The convenience store where Alton sterling sold CDs is also the place where he was killed. But, in the wake of his death, many members of the community transformed that space into something... else. I suggest that this transformation has been central to black communities, and I see it done in and through the transformation of space in black churches. This talk will explore how the transformation of space is, in and of itself, a sacred act--and how such an act has much to do with what design and architecture is. 

Biko Mandela Gray is assistant professor of religion at Syracuse University. He writes, teaches, and thinks about the relationship between blackness, religion, ethics, and philosophy in the United States. His first book, Black Life Matter, is under contract with Duke University Press.