Subject Area
Music, Religion, Theology/Religious Education
Abstract
In 2020, the United States experienced a global pandemic and the murder of Mr. George Floyd. With the murder of Floyd, many churches were confronted with the racial divide in the United States. This thesis is a response of one community, the Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Plano, Texas. Using the folk song of Black Americans, namely the Negro Spirituals, as the foundation of an ethical-theological framework, this thesis poses one way for addressing the anti-Black structure prevalent in the Catholic Church in the United States of America. This work progresses from despair to hope, addressing the link between the institution of Slavery and the Negro Spirituals, providing an overview of Catholic documents on racism and reconciliation, and illustrating a theology of accompaniment championed by Pope Francis, to provide strategies on addressing the racial divide.
Degree Date
Spring 5-11-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
D.P.M.
Department
Perkins School of Theology
Advisor
Dr. C. Michael Hawn
Second Advisor
Dr. Theodore Walker
Third Advisor
Annette Nevins
Number of Pages
113
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
St. Romain, Darnell Allen, "Plenty Good Room: Using Negro Spirituals to Bridge the Racial Divide" (2024). Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses. 11.
https://scholar.smu.edu/theology_music_etds/11
