07 Feb 2025 Faith and Fight: A conversation about the Black Church and Civil Rights Movement

For Black History Month the University of Utah Press would like to spotlight an event from Martin Luther King Jr. Week, sponsored by University of Utah and the J. Willard Marriott Library. On January 23, 2025, Pastor Emeritus France Davis, who walked with Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, moderated conversation with four other Black religious leaders from Utah: Pastor Vada Southern (Pastor at Embry Chapel, A.M.E., Ogden), Pastor Bobby Allen, Jr. (Pastor at Griffin Memorial Church of God in Christ, Ogden), Bishop Bobby Allen (Jurisdiction Bishop of the Churches of God in Christ for Utah and Pastor of the Kingdom Church of God in Christ, Salt Lake City), Pastor Charles Petty (Pastor of the Second Baptist Church, Ogden). The topic of conversation? The Black Church and the Civil Rights Movement.

The room was electric, full of energy, hope, and conviction. You can watch this inspiring event at this YouTube link or below.

The Press published Pastor Emeritus France Davis’s autobiography a few years back, France Davis: An American Story Told. His story of courage and vision is a great book to revisit when thinking about Black history within Utah and the United States. We also published Feed My Sheep: The Life of Alberta Henry by Colleen Whitley. Henry campaigned tirelessly for equality at a local level, including serving for twelve years as president of the Salt Lake City branch of the NAACP.

What to expect this month from University of Utah Press

During Black History Month, this February, we’ll be highlighting several of our relevant books as well as featuring an interview with Amy Tanner Thiriot about Slavery in Zion: A Documentary and Genealogical History of Black Lives and Black Servitude in Utah Territory, 1847-1862, winner of Dwight L. Smith from Western History Association and Juanita Brooks Best book in Utah History awards.

Explore these titles and use the code BLKHST through the month of February to receive 35% off these books.

Hannah K. New is the marketing manager for the University of Utah Press.

Da Quanisha Parks is currently works for the University of Utah Press as a graduate research assistant for marketing while earning an MS in Environmental Humanities.