The Black Madonna - by Christena Cleveland (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A radical reclamation of the Black Madonna as a liberatory figure that offers a richly spiritual and politically charged vision of Black divinity and resistance.

In Our Lady of Liberation, social psychologist and author of God is a Black Woman Christena Cleveland brings forth the Black Madonna as a Divine icon and spiritual home. This is a call to reclaim a spirituality that has always been ours. Through story, image, reflection, and ritual, Our Lady of Liberation becomes an invitation for the spiritually curious and justice-minded to move beyond dogma and toward embodied, mystical liberation. Written in a voice that bridges scholarship and devotion, this work is for all who are longing for a decolonized, diasporic, and feminine-rooted sacred--one that speaks directly to the soul's hunger for belonging, meaning, and collective healing.

Drawing on Christian mysticism, Black feminist theology, ancestral memory, and global iconography, this work is both a historical excavation and a contemporary invocation of an iconic figure. Each chapter brings the reader into conversation with a different embodiment of the Black Madonna, from ancient statues hidden in caves to modern artistic visions, illuminating her power as a sacred symbol.

About the Author

Christena Cleveland, Ph.D., is a social psychologist, public theologian, activist, and author of God is a Black Woman. She is the founder and director of the Center for Justice + Renewal which supports a more equitable world by nurturing skillful justice advocacy and the depth to act on it. Christena is a Ford Foundation Fellow who has held faculty positions at several institutions of higher education--most recently at Duke University's Divinity School, where she was the first African-American and first female director of the Duke Center for Reconciliation. Her work has been featured in a number of major media outlets including the History Channel, PBS, Essence Magazine, Washington Post, NPR, and BBC Radio.