Product Overview
Too often, all oppressed people in America are lumped together under the moniker “people of color,” as if each group’s experience under the yoke of systemic racism has the same economic and social repercussions. But the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) hold a unique claim to economic and reparative justice: for ADOS, after all, is the only group whose ancestors were forcibly brought to America, enslaved, built much of the wealth of the country, yet continue to be specifically excluded from the same social, political, and economic rights of other Americans. To that end, Rev. Dr. Kevin W. Cosby lays out the first theology of the ADOS movement, turning the traditional lens of Black liberation theology from Moses leading escaped Hebrew slaves in Exodus to other biblical leaders like Solomon, Daniel, and Nehemiah.
In the stories of Nehemiah and other biblical leaders, Cosby finds inspiration on how to rebuild Black America including the necessity of government reparations for ADOS. Cosby calls all Americans to move from a place of relative nonengagement and detachment to a place of active support of ADOS’s efforts for justice and healing.
Perfect for book clubs! Download the Reading Group Guide.
Reviews
"Cosby’s book is a thoughtful, compelling read and merits serious attention. Current debate about reparations, critical race theory, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) solidarity, and HBCU survival make this book a must read for all Americans." – Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology
"Drawing on figures like Solomon,
Daniel, and Nehemiah,
Cosby pivots from traditional liberation themes of
exodus from slavery to a
theology which addresses
Black America’s need to
rebuild in a still inhospitable environment. He also
confronts White readers
with a clarion call to spurn
complacency and actively
support this rebuilding." - The Christian Century
“Cosby’s robustly Christian contribution to Black activism is a welcome and challenging call to the ongoing work of repentance and restoration.” — The Englewood Review of Books
“Dr. Cosby’s fundamental work is lighting a path for pastors, activists, and community members who are committed to an interpretation of Scripture that specifically defines our predicament as a tyrannized group and daringly confronts our oppressors.”
—Yvette Carnell, cofounder of the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) movement, founder and host of Breaking Brown YouTube channel, and former congressional aide to Senator Barbara Boxer and Congressman Marion Berry
“Dr. Cosby takes the foundational elements of ADOS concepts and weaves in theology with unique and daring perspective. Reading Getting to the Promised Land definitely pushes us forward on the road to reparative justice.”
—Antonio Moore, cofounder of the ADOS movement, an attorney in Los Angeles, producer of the Emmy-nominated documentary Crack in the System, and host of the weekly radio show Tonetalks
“This is a brilliantly thoughtful, novel approach to the reparations debate that should be required reading for everyone with even a minimal investment in the reparations debate.”
—Obery Hendricks, Professor of Religion and African American and Afro-Diasporic Studies, Columbia University; and author of Christians against Christianity
“This hard-hitting book is a welcome continuation of our education in the truth of our common history and is an urgent read for all those who care about the future of our society.”
—Walter Brueggemann, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary; an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ; and author of dozens of books, including Sabbath as Resistance and Interrupting Silence
“Cosby calls us to reorient our moral, ethical, and theological compass toward the distinct experience of descendants of slaves.”
—Leah Gunning Francis, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana; and author of Ferguson and Faith