In Hidden Histories, Monique Moultrie collects oral histories of Black lesbian religious leaders in the United States to show how their authenticity, social justice awareness, spirituality, and collaborative leadership make them models of womanist ethical leadership. By examining their life histories, Moultrie frames queer storytelling as an ethical act of resistance to the racism, sexism, and heterosexism these women experience. She outlines these women’s collaborative, intergenerational, and leadership styles, and their concerns for the greater good and holistic well-being of humanity and the earth. She also demonstrates how their ethos of social justice activism extends beyond LGBTQ and racialized communities and provides other models of religious and community leadership. Addressing the invisibility of Black lesbian religious leaders in scholarship and public discourse, Moultrie revises modern understandings of how race, gender, and sexual identities interact with religious practice and organization in the twenty-first century.

Monique Moultrie is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Georgia State University and author of Passionate and Pious: Religious Media and Black Women’s Sexuality, also published by Duke University Press.

Acknowledgments  ix
Introduction. That Their Living Will Not Be in Vain  1
1. Shattering Stain-Glassed Ceilings: African American Queer Storytelling  17
2. Going to Hell for My Authenticity: Existence as Resistance  38
3. Justice Is Spiritual: Interrogating Spiritual Activism  68
4. Mighty Causes Are Calling Us: Expanding Womanist Spiritualities  103
5. Doing the Work Their Souls Must Have: Cultivating Womanist Ethical Leadership  126
Conclusion. Leading from the Margins  168
Epilogue. Online Archives  182
Appendix: Interview Guide  187
Interview Guide  187
Notes  189
Bibliography  203
Index  217