Penn author addresses African-American religion, politics

Race relations in America played prominently in the minds of voters during the presidential campaign, and the debate continues as Donald Trump prepares to take office.

NewsWorks Tonight host Dave Heller spoke with John L Jackson, Jr., Richard Perry University Professor and Dean of the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, and co-author of “Televised Redemption: Black Religious Media and Racial Empowerment,” to put those changes in historical perspective.

Jackson says the idea for the book predates the 2016 election and even the Barack Obama administration; “This was us trying to think for a long time about how to tell a story about religion that had almost existential and at least political consequence as well.”

The book focuses on traditions and contributions of Christian prosperity ministry, African-American Islamic consciousness, and black Hebrew Israelite perspectives regarding race and belonging.