James Henry Harris - Black Suffering: Silent Pain, Hidden Hope

Writing from within a matrix of hope and despair, the author of this book, an African American scholar and preacher, reflects on his lifes experience and work among people who are both resistant and resilient. Drawing upon the resources of ethnography, storytelling, history, literature, philosophy, and theology, he analyzes and describes the pathos of Black suffering from the time of slavery up to the present day. This perceptive meditation on the experience of suffering and hope will inspire all readers to think and work more diligently for a better world.

Peter J. Paris, Elmer G. Homrighausen Professor Emeritus, Christian Social Ethics, Princeton Theological Seminary

Black Suffering: Silent Pain, Hidden Hope provides readers an opportunity to think deeply about a collective response to the universality of Black suffering. In an era where increasingly #BlackLivesDontMatter, this text is a timely reminder of the poignant strands of hope that call us individually and collectively to the work of justice.

Angela D. Sims, president, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School

James Henry Harris has crafted a creative book on the perennial problem of Black suffering, a text that is more relevant now than ever because, in Harriss words, Black suffering is becoming difficult to recognize, since it is concealed in the normalization of Black death and the shifting ways that make it difficult to recognize, for example, in the COVID-19 pandemic that is directly tied to racism, poor health care, unemployment, and the stressors that are intricately tied to being Black in America. While Black suffering is global in scope, Harris hones in carefully on the particular situation of African American suffering in the United States, and the hip-hop mixtape serves as a metaphor for his method that draws upon a myriad of Black intellectual and cultural sources to investigate, make sense of, and call prophetically for an end to the disproportionate suffering that attends Black existence. Harris utilizes a kind of living ethnography from his present and long-term relationship in the Randolph community of Richmond, Virginia, where he is pastor of the Second Baptist Church; African American literature; Black intellectual history; the history of Black resistance; philosophy; and Black theology to give readers a full and powerful picture of the suffering that white supremacy creates and the joys and hope of Black living that yet endures. Scholars in many disciplinesfrom religious studies, anthropology, theology, history, and beyondwould benefit from this updated treatment of Black suffering. Every American who cares about America and understanding where it now stands and how much work is left to be done should read this book.

Stephen C. Finley, associate professor, Louisiana State University

At once, with storytelling rich in experience; prose that is sermonic in tone; and arguments steeped in biblical analysis and philosophical and theological depth, James Henry Harris offers us a view of Black suffering that is more than data and cognitive mapping. He uncovers the evil of the experience of Black suffering amidst the silences that point to something else: a way to a hidden hope imprisoned by a subjugated consciousness that we must liberate from the white imaginary that holds the key to the prison door.

Walter Fluker, professor emeritus of ethical leadership at Boston University and Deans Professor of Spirituality, Ethics, and Leadership at Candler School of Theology

In this timely and necessary work, James Henry Harris gives voice and insight into the present reality and historical complexity of Black suffering and silent pain. It is a powerful and poignant wake-up call to those who have become numb to their own pain and that of others. This is a textbook for any preacher, pastor, and practitioner of the gospel hoping to engage in relevant healing and liberative ministry.

Jacqueline A. Thompson, senior pastor, Allen Temple Baptist Church, Oakland, California

For the past ten years or more, I have been toiling away at this very vexing subject of Black suffering. The illusiveness of the topic lies in its pandemic presence and its ability to be embedded into the fabric of everyday existence. This makes it difficult to tackle. This is the irony.

My first few attempts at this project took the exclusive form of short stories, which I used as a way of expressing the topic of Black suffering through characters and plot. This, too, was hard. I later focused on narrative history, using the first-person singular as a tool for telling the story of Black suffering. It is a difficult and painful subject for me because it is my lifes story as well.

I want to thank the following persons who read and commented on this book: Larry Bouchard, Peter Paris, Charlie Gillespie, Tony Baugh, Lisa Wilson, James Corey Harris, Charlotte McSwine-Harris, Jennifer Geddes, Tanya Boucicaut, Paul D. Jones, Hal White, Tim Lee, Venessa Bond, Corey D. B. Walker, Angela Simms, and Charles F. Abel. Dr. James E. Jones, Dr. Alton Hart, and Dr. Robert Wafawanakaa surgeon, internist, and Hebrew Bible scholar respectivelyread every page of the manuscript and offered very helpful comments related to the subject of Black pain and suffering. I am thankful to the members of Second Baptist Church (West End), Richmond, Virginia, who attended my Tuesday Lunch and Learn seminars and readings, where much of this work was first shared. Sometimes, we had over fifty people in attendance. Moreover, the Dialectical and Literary Society at the Graduate School of Theology at Virginia Union University allowed me to lecture on this topic. All of my undergraduate and graduate students who have given listening ears to portions of this book are not only appreciated but cherished. I want to thank Rev. Yohance D. Whitaker for his teaching assistance, untiring support, and help in editing the final draft of this book. Additionally, Andrew Blossoms was instrumental in reading and reviewing every page of the book in its early development.