His most well-known books, Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul, and In a Shade of Blue: Pragmatism and the Politics of Black America, take a wide look at black communities and reveal complexities, vulnerabilities, and opportunities for hope.
He is chair of the Department of African American Studies, a program he first became involved with shaping as a doctoral candidate in Religion at Princeton.
His books on religion and philosophy include African American Religion: A Very Short Introduction and Exodus!
Religion, Race and Nation in Early 19th Century Black America, which was awarded the Modern Language Association’s William Sanders Scarborough Book Prize.
He holds a master’s degree in African American Studies from Temple University, and a Ph.D in Religion from Princeton University.