'A beautiful responsibility': Documentary film will encapsulate history of Black Liberation Theology

“It’s a journey of discovery,” says multiple Emmy-winning filmmaker and educator Dante James of his current project, a feature-length documentary on Black liberation theology. “Getting out into uncharted waters, being challenged to wrap my head around all the material so that I can deconstruct it and reconstruct it in the context of a film that is informative and engaging … it’s an incredible process.”

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James was first introduced to the concept of liberation theology when he was working on a series for PBS titled "This Far by Faith." It was during this project that he built a strong working relationship with the Rev. Dr. James Cone at Union Theological Seminary. Cone, 1938-2018, is known by many as the founder of and primary voice behind Black liberation theology, a school of study that aims to interpret the Christian faith through the lens of the Black freedom struggle.

“I always wanted to go back to it and do something in depth,” James says. And that’s just what he did.

Many years after completing the docuseries, James reached out to Cone, who agreed to not only support the project, but also contribute his time, his words, and his lifetime of work. For James, Cone was also a friend, mentor, and foundational collaborator on his project, "God of the Oppressed — Stories of Black Liberation" (GOTO–SOBL), an independent documentary film currently in development, which takes part of its name from Cone’s book of the same title.

Cone had referred James to the Rev. Dr. Gayraud Wilmore, another influential figure in Black liberation theology. Although James never met Wilmore in person, they spoke for hours on the phone and established a mutually respectful and friendly email correspondence, through which Wilmore offered edits, advice and insight. 

Wilmore, a Philadelphia native and scholar of African American church history, was ordained by the Presbytery of Philadelphia in 1950. Throughout his long and influential career in academia, he became a leading scholar in Black theology, worked as a professor at six different seminaries, and lectured at colleges across the country. Wilmore wrote or edited 16 books throughout his career, including "Black Religion and Black Radicalism: An Interpretation of the Religious History of African Americans," published in 1998. This is perhaps what he is best known for, James says as he reminisces on Wilmore’s life and legacy. “Dr. Wilmore was more of a quiet, unrecognized warrior for liberation —but we’ll take care of that,” he says.

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Although James began the project the year before Cone’s passing, he put the work on hiatus in 2018 following the loss of his mentor and biggest supporter. And then, in 2020, the Covid pandemic prolonged this hiatus. It wasn’t until 2023 that James was able to refocus his efforts on this immense undertaking, and without either of the men with whom he had begun it. But their confidence in him — their belief that he would bring this project to fruition — is enough to bolster James as he continues to gather material, raise funds and create a feature-length documentary film.

In terms of material, James has already identified and incorporated at least one item from the archives of the Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS) in Philadelphia, more specifically within PHS’s Katie Geneva Cannon Digital Collection. In that collection resides a film titled "Journey to Liberation" — clips James has included in a trailer for the documentary.

Cannon, the first African American woman to be ordained in the United Presbyterian Church U.S.A., a predecessor denomination of the PC(USA), was a liberation theologian, Christian ethicist and one of the founders of Womanist theology. The digitization of her personal papers, including more than 450 sermons, lectures, and writings, was completed in late 2022 in collaboration with Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond and the Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Cannon’s story is another that will be featured in "God of the Oppressed—Stories of Black Liberation."

Cannon died in 2018, shortly after founding the Center for Womanist Ethics (now the Center for Womanist Leadership) at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. Her enormous influence as an educator and theologian can be experienced through her digitized sermons and writings — which are easily accessible to researchers like James through Pearl, the historical society’s digital archive.

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GOTO—SOBL will highlight Christians from a variety of denominations, not only Presbyterian. For example, one featured story is that of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, the first Black woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest. Additionally, the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, an Episcopal priest and leader in the field of Womanist theology, has been an advisor and supporter of James’s project from the very beginning.

“It’s not about ‘one denomination did this, one denomination did that,’” James says. “It’s about these brilliant, amazing women who paved the way.”

James is certain that he will return to the Presbyterian Historical Society archives for more. Photographs and video material, like the "Journey to Liberation" film, are immeasurably helpful, but he’s also interested in getting his hands on some audio.

“We want to hear the voices of our featured characters. We don’t want someone else telling us what they said — we want to hear them saying it,” he says. “Good filmmaking requires an interdisciplinary approach to storytelling.”

Here he quotes James Baldwin, shuffling through his pitch deck for the right words. “Music, Black music, is the only place where the Negro, the Black, has told their story. Now, we have some great preachers. We have some great poets and literary people, but the music is where we've told our story, in the spirituals, in the blues, in jazz, in hip hop — the music. If you look at the Black story through music, you get the story."

Influenced greatly by the words of Baldwin, "God of the Oppressed—Stories of Black Liberation" will feature creative expression in all art forms, along with interview excerpts from Cone and other scholars, ministers, musicians, singers, activists, and lay Christians, all advocating for a Christianity shaped by Black people's experiences that calls for social, political, and economic justice. The ultimate goal is to conduct an interdisciplinary examination of the role of religion and spirituality in the pursuit of Black liberation. In this way, James feels that the project will “transcend being merely a film.”

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Though many things about this process have remained the same during the years of hiatus, the biggest factor that has changed is the social, political, and economic landscape in which the film is being made. “Those changes, in terms of this country and where we are at this particular junction, have proved to me that we must reach out and more clearly define our spiritual and religious journey,” James says. “Because that is one of the few things that ‘we the people’ still control — they can’t touch that.”

Not to mention the current limits to funding for historical projects in general.

Those grounded in interpreting history through alternate lenses will experience an even tougher time procuring financial backing in the years to come, as many groups and foundations are reluctant to fund projects that challenge mainstream power structures.

All of this adds extra weight to James’s shoulders, but it doesn't discourage him. “It’s not as if there’s going to be another one of these films two or three years from now,” he says. “You’ve got one shot at it. It’s about getting it right but also recognizing that you can’t include everything. Finding a proper balance is a beautiful artistic and editorial responsibility.”

Nothing about the project has changed in the years since he first began. What has changed is the urgency around telling this story. “It’s not a story just for now,” James argues. “It’s for the next generation.”

"God of the Oppressed—Stories of Black Liberation" is currently in pre-production, with research being conducted and narratives being gathered. Browse the project site for more information, and to find out how you might get involved.

Further Resources

• "God of the Oppressed: Stories of Black Liberation"
• Guide to the Gayraud Wilmore Papers
• Guide to the Katie Geneva Cannon Papers