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Everyday Sacredness: Routinization and Transformation in the Black Church Tradition Monday, October 26 at 5 p.m. Theron Room, Wright Library and streaming online.
RSVP to attend in person or virtually
Rev. Dr. Sandra L. Barnes is the C.V. Starr Professor of Sociology at Brown University in Providence, RI. Her scholarly interests are: sociology of religion; race, class, sexuality, and gender inequality; social justice; and, urban sociology. For almost 30 years, her research, teaching and service have focused on: how religion can both transform and routinize experiences; Black Church responses to challenges in the Black community; and the adaptive, resilient nature of working class and poor urbanites. Moreover, her mixed-methodological approach reflects the importance of culturally sensitive scholarship as well as best practices and research to promote social justice and combat social problems that disproportionately affect the Black community. Rev. Dr. Barnes has also been an ordained Baptist minister for over thirty years. Her sermons and Christian workshops are informed by scholarship and a prophetic lens.
Barnes received a B.S. degree (1986) in mathematics and economics from Fisk University in Nashville, TN. She also earned Master’s degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology (1989) and the Interdenominational Theological Center (1995) and the Ph.D. degree (1999) in Sociology from Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA. Phi Beta Kappa, her record includes: 10 books; 3 edited volumes; over 68 peer-reviewed articles (47 are single-authored); 12 documentaries; 11 book chapters; and, PI or Co-PI on grants totaling over $2.5 million dollars. Her scholarship has been published by university presses and sociological journals such as the Social Problems, SOCIAL FORCES, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, and Journal of African American Studies. She has made scholarly presentations in Curitiba, Brazil, Beijing, China, Dublin, Ireland, and in the U.S. at the Congressional Black Caucus of the Congress of the United States, Washington, D.C. She has also written articles for or been cited in mainstream outlets such as the Washington Post and The Conversation and has participated in multiple televised interviews.
Dr. Barnes was a joint appointed Professor of Sociology in the Department of Human and Organizational Development in Peabody College and the Divinity School at Vanderbilt University (2008-2019). She served as the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Vanderbilt (2016-2018). She was the first female African American Assistant Vice Chancellor in the history of Vanderbilt University. From 2022-2025, Dr. Barnes also served as Chairperson of the Dept. of Sociology at Brown University where she initiated multiple social justice programs including the W.E.B. Du Bois Race and Racism Ph.D. certificate. This certificate is the only one of its kind offered at any college or university. Rev. Dr. Barnes also has the distinction of being the first African American and first African American female to serve as Department Chairperson in the history of the Dept. of Sociology at Brown University.
Dr. Barnes is the recipient of the 2019 Cox-Johnson-Frazier Award conferred by the American Sociological Association and the 2023 Distinguished Career Award from the American Sociological Association: Race, Gender, and Class section. Her 2018 Emmy-nominated documentary, “Gary, Indiana: A Tale of Two Cities,” examines the influence of Black churches in poor urban spaces. She also completed a 30-minute documentary about the religious and spiritual experiences of young Black sexual minorities (Four Voices: Journeys). These films offer a platform for persons whose voices are rarely heard on their own terms. In 2024, Four Voices was two-time Emmy-nominated by the 39th Annual National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Her 2025 film, Setting the Record Straight: W.E.B. Du Bois and His Place In World History, focuses on the life and legacy of this scholar-activist and was also nominated for an Emmy award. Lastly, Dr. Barnes served two stints as the President of the Association of Black Sociologists (ABS). She is the only female in the organization’s history to be elected ABS President for two terms.
This biennial lecture was inaugurated in 2000 by the Association of Black Seminarians to honor Dr. Geddes Hanson, Princeton Seminary’s Charlotte W. Newcombe Professor of Congregational Ministry Emeritus and the first tenured African American member of the faculty.
