gy. There is no way for one book to contain all that there is to know about the theologies of the peoples of the African Diaspora. UBUNTU and the Word is an African Diasporan quest for the truth, not just any, but the scriptural and spiritual truth for people who have been oppressed, marginalized, and disenfranchised. The biblical truth is not derived from stiff-necked doctrine or dogmatic orthodoxy. UBUNTU is the means to creating the Beloved Community. UBUNTU means "I am because you are" and "you are because I am." UBUNTU is about liberating the Bible from its white male cisgender Eurocentric hegemony. My hope is that this book will help us to develop healthier, more holistic relationships with our faith and with each other. The goals of UBUNTU and the Word are to serve as a bridge between everyday religious discourse and religious academia and to generate healthy spiritual dialogue.

In turn, we will reclaim our rightful place in the Imago Dei for the Afrodiasporan tapestry that is Queer, Womanist, and "Blackity-Black." UBUNTU and the Word helps us on our biblical journey through the eyes, the mind, and the souls of the entire African Diaspora. So many people are on religious deconstruction journeys, but the problem comes in rebuilding a faith. I hope this book will provide a foundation to build again while better understanding what you believe and, most importantly, why you believe. Although rooted in the Christian faith, I hope for all Afrodiaspora members, who are even practitioners of other faiths, to find something useful within the pages of UBUNTU and the Word.