The story of David Walker, the landmark Black abolitionist, is a potent example. He was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, to a free woman. Walker argued in his classic 1829 manifesto that if the promise of the nation could ever be actualized, it would require a redemption in the eyes and experience of Black people. The same was true of Christianity, in his estimation. As a young adult, he witnessed an enslaved man forced to beat his wife to death. The redemption of a society that could support such cruelty would require mighty effort and a rebalance of power. Walker’s theology had older
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