Anne Braden and the Role of Individuals and Religious Institutions in Racial Justice Organizing
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Authors
Rochlitz, Megan
Issue Date
2016
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Anne Braden (July 28, 1924 – March 6, 2006) became active in the civil rights
movement in 1948 and remained active in racial and social justice work until her death in
2006. Louisville, Kentucky was Anne’s home for most of her adult life. Braden’s work
on organizing and educating white people in her community for racial justice was my
entry point for learning about her. While researching Braden for previous assignments, I
found that she had a critical relationship with Christian practice. She was raised in a
social gospel-based Episcopal tradition, but chose to break away from the church due to
her dissatisfaction with its lack of concrete action addressing poverty in the South–
inaction regarding racism and white supremacy would later emerge as additional reasons
she continued to distance herself from Episcopalian practice. In 1951, Braden joined a
Louisville congregation after the Reverend Albert Dalton convinced her to rejoin the
Episcopal Church to be an internal agent of reform. While she remained in the Episcopal
tradition for the rest of her life, the relationship between organized practice and Braden’s
personal religiosity has yet to be unpacked and analyzed through different theoretical
lenses or examined in the context of broader social trends in the South and the greater
United States towards the end of the 20th century.
Description
38 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo, Mich. : Kalamazoo College
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.