Walking through the Valley

Readers in both academic and ministerial contexts will find that the contributors make a convincing case for the resiliency that can be gleaned from Black women’s embodied knowledge. The text as a whole highlights the value of Black female knowledge production, leadership, and agency that lives on in those who continue to add to the womanist house, honoring the legacy of Katie Geneva Cannon, who is among our great cloud of witnesses. – Interpretation

“Every essay in this volume is beautifully written, places Black women’s stories at the center, and aims to invite readers into Cannon’s work of “debunking, unmasking, and disentangling” the death-dealing systems we participate in and are oppressed by.” – The Christian Century

“I was prepared for this book to focus on Black pain and trauma but Walking Through the Valley is better described as an exploratory venture through the fight for the Blackest redemption. The authors focus on liberation, redemption and transformation rather than the trauma.” – Presbyterian Outlook

“The authors model the gift of womanist scholarship through the range of genres and approaches they use. They seek to reach the mind – including the imagination – and the heart, through story, personal reflection, intellectual argument, poetry and even dance. This book leaves the reader with a deep desire to engage again – or for the first time – with the full range of Katie Cannon’s work as an essential part of any canon within the field of Christian theological ethics.” – Black Theology

“Womanist colleagues celebrate the life and work of Katie Geneva Cannon. A dozen colleagues explore her insights and impact on the study of religion. This is predicted to be the first of many such volumes about this key thinker and consummate professor. A must-read to appreciate the respect Dr. Cannon enjoyed and the brilliant work of her colleagues to take womanism to new heights.” – Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual

“What better way to honor Cannon’s legacy than by bringing her work into new realms of discourse—from climate change to the carceral system—and new methods of inquiry? Every essay in this volume is beautifully written, places Black women’s stories at the center, and aims to invite readers into Cannon’s work of ‘debunking, unmasking, and disentangling’ the death-dealing systems we participate in and are oppressed by.” – The Christian Century