What is the importance of the church in the film, I Am Not Your Negro?

The church had an important position in the Civil Rights Movement, not just as a spiritual place, but as a supportive community for African Americans and Civil Rights activists. The rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement is characteristic of the Church. Baldwin, though he lost his faith later in life, was a junior minister as a teenager, and was raised by his step-father, who was a minister. Baldwin's impassioned and articulate way of speaking is in large part inspired by the rhetoric of the church, and his speeches, talks, and debates gave words to the long-felt frustrations of the black community in the U.S., in a way which could be described as a sort of religious revelation.

In addition to this, as a physical space, the Church was often, especially in the South, used as a central meeting place for the Civil Rights Movement. It was critical to community togetherness and morale, particularly during segregation when so many physical spaces were barred or hostile to African Americans. For these reasons, the church as a space and an institution features prominently in this text.