Origin of the National African American Clergywomen Oral History Project

This specific project ia an outgrowth of the research work of Rev. Dr. Sallie M. Cuffee, Project Director, which began over a decade ago as a seminarian. In the early nineties, Dr. Cuffee worked under the faculty supervision of Dr. Delores Carpenter at Howard Divinity School in Washington, D.C.

With a grant funded by the Lilly Foundation, Dr. Cuffee served as the research assistant to collect data about the lives of black female seminarians from 1980 - 1990. Being exposed to the struggle of black women in their quest for ordination left a lasting impression upon Dr. Cuffee.

Upon completion of seminary, Dr. Cuffee began a doctoral program at Union Theological Seminary at which point, her academic and research interest culminated in a womanist research project with Dr. Delores S. William. She also worked briefly with Dr. Emilie Townes of Union Seminary on a pedagogy project: "Teaching African American Religious History", funded by the Lilly Foundation.

After graduation in 2000, the United Methodist Women's Division commissioned Dr. Cuffee to co-author a book with Elsa Tamez, entitled "Jesus and Courageous Women." She was specifically responsible for the study guide. The importance of the project was that Dr. Cuffee was introduced to many ethnic minority women who anchored the Women's Division as laywomen.

After years of serving as an apprentice on several academic projects--now a professor at Medgar Evers College, and her first hand exposure to the black male clergy in the Baptist Church, ordained American Baptist--Dr. Cuffee's committed labor on these past projects led to this present undertaking: The National African American Clergywomen Oral History Project.