Queer Faces of Color Series 

We Believe in God, Too Synopsis 

Eboni Boneé Coleman (EB) | EB Pixs

The roots of the Black church run deep into African ancestral traditions. The Atlantic slave trade, which began in the 15th century, combined several African ancestral traditions and religions due to the enslavement of various African communities. These included: traditional ancestral worship, Islam, and in the kingdom of Congo a form of Catholicism that pre-dated Columbus. Yoruba and Congo-based religions that had mixed with Roman Catholicism, created new religions like Vodou in Haiti, Santeria in Cuba, and Candomblé in Brazil. Here in the United States, spiritual practices such as Hoodoo, Obeah, and Conjuration reflect similar practices that embody African spiritual roots (The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song, 2021). 

What we sometimes fail to acknowledge is how our African spiritual roots transitioned into a religion we as the Black community historically have abided by; Christianity, also for us known as the Black Church. Although historically the word of God was used to conform African/Black Americans, even by eliminating scripture in order to attain power over their being, the spirit of God has always played a vibrant role in African/Black Americans' idea of faith; encouraging a better future and hope for freedom (McQuillar, 2010). This faith gives our community the strength to keep going despite the many trials and tribulations that continue to be unjust and unethical. 

Why is it that our faith in God is questioned if our sexual orientation doesn’t align with the heteronormative perspective? This series and installation sits as a reminder that our faith and belief in God can co-exist with queer orientation. That in the end what binds our Black community together is the love we found within each other, and that was our love and faith in God.

-EB

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