Valerie C. Cooper is the associate professor of black church studies at Duke Divinity School. In her research and teaching, Valerie examines issues of religion, race, and society. In her research for the Virginia Seminar, Valerie evaluates the successes and failures of the racial reconciliation efforts of Christian congregations and ministries from the 1990s to the present. In addition to examining why such efforts frequently fall short of their stated goals, she also hopes to propose methods for achieving meaningful cross-racial relationships in America’s still very segregated churches and religious organizations.

Learn more about Valerie by visiting her author’s page here.