Black Samson: The Untold Story of an American Icon by Nyasha Junior and Jeremy Schipper (review)

(239). In chapter 6, Joseph examines Benjamin Mays’s Black theology, which came to focus on democracy—namely, the democratization of American society and the Christianization of American culture (241–42, 264–65, 270–74). In chapter 6, Joseph builds on his claims in previous chapters that liberation and emancipation are connected to democracy. The reader must ask if this is truly the case. Is democracy the best form of government? What are the risks and fragility of democracy that threaten the lives of Black people? In the United States, Blacks have increased their legislative representation but are plagued by having less legislative influence relative to other groups. Blacks may be facing the dreaded predicament of a “persistent minority” that can never win or carry the day in those matters that concern and interest them the most. They are not alone in facing this predicament. There is uneven political participation and engagement of minority groups generally in American society. According to Joseph, “[Mays] envisioned that the United States could be both ‘a truly democratic’ nation-state and a ‘truly Christian’ society.” In this “truly Christian society,” what is the status of persons who are not Christian? These and other critical questions must be considered by Celucien Joseph and like-minded Black theologians.