Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America

by Michael Harriot

Perhaps the greatest legacy of this African American institution lies in the subtle difference in language that separates the Black church from all others. In medieval England, any sacred place or house of worship offered immunity to fugitives, which is partly why a church is considered a sanctuary, defined as “a consecrated place” or “a place of refuge and protection.” In America, that tradition did not apply to fugitive slaves or Black people in general. But the Black church is not a place, nor does it exist in the physical realm. It is a school with no address and a meeting space with no location. It is a political machine and a human rights organization. It is why, in sermons, songs of praise, and speaking among each other, Black people rarely refer to a church as “a sanctuary.” The Black church is “the sanctuary.”