Tar Baby and Womanist Theology

Abstract

“Tar has funky qualities. It is thick, black, sticky, shiny, and powerful in its ability to hold things together. It is a symbol of black women's cohesive power. There is something very earthy about tar. It has body. Tar comes from the earth and is ancient. It has an elemental quality. … One might employ Morrison's ‘tar baby’ metaphor to represent black women as the tar women of the church, who hold churches together.”