“Do Justice”: How Black Christian Students at Princeton University Combine their Faith with their Pursuit of Social and Racial Justice: An Application of Micah 6:8

Abstract

This thesis explores the complex relationship that Black college students’ perceptions of and identifications with Christianity have with the concept of social justice, specifically at Princeton University. College students are becoming increasingly progressive, and this is true for Black students as well. This progressivism is unique because it takes race into account as well. However, Christianity is a traditionally conservative religion—although in some spaces, it has been “evolving” to match the pace of secular society. Most spaces in which Black college students either advocate for or express an interest in social justice are secular. This secularism is convenient because it allows for a focus on the intersection of oppressed minority identities. However, this creates a conflict within the Christian community when people with different ideologies disagree about the ways that different oppressed minority groups should be best advocated for.