They Not Like Us: Trying to Silence the Voices of Black America is a powerful historical, cultural, and theological examination of how African American contributions have been systematically erased from the American narrative-and why that erasure continues today.
Written by theologian and scholar Dr. Donnie L. Smith, this book exposes the mechanisms of silencing that operate through education, media, politics, religion, and culture. From slavery and Reconstruction to modern curriculum bans and media appropriation, Smith reveals how America has repeatedly profited from Black labor, creativity, faith, and intellect while denying proper recognition.
Blending rigorous historical analysis with prophetic theological insight, this book uncovers how education has been weaponized, how Black intellectuals and inventors were erased, and how the Black Church has served as a site of resistance and liberation. This book is both a call to remembrance and a demand for justice.
