Stephanie House-Niamke grew up watching her elders worship a god who did not look like them. A Black Christian from Appalachia, House-Niamke calls it the “White Jesus Phenomenon on Black Christians.”
. . . My research focuses on the Black community and power. I want to understand the collective power of the Black community and its relationship to institutional and societal power. In this, I tend to focus specifically on Black women's relationships in different social systems in our society.
Raised in southwestern Virginia by a community organizer and “accidental feminist” in a large family of K-12 educators, it’s natural for House-Niamke to view the world from a curiously critical gendered and racialized lens.
The juxtaposition of her upbringing in the face of persistent white religious iconography eventually led her to West Virginia University, where she is studying the topic for her doctorate in sociology. She is a W.E.B. Du Bois Fellow through the WVU Office of Graduate Education and Life.
Q: How does the presentation of “White Jesus” affect Black Christians?
A: In my thesis, some people I interviewed found it problematic, making deliberate efforts to talk about it within their church communities, families and even changing the imagery portrayed around them and their church. Others felt it didn't matter as much because they believed God didn't ultimately care about any human identities like race, gender, etc.. My dissertation is the expansion of this topic to better discern why some care and others do not, and if the different responses are related to gender, generation or geographical location in the U.S. Research has shown that commercializing and institutionalizing the portrayal of Jesus as white has insidious effects, particularly on minoritized populations. More generally, my research focuses on the Black community and power. I want to understand the collective power of the Black community and its relationship to institutional and societal power. In this, I tend to focus specifically on Black women's relationships in different social systems in our society.
Q: How did you wind up at WVU?
A: I attended Radford University for my bachelor's and Virginia Tech for my Master of Public Administration. Prior to WVU, I was serving as professional staff and adjunct instructor at American University in Washington, D.C. I was always interested in race and gender and was beginning to find more interest in studying religion, too. At Virginia Tech, I took some classes that substantively exposed me to these research areas and some of my faculty and mentors encouraged me to think about a doctorate. In my wildest dreams, I never saw myself getting a Ph.D. but when I started doing research on schools around me, WVU popped up and the more I learned, the more I felt comfortable applying. WVU's sociology department has some fantastic religion and gender scholars, and it has been such a good fit for me intellectually to be working with them.
Q: How did your interest in Christianity and the Black Church begin?
A: I attended a Black church as a child but not that regularly. I think my "outsider-insider" perspective has made my experience with and relationship to the Black Church interesting and I think that shows up in my work. I am more involved with my faith now and a big part of that is finding a church that was very progressive and social justice-oriented. Finding a Black church that is pro-LGBTQ, pro-activism, as well as traditionally grounded in Scripture is very difficult to find but I think that has inspired my interest in this work as well.
Q: Biggest influences in your life?
A: This is a tough one. I don't think I can name one particular person or event but I would say I'm an activist by nature and, so, I am driven by the possibility of liberation for minoritized communities, specifically the Black community. I feel like my work is following in the footsteps of Ella Baker, Assata Shakur, Patricia Hill Collins, Cheryl Townsend Gilkes, and Kelly Brown Douglas.
Q: I see you like to cook. Do you have a most popular dish?
A: I do! I LOVE cooking. I don't get to do it as much because I'm so busy these days but my favorite dish to make for myself is sweet and sour chicken. Cutting vegetables is a meditative practice for me and so this recipe allows me lots of opportunity for that time. The dish my family loves most for me to make is macaroni and cheese. I make it at every family function and holiday!
Q: Favorite music and podcasts and why?
A: My top music artists right now are Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion, Jazmine Sullivan and Lucky Daye. I'm a big R&B fan, hence my obsession with Sullivan, Daye and Beyonce. I have an immense amount of respect for Megan and her story, on top of the bold and braggadocious nature of her lyrics. I listen to a few different podcasts including “Pod Save America,” NPR's “Codeswitch” and “Adulting with Michelle Buteau and Jordan Carlos.” I had a very long commute when I initially moved to D.C. and so I started listening to podcasts. “Pod Save America” keeps me abreast of politics because I can't stand to watch the news anymore; “Codeswitch” talks about race and ethnicity which aligns with my work and lived experience; and “Adulting” is a fun podcast by two comedians so it's my comic relief! It's nice to hear how hilariously others are navigating this whole thing called "being an adult.”
Written by Jake Stump