A "Collective Black" Liberation in the Face of "Honorary White" Racism? A Growing Edge for U.S. Black Liberation Theologies

Abstract

James H. Cone argues that the liberation of African Americans from the scourge of white racism must be at the foundation of any true Christian theology in the U.S. This essay investigates what this might mean when the racial structure within the U.S. is changing. As sociologist Eduardo Bonilla-Silva points out, the paradigm is now comprised of three racial strata—"whites," "honorary whites," and "collective Blacks"—and exhibits a "color blind racism" that continues white dominance in a more subtle way. My study is a theological investigation that employs a mutually critical correlation to bring the theological work of Cone into dialogue with the sociological work of Bonilla-Silva. I discuss Cone's and Bonilla-Silva's projects and using their work suggest possible new theological avenues for U.S. Black Liberation Theologies to consider while continuing the praxis of Black Liberation.