Middle School in Prince William County, Smithfield High School in Isle of Wight County, Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth and Cardoza High School in Washington, D.C.

Under his baton, Huguenot’s band was the first and only city public school band to be named a Virginia Honor Band. Cumulatively, the marching, concert and jazz bands he led received more than 23 superior assessment ratings in competitions at the district and state levels.

Mr. Prentiss also aided his students to secure auditions that