ABSTRACT
Black consciousness has entered into the field of religion, but influences have run in both directions. There has been a powerful tradition of preaching in the black churches and this in turn has entered into the black consciousness movement. Its leaders have not simply advocated political change; they have not simply brought forward programmes of social reform. In the 1980s several young black women were training for the ministry in various churches in the USA. In addition to courses familiar to any theological student, they were introduced to perspectives on feminist theology and Black theology. Concentration on the experience of black women of course has a certain attraction, but it is not without dangers. It is attractive because it gives a voice to a significant part of society which was previously ignored, dismissed, silenced. Womanist theology repeats as a mantra that it is holistic, dealing with oppression by sex, race and class.
