Preface  ix

Introduction, R. Drew Smith  1

1. Assessing the Public Policy Practices of African American Churches / R. Drew Smith  9

2. African American Churches, Affirmative Action, and the Campaign against the One Florida Plan / Barbara Dianne Savage  28

3. The Role of African American Churches in Crafting the 1996 Welfare Reform Policy / Megan E. McLaughlin  51

4. Contestant, Advocate, Implementer Social Services and the Policy Roles of African American Churches / Michael Leo Owens  73

5. Service Provider or Policymaker? Black Churches and the Health of African Americans / Cathy J. Cohen  103

6. African American Churches and Reproductive Health Rights / Emilie M. Townes  127

7. African American Clergy and Urban School Reform / Desiree Pedescleaux  144

8. End of a Miracle? Crime, Faith, and Partnership in Boston in the 1990s / Christopher Winship  171

9. African American Churches and the Evolution of Antiapartheid Activism / Columba Aham Nnorum  193

Appendix A: An Overview of National Sample for the 1999-2000 Black Churches and Politics Survey  217

Appendix B: PIAAC Project Overview  219

Contributors  233

Index  235

R. Drew Smith

Barbara Dianne Savage

Megan E. McLaughlin

Michael Leo Owens

Cathy J. Cohen

Emilie M. Townes

Desiree Pedescleaux

Christopher Winship

Columba Aham Nnorom

"Highly recommended."—A.B. Pollard, CHOICE

"The interdisciplinaiy and case study approaches employed, along with the focus on both rural and urban congregations, account for much of the uniqueness and appeal of this volume. . . . Long March Ahead sets a high standard for scholarship on the black church and American public life. It is an achievement of epic scope, and it clearly belongs among the great studies of the black church produced by W.E.B. DuBois, Carter G. Woodson, and others."—Lewis Baldwin, Journal of Church and State

“This [is an] excellent and important collection of case studies, undertaken as part of a very large and evidently ongoing project studying the role of African American churches in contemporary public life. . . .”—Paul Harvey, The Historian

“The essays illuminate the now contested boundaries between faith and politics. . . . . Smith’s two contributions will find their place in graduate seminars on African-American church life. The other contributions should find an audience in classroom and church alike.”—Douglas E. Thompson, Religious Studies Review

“[T]he overall research findings of this volume are compelling. This volume highlights the continued importance of African American churches and ministers in the struggle for social justice in the black community and the necessity for further research on the role of African American religious communities and ministers in U.S. public policy.”
—Korie L. Edwards, Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

“It is important to think carefully and comprehensively about the new public role of black churches. . . . This volume and its companion have provided a beginning for that process, but much more needs to be done to provide a full and satisfying picture of what is left to do.”—James Findlay, Journal of American History

“The nine essays in this second volume analyze black church activism on such national public policy issues as affirmative action, health care, welfare reform and public education.”—Digest

"Highly recommended."—A.B. Pollard, CHOICE

"The interdisciplinaiy and case study approaches employed, along with the focus on both rural and urban congregations, account for much of the uniqueness and appeal of this volume. . . . Long March Ahead sets a high standard for scholarship on the black church and American public life. It is an achievement of epic scope, and it clearly belongs among the great studies of the black church produced by W.E.B. DuBois, Carter G. Woodson, and others."—Lewis Baldwin, Journal of Church and State

“This [is an] excellent and important collection of case studies, undertaken as part of a very large and evidently ongoing project studying the role of African American churches in contemporary public life. . . .”—Paul Harvey, The Historian

“The essays illuminate the now contested boundaries between faith and politics. . . . . Smith’s two contributions will find their place in graduate seminars on African-American church life. The other contributions should find an audience in classroom and church alike.”—Douglas E. Thompson, Religious Studies Review

“[T]he overall research findings of this volume are compelling. This volume highlights the continued importance of African American churches and ministers in the struggle for social justice in the black community and the necessity for further research on the role of African American religious communities and ministers in U.S. public policy.”
—Korie L. Edwards, Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

“It is important to think carefully and comprehensively about the new public role of black churches. . . . This volume and its companion have provided a beginning for that process, but much more needs to be done to provide a full and satisfying picture of what is left to do.”—James Findlay, Journal of American History

“The nine essays in this second volume analyze black church activism on such national public policy issues as affirmative action, health care, welfare reform and public education.”—Digest

“As a board member of the project researching the Public Influences of African American Churches, I am proud of the degree to which the team of researchers, directed by Dr. R. Drew Smith, illuminated the current impact of the African American church on the various forms of political behavior in its community. The very breadth and scope of this project provides a new research baseline for this subject that will be useful to religious institutions, scholars, and the public as they seek to understand the role of the American church in the life of the nation.”—Dr. Ronald Walters, Distinguished Leadership Scholar and Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland, College Park

“R. Drew Smith’s Long March Ahead is an excellent collection of essays which points to the strengths and weaknesses of black churches in the public policy arena. While they remain key mobilizing institutions in black communities, the churches have not developed a coherent voice on significant public policy issues such as welfare reform in the post–civil rights era. Everyone concerned about the future of black churches in the twenty-first century needs to ponder the implications of these important case studies.”—Lawrence H. Mamiya, coauthor of The Black Church in the African American Experience

Permission to Photocopy (coursepacks)

If you are requesting permission to photocopy material for classroom use, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center at copyright.com;

If the Copyright Clearance Center cannot grant permission, you may request permission from our Copyrights & Permissions Manager (use Contact Information listed below).

Permission to Reprint

If you are requesting permission to reprint DUP material (journal or book selection) in another book or in any other format, contact our Copyrights & Permissions Manager (use Contact Information listed below).

Images/Art

Many images/art used in material copyrighted by Duke University Press are controlled, not by the Press, but by the owner of the image. Please check the credit line adjacent to the illustration, as well as the front and back matter of the book for a list of credits. You must obtain permission directly from the owner of the image. Occasionally, Duke University Press controls the rights to maps or other drawings. Please direct permission requests for these images to permissions@dukeupress.edu.
For book covers to accompany reviews, please contact the publicity department.

Subsidiary Rights/Foreign Translations

If you're interested in a Duke University Press book for subsidiary rights/translations, please contact permissions@dukeupress.edu. Include the book title/author, rights sought, and estimated print run.

Disability Requests

Instructions for requesting an electronic text on behalf of a student with disabilities are available here.

Rights & Permissions Contact Information

Email: permissions@dukeupress.edu

Email contact for coursepacks: asstpermissions@dukeupress.edu

Fax: 919-688-4574

Mail:
Duke University Press
Rights and Permissions
905 W. Main Street
Suite 18B
Durham, NC 27701

For all requests please include:

1. Author's name. If book has an editor that is different from the article author, include editor's name also.

2. Title of the journal article or book chapter and title of journal or title of book

3. Page numbers (if excerpting, provide specifics)

For coursepacks, please also note: The number of copies requested, the school and professor requesting

For reprints and subsidiary rights, please also note: Your volume title, publication date, publisher, print run, page count, rights sought