Author honored for book on black politics, religion

12/31/2011

LOUISVILLE — A book about the relationships between black politics and religion has earned its author the 2012 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion.

Barbara D. Savage, a professor of history and American social thought at the University of Pennsylvania, was selected from among 66 nominated books for her 2008 book Your Spirits Walk Beside Us: The Politics of Black Religion, published by Harvard University Press.

The author “explains why it is misleading to speak of ‘the black church’ given the enormous diversity among African-American congregations,” said Susan Garrett, award director and professor of New Testament studies at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Lousiville Seminary jointly presents the Grawemeyer Award in Religion with the University of Louisville. The university also presents four Grawemeyer Awards each year for outstanding works in music composition, world order, psychology, and education. Each award is for $100,000.

Ms. Savage is to present a lecture on the book at Lousiville Seminary April 11 .