Getting to the Promised Land: Black America and the Unfinished Work of the Civil Rights Movement

Kevin W. Cosby

Jun 2021 · Westminster John Knox Press

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150

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About this ebook

Too often, all oppressed people in America are lumped together under the moniker "people of color," as if each group's experience under the yoke of systemic racism has the same economic and social repercussions. But the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) hold a unique claim to economic and reparative justice: for ADOS, after all, is the only group whose ancestors were forcibly brought to America, enslaved, built much of the wealth of the country, yet continue to be specifically excluded from the same social, political, and economic rights of other Americans. To that end, Rev. Dr. Kevin W. Cosby lays out the first theology of the ADOS movement, turning the traditional lens of Black liberation theology from Moses leading escaped Hebrew slaves in Exodus to other biblical leaders like Solomon, Daniel, and Nehemiah. A Jew born in exile, Nehemiah landed a somewhat privileged position in the Persian king's court. After learning about his people’s dire situation in Jerusalem, Nehemiah wept and was moved to lead efforts to rebuild the wall around the city with money (reparations) obtained from the imperial government.

In the stories of Nehemiah and other biblical leaders, Cosby finds inspiration on how to rebuild Black America including the necessity of government reparations for ADOS. Cosby calls all Americans to move from a place of relative nonengagement and detachment to a place of active support of ADOS’s efforts for justice and healing.

About the author

Kevin W. Cosby is President of Simmons College of Kentucky, one of our nation's 101 historically Black colleges and universities, and has served as Senior Pastor of St. Stephen Baptist Church, the largest African American Church in the state of Kentucky, since 1979. One of Kentucky’s most influential leaders, Cosby holds an MDiv from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a DMin from United Theological Seminary. He is currently pursuing a PhD at Union Institute & University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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