This one’s going to ruffle some feathers. And I’m okay with that.

The Black church has been the backbone of our community for centuries. It sheltered us during slavery. It organized us during the Civil Rights Movement. It fed our families when nobody else would.

But let’s have an honest conversation about what it’s doing right now — for our children.

The Foundation We Built On

Before we get into the hard questions, let’s give credit where it’s earned.

The Black church gave us more than Sunday sermons. It gave us schools when the state refused to educate us. It gave us banks when no one would lend to us. It gave us political power when the law said we had none.

Fannie Lou Hamer organized from the church. Martin Luther King Jr. preached from the pulpit before he marched in the streets. The church wasn’t just where we worshipped — it was where we strategized, healed, and rebuilt.

That legacy is real. And it matters.

But Here’s the Question Nobody Wants to Ask

What is the Black church teaching our children about who they are?

Not spiritually. I’m talking historically. Culturally. Practically.

Because when a Black child sits in Sunday School and the only history they learn is Biblical history — with no connection to African civilizations, Black inventors, or the architects of the very freedom they enjoy — we’re leaving something on the table.

Something important.

The Education Gap in the Pew

Think about it. The average Black child spends 2-3 hours in church every Sunday. That’s 100+ hours a year. What if just 15 minutes of that time was dedicated to Black history?

Not instead of scripture. Alongside it.

What if every Sunday School opened with a Black history moment? What if youth groups studied the Moors alongside Moses? What if vacation Bible school included a week on the kingdoms of Mali, Songhai, and Aksum?

Our churches have the attention of our children. The question is what we’re doing with it.

What Some Churches Are Getting Right

I want to be fair — some churches are already doing this work. I’ve seen congregations in Atlanta, Chicago, and Detroit that run afterschool programs teaching Black history, host cultural festivals, and stock their libraries with books that reflect our children.

Those churches understand something crucial: spiritual formation and cultural formation aren’t competing priorities. They’re partners.

When a child knows that the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 came from one of the most powerful civilizations on earth — that changes how they read the text. That’s not secular intrusion. That’s context. And context is everything.

The Accountability Conversation

Here’s where I might lose some of you. But stay with me.

Churches receive billions in donations from the Black community every year. Billions. And a significant portion of our community’s wealth flows through those offering plates.

So it’s fair to ask: how much of that is being reinvested in educating our children? How many churches run tutoring programs? How many have libraries? How many teach financial literacy, African history, or practical life skills?

Some do. Many don’t. And the ones that don’t need to hear this: our children deserve more than a fish fry and an Easter play.

They deserve to know who they are.

This Isn’t Anti-Church — It’s Pro-Child

Let me be crystal clear. I’m not attacking the Black church. I’m challenging it to live up to its own legacy.

The same institution that built schools for freed enslaved people in the 1860s can absolutely teach Black history in 2026. The same church that organized voter registration drives can organize reading programs. The infrastructure is there. The congregation is there. The children are there.

The only question is the will.

What You Can Do Right Now

You don’t have to wait for your church to catch up. Start at home.

Put Black History Flashcards on your coffee table. Pull one out before family devotion. Let your kids learn about Mansa Musa on Monday and Moses on Sunday.

Talk to your pastor. Suggest a monthly Black history moment during announcements. Donate a set of flashcards to the youth ministry. Start small — but start.

Our children’s education is too important to outsource entirely to any single institution — whether that’s the school system or the sanctuary.

Does your church teach Black history? What do you wish they’d do differently? I want to hear your experience.

Love, peace, and power to the people. ✊🏾