Symposium: Wyatt Tee Walker and the Politics of Black Religion
February 19–21, 2020
University of Richmond
If Martin Luther King, Jr. is freedom’s dreamer and Ella Baker is freedom’s organizer, then Wyatt Tee Walker is freedom’s architect.
Wyatt Tee Walker and the Politics of Black Religion brings together a distinguished group of scholars to critically engage the complex politics of black religion through the lens of the life, thought, and practice of Wyatt Tee Walker.
This national symposium underscores Walker’s strategic role in the modern black freedom movement as well as his deep engagement in all facets of American life and culture. The symposium positions Walker as a critical lens for examining a number of past and present issues confronting the prospects and possibilities of democracy in America.
Wyatt Tee Walker and the Politics of Black Religion also highlights the University of Richmond’s Dr. and Mrs. Wyatt Tee Walker Collection housed in the Boatwright Memorial Library. By advancing fresh perspectives on the life and legacy of Wyatt Tee Walker, the symposium will, in the words of President Ronald Crutcher, “preserve his legacy for all days.”
“If you listen to what Black people are singing religiously,” as Wyatt Tee Walker reminds us, “it will provide a clue as to what is happening to them sociologically.” Wyatt Tee Walker and the Politics of Black Religion will listen to the complexities of black religion in order to develop novel insights on culture, politics, religion, and American public life.
The symposium will take place on the campuses of the University of Richmond and the University of Virginia and is free and open to the public
