Have Christianity and Islam Helped Black Americans Survive?| AJ+

For centuries, religion was used to justify a lot of bad in the United States. Slavery, genocide, segregation, you name it. But religion also served as a means of survival and liberation for some of the most marginalized groups in this country. In this piece, Sana Saeed explores how black Americans have relied on religion – especially Christianity and Islam – to survive and liberate themselves for over three centuries. And we ask: Does religion still have a role to play in the fight against white supremacy and systematic racism?

Learn more here:
Oxford Research Encyclopedias. “Religion in African American History.” http://americanhistory.oxfordre.com/v...

Vox. “A Brief History of Islam in America.” https://www.vox.com/2015/12/22/106459...

Pew Research Study. “Religious Landscape Study.” http://www.pewforum.org/religious-lan...

Presented by: Sana Saeed
Written by: Sana Saeed and Kathryn Wheeler
Edited by: Michael Zipkin
Animations by: Joe Corea
Produced by: Sana Saeed and Kathryn Wheeler

Music tracks courtesy of APM.
Footage and images courtesy of Getty Images, Creative Commons, Evan Carter and Reel Clever Films.