Preaching Without a Pulpit: Toward a Womanist Hermeneutic of Regeneration in Just Above My Head

In The Souls of Black Folk , W. E. B. Du Bois discusses the historical and cultural importance of the Black preacher as “a leader, a politician, an orator, a ‘boss,’… the centre of a group of men .” I propose we reimagine Du Bois’s Black preacher figure—in his words, “the most unique personality developed on American soil”—as a Black woman. Additionally, we should examine the sermon in African American literature as we focus on womanist preachers and spiritual figures such as Margaret Alexander in The Amen Corner , the sisters in Go Tell It on the Mountain , and most significantly, Julia in Just Above My Head . Coining the term, “womanist hermeneutic of regeneration,” this article demonstrates the affective power of examining blue note womanist preachers and spiritual figures in James Baldwin’s work.