Additional information
by Joyce Blackwell Ph. D. (Author)
Working from the premise that the story of White Rock Baptist Church has often been neglected in books and courses on the role and impact of major African-American institutions on Durham and the State of North Carolina, Dr. Joyce Blackwell offers this wonderfully informative and short history of the church and its impact on the local community. Upon This Rock: White Rock Baptist Church's Dynamic People and Their Influence in the Durham, North Carolina, Community, 1866-1932, tells the story of how the church, inspired through prayer and built primarily around the Word of God, was made significant through its members who interpreted their Christian faith by serving the African-American community's needs. For these and other reasons, White Rock Baptist Church became a significant arena for spiritual support, educational opportunity, economic development, political activism, and racial uplift.
Author Biography
Dr. Joyce Blackwell has been a member of White Rock Baptist Church since 2005, where she is active in several ministries. A professionally-trained historian, Dr. Blackwell is the author of the pioneer book, No Peace Without Freedom: Race and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, 1915-1975 (Carbondale, Illinois: University of Southern Illinois Press, 2004). She is also the author of many scholarly and peer-reviewed articles about African-American peace activism. Dr. Blackwell is the Vice President, Academic and Student Affairs, at Piedmont Community College, and former Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at both Bennett College and South Carolina State University.
