Events › Finding God in All the Black Places

The Emory Digital Publishing in the Humanities initiative and the Auburn Avenue Research Library welcome Dr. Beretta Smith-Shomade in conversation with Dr. Nsenga Burton for a discussion of Smith-Shomade's new book Finding God in All the Black Places: Sacred Imaginings in Black Popular Culture.

In Finding God in All the Black Places, Dr. Smith-Shomade contends that Black spirituality and Black church religiosity are the critical crux of Black popular culture. She argues that cultural, community, and social support live within the Black church and that spirit, art, and progress are deeply entwined and seal this connection. Including the work of artists such as Mary J. Blige, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Prince, Spike Lee, and Oprah Winfrey, the book examines contemporary Black television, film, music and digital culture to demonstrate the role, impact, and dominance of spirituality and religion in Black popular culture.

Following the talk, please join us for a catered reception and a chance to purchase the book from a local bookseller. This book is also freely available online as an open-access digital edition.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged.

Finding God in All the Black Places Tickets, Wed, Mar 19, 2025 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite

This book talk event is supported by the Mellon-funded Digital in the Publishing in the Humanities initiative at Emory University and the Auburn Avenue Research Library.