Podcast: Black Churches & Single Women

Podcast: Black Churches & Single Women

“Black women have an inordinate amount of faith in both Black men and Black churches…. Single Black women sitting in church every Sunday are being subtley brainwashed …”

— from “How Black Churches Keep African American Women Single and Lonely”

With those strong words, relationship expert Deborrah Cooper set off an explosive discussion in the Christian community that is still resonating three months later. Indeed, if it’s possible for an article to be considered legendary after only three months, Cooper’s indictment of Black men, Black churches, and the Black women who put their faith in them is certainly it. After the article posted, Cooper was featured on The Tom Joyner Morning Show, CNN, and in thousands of debates among Christian women and men across the nation.

UrbanFaith’s Chandra White-Cummings responded to Cooper’s commentary soon after its original publication, and Cooper even visited our site to respond to Chandra’s response. The nerve Cooper struck is one we’ll be analyzing for a long time, especially in light of recent studies that suggest it’s increasingly difficult for successful Black women to find a compatible man.

With all this in mind, UrbanFaith called together three of its own successful single women — writers Chanel Graham, Chandra White-Cummings, and Nicole Symmonds (see photos above) — to discuss Cooper’s controversial article and the important issues it raises for women, men, and the church. Check out their lively chat in the 30-minute podcast below, followed by eight shorter outtakes from their wide-ranging conversation. (You can also download the podcasts for free at our iTunes channel.) And after you listen, leave your own comments below. We have a feeling you’ll have a lot to add to the discussion.

Podcast: Are Black Churches Bad News for Single Women? (30 min.)

Podcast Additional Segments: