Navigating the Narrative Rupture: How a Bible Belt Community Negotiated America’s “Racial Reckoning”

America’s so-called “racial reckoning” following the murder of George Floyd has been divided along partisan and religious lines. Yet social scientists know little about the social factors that obscure racism in concrete settings like evangelical congregations. Doctoral student in sociologist Rachel Brown-Weinstock will examine how Baptist congregations and residents of Richmond County, North Carolina, experienced racialized political polarization during the summer of 2020. She will conduct participant observation, interviews, and historical content analysis for her study.