About the Book

Spiritual – Upon This Rock by Dr. Joyce Blackwell

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.