THE ORIGINS OF WOMANISM

 The poet, literary giant and activist, Alice Walker, who is perhaps best known for her book turned-movie, The Color Purple, said "womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender. She is credited with coining the term, "womanist," in her 1983 critically-acclaimed work, "In Search of Our Mothers' Garden: Womanist Prose." 

​The term is derived from "womanish," a Black folk expression of mothers to female children suggesting being grown and responsible. It is in that thought, that womanist preachers seek to approach the homiletic text in a responsible manner, wanting to know more than what's on the surface, and to go in the deep exegetical work of looking at the biblical text through a lens of liberation.
As more preachers, pastors and ministers of the word intentionally do the deeper exegetical work of interrogating the sacred biblical texts to raise up the muted voices of women, the theological landscape for womanism continues to expand. 

Womanists are doing the work in the church, academy, and in the community.  In order to learn more about other womanists please watch some of the videos from our Womanist Wednesday conversations:

WHAT KIND OF WOMAN

In the documentary, "What Manner of Woman" produced by The Womanist Institute, consider what the Rev. Dr. Stacey Floyd-Thomas says about the origins and significance of womanism: "If it wasn't for black women, not only in the church, but in society at large, we wouldn't have a keen sense of what freedom is." 

​Take a few minutes and review this documentary. Reflect upon it and then consider how it informs your understanding of the significance of womanist theology and its place in the church and in our global community. ​

​-Video is Courtesy of The Womanist Institute

In this video, produced by WIPF and Stock Publishers, Womanist New Testament Scholar, Dr. Mitzi J. Smith talks about the significance and import of Womanist Biblical Hermeneutics. 

Questions? Prayer Requests?