4 LEHIGH UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES History Black Women’s Discourse on Religion in the Woman’s Era America in the late 19th and early 20th century, often called the Woman’s Era by some historians, was a time of intense activism by women striving for racial and gender equality. A key organization in this movement was the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), founded in 1896, which advocated—and continues to advocate—for the rights of both women and African Americans. Historian Joseph Williams is delving into how Black women engaged with religion, the divine, and the afterlife during this period. Williams’ research, which will culminate in a monograph, draws from a range of mediums including books clubs, organizational meetings records (such as those from the NACW and its conferences), newspapers, magazines, and speeches. “The purpose of the book is really to both map those ideas, but also to document how these women use those ideas to shore up their campaign for racial and gender equality,” he explains. One prominent voice Williams examines is Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, social activist and journalist from Boston, who established The Woman’s Era magazine, an offshoot of her Woman’s Era Club. A publication Williams discovered while studying at DePaul University, there’s a particular report in the magazine that captured his attention. The club hosts Ednah D. Cheney, a prominent lecturer, who spoke on religious toleration and spiritualism. The account of the event in The Woman’s Era offers an interesting discussion on the role of religion in community and how it applies to equal rights. Williams uses this exchange as a departure point for his project, highlighting how these women created a space for Black women to engage in a conversation generally associated with the academy or private clubs. These spaces weren’t for the elite but everyday readers and women, some of whom lacked formal education. While some of the women are fairly familiar to historians, Williams is also centering women whose stories have not been told. Previous historical scholarship has explored Black women’s Christian experiences. Williams is broadening the scope to pluralist religious experiences. “I wanted to reflect on what it meant to identify as a certain part of a religion, but engage or embrace practices and speech that might compromise that identity or conflict with that identity. I think people do that all the time,” he says, citing his own grandmother as an inspiration for the project. The women in Williams’ study were not merely engaging in abstract theological discussions. Their intellectual pursuits were deeply intertwined with their activism. “[They] are engaging in this type of work for a very specific goal.” These goals included dismantling Jim Crow laws, advocating for women’s suffrage, challenging gender norms, reforming the church, and persistently championing education for all. “I’ve learned to appreciate discourse and the potential it brings for social change,” Williams concludes, underscoring the enduring power of these women’s intellectual and activist legacies. Psychology Charting the Psychology of Teen Friendships Friendships during adolescence are widely understood to be critical for emotional and social development. Yet, as developmental psychologist Sarah Borowski’s research underscores, her work offers a nuanced understanding of how supportive interactions among peers can foster resilience— or, under certain conditions, exacerbate emotional difficulties. Borowski’s research focuses on the ways in which adolescents seek and provide emotional support within peer relationships, particularly during a developmental period characterized by increasing autonomy from parents. She identifies close friendships as strongly associated with improved emotional competence, reduced depressive symptoms, and the development of healthier romantic relationships later in life. However, adolescents, lacking the emotional maturity of adults, may engage in behaviors that inadvertently reinforce negative emotional patterns. Joseph Williams Christine Kreschollek, Boston Public Library HIGHLIGHTS
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